Casual Fridays #6: Jackie Opel

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.

A few days ago, Mod Male Facebook reader, Lion F., turned me on to a great singer: Jackie Opel. I'll be honest with you, as much of a ska/rocksteady fan that I am, there is still a lot out there that falls off my radar. Thank you, Lion, for bringing him to my attention because not only is his music just what I needed this morning to get me ready for the day, but dig on his style vibe here:

Jackie Opel, not only rockin' the madras jacket, but gettin' down to the ground in the process! A pair of sharp shoes, narrow slacks, white cufflink shirt (with what looks like a button-down collar), and that great jacket sans tie... cool 'n' casual!

His look actually reminds me of what some of the guys I first met up in the Bay Area used to wear on a casual basis. I'm from southern CA. When I was still living down there, I remember the casual Mod look consisting of sneakers, jeans, and a Jam t-shirt. That was the daily look. At least it was with some of the people I knew or saw around.

When I moved to the Bay Area (Berkeley/Oakland), I saw a huge change in how the fellows dressed. Up here, on a daily basis, a few tended to wear 1960s narrow slacks, dark pointed shoes, vintage dress shirts (Arrow Kent, Van Heusen, Towncraft, etc.), and a 3-button suit jacket (or corduroy/suede/leather coats), with no tie. And this was just to hang out listening to records!

Jackie Opel's look above wouldn't have been out of the ordinary back then. It's a look well worth exploring once you're ready to move up from jeans and a Fred Perry. Plus, once you master this type of daily wear, think how much you'll start improving your evening club wear. Jackie Opel, for instance, looks slick and smooth here, but when he got dolled up, well....

...dude didn't mess around.

Now, let Jackie Opel start your day off with some sounds to get you bouncin'!

Sharp Stylings #36: Suggs

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.

You guys, I. Am. Beat. Trying to recover from last night's Madness show at the Warfield in San Francisco and the Madness after-party, and I'm having a bit of a hard time. (Why did I have that last whiskey and soda?)

Anyways, on with this post. Okay, so yeah, Madness. I totally dig them. They were my gateway drug into ska music. However, as much as I like them, they kind of set up some bad examples for me. For one thing, I blame them for my horrible running-in-place skanking moves I did back in high school. (Thank you, Hepcat and '60s ska videos for showing me the right way to skank!) And sure, some of the Madness guys often wore suits, but they weren't necessarily the most styling. I mean, I get the fun of baggy trousers and all, but many times, their suits were also kinda ill-fitting.

But after a long search, I found a photo worth talking about. Here's an early Madness shot, back when they still had a slightly 'rude' look to them.

I know, I know, nothing really sharp going on here too much. But let's focus in a little bit more, shall we?

There we go, much better! Now check out Suggs up front there. He's looking much more slick now! Thin tie, well-fitted suit, pull-over v-neck sweater vest (to add a casual touch), nice narrow trousers, and clean-looking shoes. Here, Suggs looks styling and comfortable. Perfect way to dress on an overcast, cool day.

And yes, as we learned last night, the guy still likes wearing his suit on stage. Unfortunately, not as sharp as this one right here and, as my wife pointed out last night, "Oh no... he buttoned his bottom button!"

Now, I'm off to recover. Have a great weekend!

Mod Gone Wrong: 2-Tone Ska Desert Boots

Okay, okay, I know I've gone on about desert boots, particularly patterned desert boots, enough already.

But come on! I mean, COME ON!! Really?!

From the always informative ModCulture site.

Keep in mind, this isn't an artist's sketch. These shoes are not a doodle made by a teenage sk'mod/rude boy who was bored in history class. These are a real product! These are an actual made, manufactured item. They made these because someone out there is going to buy them and possibly skank in them.

Think about that for a minute. There will be people walking around in 2-Tone checkered desert boots.

That's it... I'm getting into the shoe business. I'm going to start making Union Jack flip-flops, Uggs with target patterns, hi-top sneakers with red, white, and blue arrows, and Birkenstocks with just the word 'mod' repeated all along the straps.

See ya, fellas! Millionaire Row, here I come!