Working to look sharp for a rare evening out on the town can actually be easy. The tough job is trying to look sharp on a daily, casual basis. Yeah, you might have your Friday night suit at your beck and call, but what does it matter if you spend the rest of your time in target t-shirts and jeans? Every Friday, I'd like to offer up some style inspiration for tightening up your casual look, because let's face it... sometimes you just don't feel like wearing a tie, but still want to keep it sharp.
Can you ever really get enough photos of 1960s Steve Marriott? Nah! Here is one of my faves of the guy just cold kickin' it Mod style:
First off, he's got that classic Marriot hairstyle going on. Notice that his sides only go down to around the bottom of his ear, though? These days, Mod dudes look like they're reaching 'skinbyrd' levels of fringe. Wonder if Paul Weller's to blame for that?
Secondly, take a look at that great cardigan! Monochromatic blues with great striping down the center, nice flat collar, and chest pocket with navy/white striping. For years, I wanted a cardigan like this. Well, that search ended a while ago thanks to these guys! What I like about Steve's use of this cardigan here is how he matched it up with those brown trousers (browns 'n' blues, always a winner!).
Speaking of those trousers, Mod guys take note! See how un-tapered they are? Admittedly, it took me several years to come around to this style of trouser hem width, but once I did, I never looked back. These trousers are tighter around the thighs and come down straight toward the shoe, without tapering at the ankle. Perfect trousers without looking peg-legged!
Then we end with the white chisel-toed steps. Personally, I don't know if I can pull off white shoes anymore, but these look fantastic! Nice detailing up the sides, great toe, and a small, clean heal that contrasts with the uppers.
This, my friends, is how you play it casual. Now, start the weekend off with some Small Faces goodness.
We can learn so much from yesterday’s fashion icons. And living in a post-Mad Men world means we can even enjoy aspects of current male fashions! Every Friday, I’d like to start your weekend off right with a little style inspiration from either then or now. Hopefully, my fellow Mod enthusiasts will find the whole or some detail of the whole to appreciate and maybe even adopt.
Let's get straight to the point today. This is Ronnie Lane, of the Small Faces, in an awesome window-pane jacket with a breast-pocket flap:
Photo from the Magic Mac blog which always has the best photos.
Lane's hair is styled perfectly with sides that aren't TOO long and bangs slightly above his eyebrows. A nice pink-toned button-down which goes great with the brown of the jacket. And that jacket... whoa! You ever wonder if any of these clothes still exist out there in the world? Is this particular jacket hidden away in someone's closet, being unappreciated? Or is it in a trash heap somewhere? Just dig on how slick, yet comfortable, it looks!
Yeah, I used to be a Steve Marriott devotee. I dug it all, from his immense voice, to his sharp outfits, to his mannerisms on stage. When I was younger, I used to backcomb my hair, hoping to reach Marriott heights. Heck, I used to jokingly call myself 'Esteban Marriott.' And I still do really dig Steve Marriott, don't get me wrong, but these days, I'm much more of a Ronnie Lane devotee.
A few years back, our friends Mike and Sarah lent us a DVD on Lane's life (see bottom of this post) and it totally changed our perspective on his contribution to music. Soon after watching the biography, we hunted down his solo material and played it every day for months. I dug even further into The Faces output for every song Lane either wrote or sang on.
I know I should be writing more about how awesome Lane's Mod style was, but his music trumps all of that. If you're already hip to this stuff, you know where I'm coming from. If you're starting out with this Mod thing and haven't moved beyond the Small Faces yet, give Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance a... chance. You really won't be disappointed! The following are just 5 songs to open you up to the beauty of Ronnie Lane.
1. Debris
2. Kuschty Rye
3. Glad and Sorry
4. Barcelona
5. The Poacher
And here's just Part One of the documentary I referred to earlier. Enjoy!
Alright, as much as I hate to admit it, summer is upon us. I'm sure I've said this before, but I just don't do well with summer... or hot weather, in general. (What do you think spurred my move from Southern California to Northern California?) However, summer is a great time to finally bust out a nice madras suit jacket!
For those of you who don't know (and are having a hard time connecting to Wikipedia), madras is a lightweight cotton fabric, named after the Indian city of Madras. As the Ivy Style blog illustrates, madras was imported into the U.S. as far back as the turn of the century, but once Ivy League students latched on to the fabric in the middle of the century, its popularity grew more and more, despite the bleeding quality of the fabric (which became a large selling point). Although madras can come in plain colors, stripes, and other assorted patterns, the plaid design is probably the most recognizable.
This look was an early influence on the Modernists of the late '50s/early '60s which continued to spread to the point where madras jackets could be seen on many English youth (and bands) throughout the early to mid-sixties. Georgie Fame and the Small Faces are probably some of the more famous examples of the madras jacket in action, but here are some more:
Now, the first time I ever really noticed a madras jacket was in the inside sleeve of my very first Small Faces CD, From the Beginning:
Yes, my eyes were a tad blinded when I first saw this photo, but it was an image I kept turning back to, curious as to how wild their whole look was, while still keeping within the ol' suit-and-tie realm. Although Ronnie Lane's jacket fit my tastes more, the plaid madras of Steve Marriot and Kenny Jones totally challenged my perceptions of a 'mod' look back then. It was a loud look but, as a teenager, that's what I was after. Would I have worn a checkered tie with a madras jacket like that? I can say now that I probably would have avoided that look... but the 16-year-old me, if truthful, would have totally tried it. Good thing none of those pieces were anywhere near me!
A few months later, I was definitely sold on the madras jacket. In June of 1991, I went to my first ever 'Mod' show and saw a band that helped blow away my power-pop, revival leanings: The Loved Ones. (But, that's a story for another time.) Not only was I taken with their mid-sixties R&B sound (I still remember them covering 'I Just Want To Make Love With You', one of the few R&B songs I actually knew from a cover done by The Rolling Stones) but their outfits on stage were in stark contrast to just about everyone in the audience. All around me, people were dressing in black, navy, or dark brown suits, but up on stage were these guys:
A hard-to-see Nick Rossi, Bart Davenport, and Xan McCurdy of The Loved Ones - June 1991 at the Mount Baldy Lodge in Southern California.
And the outfit that most opened my eyes was that light-brown plaid madras blazer! I had to admit it... he looked more styling than either of the Small Faces in the previous photo. There, in front of me, was a loud Mod look done so right, that eveyone else in the crowd, including me, looked just so wrong. Turned out, this was a look that other Berkeley Mods had adopted. When my buddy, Juan G., picked up a copy of the Loved Ones debut 45, further proof of the slickness of the madras jacket was demonstrated:
Drummer John Kent in his madras jacket which he handed down to me later on in life.
By the time I moved to the Bay Area and met up with these guys, well, I must have gone on and on about how much I loved that light-brown madras jacket. For me, it was a reminder of the first Mod show I ever attended and a symbol of the look that really increased my interest in Mod clothing. Well, eventually, that jacket (along with others over time) was handed down to me and still remains in my closet, waiting to fit again.
Photo from around 1994 in that same madras jacket. NOTE: This was NOT my scooter.
John Kent passed on his jacket as well and I still continue to appreciate it to this day. Here's one of the only photos I could find, wearing that jacket:
Only photo of me in the jacket, from around 1996. The label inside the jacket reads 'IMPORTED HAND WOVEN Bleeding India Madras' from Lord & Taylor, Fifth Avenue.
As I mentioned previously, plaid isn't the only variety of the madras jacket. Here's a shot of The High Numbers' John Entwistle in a striped madras for you:
And here are couple of batik-patterned madras jackets you can find around:
George Fame in a madras jacket patterned in a mix of plaid and batik.
I'm still a huge fan of the madras jacket and love that many others are into the look as well. As I got older, there was a brief moment when I thought they might be too loud to get away with... but then, I regained my senses. I don't care how loud they are... the jackets are the way to go, especially now that the weather is perfect for them! Here's one of my favorites, worn during our trip to Europe last year:
Bart Davenport, me, and my wife Irene, spending time in Paris.
If you look around the internet, you'll see that the madras jacket is really coming back and not just for fans of Mod styles or the Ivy League look. And my guess is that you'll be seeing more and more madras jackets, thanks to that show of shows: Mad Men.
We can learn so much from yesterday’s fashion icons. And living in a post-Mad Men world means we can even enjoy aspects of current male fashions! Every Friday, I’d like to start your weekend off right with a little style inspiration from either then or now. Hopefully, my fellow Mod enthusiasts will find the whole or some detail of the whole to appreciate and maybe even adopt.
Friends, sorry about lack of posting this week. Hard time recuperating from a weekend in Palm Springs and a weekday DJ gig. (I don't bounce back as easily from fun nights as I used to!)
But enough of my complaining about my rickity ol' bones. Let's move on to some slick stylin'!
Found this photo from a recent Mirror article. Now before I move forward, the article pegs this as a photo from 1962, which I would have to dispute. The hair, lapels, and tie width and pattern seem way past 1962! But that's neither here nor there. What's important is that photographer Philip Townsend captured a fantastic shot here. (And please, please, please, visit Townend's site for more amazing 1960s shots and a chance to purchase prints!)
I know, I know, Richards was a good lookin' guy. Get over it already and let's move on to his hip threads. I'm sure many Mod types veer away from wide, paisley ties, seeing that it's a later 1960s look. But this tie is right up my alley, personally. In fact, I have a few similar styles like this: wide and colorful. Trust me, they look great contrasted up against a dark jacket!
And speaking of jackets, man, that is some wild detailing going on there! First off, the jacket's button stance is nice and high, the way I like it. Secondly, the lapels are thin with a high notch. Actually, they could be peaked lapels... hard to tell, though, in this photo. And third, that bric-a-brac edging along the lapel! Now where have I seen this look before? Hmm... oh yeah, that's right:
Ronnie Lane rockin' the bric-a-brac!
Sure, this is probably a hard look to pull off these days on a regular daily basis. But, it could work well for evening club attire!
Me, I love a good soul record. Heck, I love a good night of soul records! Nothing beats being out on a dance floor, groovin' and gettin' down to some sweet funky soul music... and that's what Mods do best, right? You bet!
But, if you're in my age group, chances are that spending mellow evenings at home seems more and more desirable. As much as I love me some soul-steppin', I'm also huge into mellow-diggin'. Mellow-diggin' on my couch, with a nice glass of wine, good book, and some soothing folkish, country, bluesy tunes fillin' my ears.
If you find yourself appreciating this speed more and more, then hopefully you'll enjoy my current Top 10 mellow grooves... the type of music I think perfect for wild-woodin' the day away. So, find a porch, a reclining chair, some wine, maybe a dog to sit at your feet, and enjoy:
1. Ronnie Lane - Tell Everyone - Originally recorded by The Faces, here's Ronnie Lane's version from a few years later. These days, Ronnie has taken up the spot of my favorite Small Face and here he is owning his song. As much as I like Rod's vocal, he just doesn't hold a candle to Ronnie's voice here. Plus, haunting sax solo... can't beat it.
2. Karen Dalton - Something On Your Mind - Taken from her 1971 In My Own Time record. This one's just a heart-breaking song, highlighted by Dalton's smokey voice and that beautiful violin. I found this Bob Dylan quote from Wikipedia, in which he describes hearing her for the first time in 1961: "My favorite singer in the place was Karen Dalton. Karen had a voice like Billie Holiday and played guitar like Jimmy Reed..."
3. Van Morrison - Sweet Thing - Off of Astral Weeks, one of my most favorite albums. The whole LP zones me out a good way, but this song in particular, with its steady build-up, hits my sweet spot.
4. Belle & Sebastian - Mornington Crescent - After over 10 years of hearing about how great these guys were, I finally became a B&S fan, thanks to my wife. One day, while I was washing dishes, she was playing one of their CDs in the living room. The music caught my mood at that moment and when I asked her who she was listening to, I was sold. This is one of my current favorites (out of many)... something about it that just has a nice, rolling, West Coast sound to me.
5. The Small Faces - Autumn Stone - Um... yeah, a no-brainer here.
6. Pete Molinari - Sweet Louise - A newer guy on the scene, Molinari's been putting out some great country-blues style music over the last few years. He's got a great, piercing voice and the band backing him is just top-notch.
7. The Gosdin Brothers - There Must Be Someone - Some Bakersfield country for you, featuring Rex and Vern Gosdin. These guys are probably best known for the album they recorded with Gene Clark and their connection to various Byrds. This song, in fact, was covered by the Byrds on their Ballad of Easy Rider LP and features a haunting vocal from Gene Parsons.
8. The Byrds - It's All Over Now Baby Blue - One of my all-time favorite Dylan songs and I've yet to hear a cover version I don't like! The Byrds recorded an earlier version back in 1965, but this version from a few years later, is the one I always come back to. Slow and brooding, it totally captures the sadness of the lyrics.
9. Bob Dylan (with Johnny Cash) - Girl From The North Country - I love both versions of this song: the original, released in 1963, and especially this one, a bit more countrified with Johnny Cash dueting. Come on, it's from Nashville Skyline... what else is there to say?
10. Susan Christie - Yesterday, Where's My Mind - Okay, last one for today, but you gotta bear with it for a bit... it's got a long, eerie, pysch-esque beginning. But hang in there and wait for it... wait for it... trust me, it'll pay off. Pretty powerful tune off of Susan Christie'sPaint A Lady record, a song generally appreciated for its folk/funk blend.
Well, I hope these types of sounds are up your alley too. Even the best of us need a little down time in between the dancing.
We can learn so much from yesterday’s fashion icons. And living in a post-Mad Men world means we can even enjoy aspects of current male fashions! Every Friday, I’d like to start your weekend off right with a little style inspiration from either then or now. Hopefully, my fellow Mod enthusiasts will find the whole or some detail of the whole to appreciate and maybe even adopt.
The very first Small Facesrecord CD I ever bought was From the Beginning. And the first thing to blow my mind wasn't their version of 'Runaway,' but rather their incredible outfits on the CD's cover!
My first real exposure to The Small Faces*. More images from this set at the Magic Mac blog.
At this point in my life, my wardrobe was bland to drab. Still into 2-Tone ska, I found joy in all the different ways you could match black and white items of clothing. Because my clothing was still pretty Mod-deficient, I had to rely on my parka and the pins attached to really let people know what I was all about.
But seeing the cover of this Small Faces CD really opened my mind to the beauty of colorful Mod stylings! Sure, I had cool images of The Who that I was tacking on to my walls, but this photo just knocked me over. The brownish-check jacket of Ian McLagen, the turquoise suede jacket of Kenny Jones, and man, how awesome was Steve Marriott's brown suit with the perfectly shaped lapels and his green shirt with the mustard collar? And yes, I was even into Ronnie Lane's plaid pants.
This was the first image of a Mod band that really made me appreciate how colors and patterns could be exploited for great effect. This photo, along with those of The Who circa 1965, made me want to dress more 'pop-art'. Of course, I didn't quite understand what that meant other than crazy colors and patterns.
And, I wasn't very successful dressing this way at first. Luckily for me, no photos exist, but I can tell you about the 'Mod' outfit I wore to my high school prom: navy 3-button jacket, white shirt (with black polka dots, if I remember correctly), red and black plaid 1-inch tie, pegged, brown sta-prest, white socks, and my black, pointed Dr. Martens. Trust me, it was hideous. But I thought I was lookin' like a Small Face! Pop-art! POW!
Ugh.
All thanks to the cover of this CD. But looking back on this image, I still gotta say these guys look great!
*Actually, the first image I ever saw of the Small Faces was the one in which they're wearing matching black suits while holding on to tiny crocodiles on strings.
We can learn so much from yesterday’s fashion icons. And living in a post-Mad Men world means we can even enjoy aspects of current male fashions! Every Friday, I’d like to start your weekend off right with a little style inspiration from either then or now. (And please, if you have a better name for this section than 'Fashion Friday' (ugh), I'd love to hear it and would be most appreciative!)
Let’s take a look this week at an immaculate pre-‘Tin Soldier’, pre-‘Lazy Sunday’, pre-Humble Pie, pre-Packet of Three Steve Marriott. I’m not down on any of that, mind you, but this right here… hands-down, one of my favorite images from Richard Barnes’s Mods book:
My friends, you've just been served. Cold gaze, relaxed stance, beautiful suit… Even without the tie, Steve’s just raised the bar on lookin’ sharp. Let’s dissect this one real quick:
Back-comb hair style – Right there, my favorite ‘Mod’ hair style. Bangs parted down the middle, sides going down to the bottom of the ear, and a back-comb about 3 inches up from the top of his head. Young guys take note: take advantage of this look while you still have enough hair!
Thin, high-cut lapel – Very well-cut lapel with the roll almost an inch above the top button. Even when that top button is unbuttoned, the lapel still lays so that the jacket looks closed to the top. Sweet!
Ring – You don’t need to be Hal Jordan to rock the ring. (Hmm… this might be a dated reference by the end of the summer movie season.)
Narrow, chisel-toe shoes – Pants are cut a little high with no break. For us short people, gives the illusion that we’re taller than we are, but I don’t really recommend you try this at home unless you’re well under 5’8”. Personally, I think Steve just knew his shoes couldn’t be blocked by any trouser fabric. Can you blame him? Look at the stitching around the laces and the toe on those things!
That’s it for this week. Keep stylin’ in the free world!
