A Story I Never Get Tired of Telling

Almost 20 Years Ago...
Once upon a long time ago, back in 1992, I went to see a film called ‘The Commitments’ at a local theater with my buddies. On the way out, I ran into an old friend, Elizabeth Ordaz, who introduced me to some of the friends she was with, including her sister Irene and her sister's boyfriend. I was gobsmacked! There I was, a goofy, acne-faced teen, pretty far down on the Mod Slickness Scale standing in front of this uber-Mod-looking gal with short bob and Fred Perry gear. With little hearts floating through my head, I thought, “Wow! Someday, I hope I find a Mod girlfriend as cute as her!”

About 10 Years Later...

I was now a goofy (still little) Mod adult visiting San Diego for 6699,  a '60s Mod weekender, and ran into my old roommate, John, at a thrift shop. John introduced him to the girl he was dating at that time, and lo and behold, it was that same cute mod girl from years earlier: Irene!

From that point forward, we ran into each other more and more, eventually becoming friends. Over time, that friendship grew into mutual crushes, leading to a period of woo-ship, an official first date at the wedding of our friends Victoria and Terry, a long-distance relationship, a very short-distance relationship, and, finally...

A Year Ago Today...

Sharp Stylings #15: Modern Jazz Quartet

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.

I always feel a little guilty after every 'Mod Gone Wrong' post but feel I can redeem myself a little with these Friday 'Sharp Stylings' writings. After getting down on the rich man's parka a couple of days ago, I hope this more than makes up for it.

SHWACKA-BOOM!

Dang, you just got hit by the stylings of a little band I like to call The Modern Jazz Quartet! From 1961, this photo features jazz greats Percy Heath, Milt Jackson, John Lewis, and Connie Kay. Now I'm no good with jazz writings (for that you'd have to visit the A Modernist blog), but I can tell you these guys have put out some of the best jazz records of the 1950s-1960s with such hits as "Django" and "Bag's Groove." But I'm sure you already knew that.

What I want to concentrate on is just how great these guys look in matching grey suits with soft, lightly paisleyed ties. Last week, I praised Gabor Szabo's use of contrasting patterns and colors, but here we have to give it up for the more subdued, monochromatic look the MJQ are displaying. It's those little pops of paisley that make these outfits so subletly cool.

I'm sure most people picture a Mod guy in a black or dark suit with a tie just as dark. However, because of that standard look, it's always surprising and refreshing to see someone show up in lighter colors, whether it be cream-colored suits, baby-blue suits, silver suits, or, heck, white suits. But for me, an even cooler detail is a lightly-colored tie! Whenever I see a buddy of mine show up a light tie, I'm thinking of ways I can slip it off them and into my pocket for my own future use. (Be warned, friends...)

And here, the MJQ play it mellow with colors and minimal patterns in their outfits. Nothing here screams out at you because really, when you look this good, you don't need to be loud.

Mod Gone Wrong: The Pretty Green Parka

October's been a crazy month so I still haven't had a chance to write about our recent trip through the streets of Europe. However, there was one stop there that I was happy to skip: the Pretty Green store on Carnaby Street. I'm sure many of you are already familiar with this shop which specializes in overcharging people for dumpy, somehow-associated-with-Mod casual wear like this and this.* Oh yeah, and it's owned by one of those baggy-jeans-wearing Oasis guys.

Well yesterday, I came across this item off the the wonderful Modculture site:

What you're looking at here is an official "replica Quadrophenia parka." And yes, I just typed those words out. Folks, it's an army jacket. Or more accurately, a copy of an army jacket worn by 'Jimmy' on the cover of The Who's Quadrophenia LP. FOR SALE. Hey Pretty Green, why not sell a replica Blow-Up camera? Or how about a replica of the one of the coffee cups seen in an early Style Council photo?

Now like I said, this thing is actually for sale because, y'know, why get a real army parka when you can buy an authentic movie parka? What's so fancy about this particular jacket? It's a limited edition with only 100 copies made. Am I missing something here?

So I bet you're all wondering how much this thing is? Get ready for it: £500! Yes, you read that right. In American dollars that's... a lot of money!

Listen, I'm all for people digging on cool pop culture memorabilia. Y'know, maybe a reproduction of Darth Vadar's mask or an official Batman utility belt. But a non-descript army jacket that looks no different than a real army jacket? For £500?

Hey, if you want to spend the cash to look unslick, be my guest. Me, I'd rather spend it on a tailor-made suit.

*Okay, seems like they've started adding ready-to-wear suit jackets and trousers to their collection. That's a good thing, right?

Sharp Stylings #14: Gabor Szabo

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.

Right here is another instance when everything is just right with a photo.

Cover image to Gabor Szabo's 1966 Jazz Raga LP on Impulse Records. Head out to your local record shop and find this one!

Not that you need me to point anything out, but:

• Beautiful, shining Lambrettas at the forefront of the image.
• Jazz guitarist Gabor Szabo busting out his sitar at a traffic stop while out on a Sunday scooter ride.
• Cute Carnaby Street model diggin' on the entertainment while waiting for the traffic light to change.
• Oh yeah, and Szabo looking MAF (an old term my friends and I used to use that I'd forgotten about - 'Mod as F***')!

If you could take all of my tastes and mash them up into one single photo, this would just about be it. Stock Lambretta scooters, Modded-out jazz musician playing sitar psychedelia, Carnaby Street clothes... the only thing that could make this a more picture-perfect representation of my tastes would be if the model was actually Tammi Terrell holding a glass of Syrah in one hand and an Evil Dead 2 DVD in the other as Antoine Doinel and Batman wave at them from across the street while sitting on a couple of Eames chairs.

But let's go back to Gabor Szabo. Instead of donning a kaftan, long hair and love beads* to go with his sitar, he keeps it cool with a crisp, sharp outfit:

• Tight, houndstooth-patterned trousers with no flare. (And I'm a fan of small flares!)
• Dark, thin floral tie.
• Dark jacket contrasting with a light blue shirt. And are those cocktail cuffs, I see?
• Short, neat hairstyle which I'm totally cool with despite my dig of the backcomb.
• Pinkie ring! 

This photo has always struck me right due to the psychedelic vibe coming from his instrument despite the fact that he's dressed like an early-to-mid-sixties Mod. And what I dig most about his outfit is the contrast between the patterns and colors. He's suited up but in an almost casual way.

That's how you do it!

[*EDITOR'S NOTE: Yeah, yeah, I know the photo's from 1966 which pre-dates kaftans, long hair, and love beads.]

Mod Gone Wrong: 'Austin Powers' Costume

One day, back in 1997, I was wasting time in the school's computer lab searching for random information on either Infoseek or Netscape (Google before there was Google, for those too young to remember). Somehow, I came across a news story that Mike Myers of Wayne's World was working on a film set in 1960s Carnaby Street. I couldn't believe it! Myers, who was comedy gold back then, was actually going to spend time, money, and energy on a Mod film! I got home and shared the news with my friends. We wondered if this film would get people excited about sixties Mod fashions and start a(nother) new... mod revival.

I'll never forget the day the film opened. I went to check it out with work friends and, despite the fact that it was a slapstick comedy, really dug it. Sure it was making fun of the sixties, but I thought it did that pretty well. No, this wouldn't be starting revivals of any sort, but it was great to see a period of Mod history I loved so much as the backdrop of a major film. Even if that whole scene lasted less than 5 minutes.

But then something strange happened. As I walked out of the theater, laughing with my friends, I started to notice people whispering and pointing at me. I didn't get it... was there something on me? Did I have popcorn in my hair? Was it... something... I was... wearing... ?

Oh no... it hit me. People thought I was dressed up for the film. They thought I was a part of the show. Little did I know, this was just the beginning of Austin Powers jokes to haunt me and my kind for years to come.

Thanks to this film and its sequel (which I'm proud to say I've NEVER seen), the phrases "Groovy, baby" and "Oh, behave!" would be heard over and over again. Local '60s dance clubs would be filled with brit-pop types, skinheads, Mods, and, yes, people dressed up as Austin Powers complete with fake teeth. Whenever I was cornered by someone not in the know and forced to explain what I was into, the response was generally, "Oh, like Austin Powers!"

And now, Austin Powers costumes are here to stay. For ever:

Relive the 1997 Halloween trend and go dressed as once-funny super spy Austin Powers.

The funny thing is that several years later I started noticing some Mods at world-wide events dressing in similar outfits.

Was it art imitating life or life imitating art? Whatever the answer, I just hope the fake teeth and "Shagadelic" phrases are left at home.

Sharp Stylings #13: Antoine Doinel

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.

One more post in honor of our European vacation, with an emphasis on Paris!

One of the best films I was turned on to back in my early college days was François Truffaut's 400 Blows. As much as I liked Godard and the rest of the French New Wave, Truffaut was the #1 director for me, mainly because he placed so much emphasis on the humanity of his characters. This was shown best in 400 Blows, which featured one of my favorite film characters ever: Antoine Doinel.

When that final freeze-frame hit the screen during my first viewing of the film, I thought that was it. Fin. But a few months later, my friend Jarrod (who now writes the Le Drugstore 1968 blog) clued me in to the continuing adventures of Antoine Doinel, first with the short film segment Antoine and Collete from the anthology film Love at Twenty and then with Stolen Kisses. At that point in my life, I related completely with Doinel and his struggles with women, boy, let me tell you. But you're not here to read about how I identified with a guy having women problems! You're here to read about STYLE! So let's move on.

Winter is finally hitting us and that means it's scarf time! Sure, most Mods are already down with the scarf look thanks to various Mod bands through time that have done their part to make solid, striped, and paisley scarves look rockin'. But it wasn't any of those bands that made me want to hunt down scarves at first. Nope, it was Antoine Doinel in this scene from Stolen Kisses:

Once I saw this scene, I knew I had to rush out and find something that cool to wrap around my neck. For a time in my early-to-mid-20s, scarves were my preferred type of neckwear, even beating out ties. And now that the weather is finally getting cold again, it's time to bust out the scarves. Let Antoine Doinel show you how it's done.

Great Stolen Kisses behind-the-scenes shot with Truffaut and Claude Jade (who played Christine Darbon).

Another Stolen Kisses behind-the-scenes shot with Truffaut.

Antoine Doinel with Colette (played by Marie-France Pisier) in Antoine and Colette. Ergh! She made me so mad in this film!

Okay, okay... this isn't a shot of Antoine Doinel, but rather his alter-ego Jean-Piérre Leaud in the film Masculin-Feminin by Jean-Luc Godard.



Jean-Piérre Leaud, again, but this time much younger. This image, found on the Shadowplay blog, is from the making of a film called Boulevard, which I've not seen. 

 Alright... I'm off now to grab a scarf and plop in some Truffaut DVDs! See ya Monday!



Mod Gone Wrong: 'Mod Revival' Costume

[Mod Male is on vacation at this time so won't be able to respond to any comments.]  

Wow, these guys got specific with this 'fancy dress' outfit! It's not just a 'Mod' costume, it's a 'Mod Revival Dress' costume!


Looking for something to wear while you're cheering on Jimmy as he fights Rockers? Here you go!

Now, it doesn't look like the creators of these outfits put a whole lot of effort into them. We've got the 2-Tone ska Mod dress with obligatory checkerboard headband. I think this was actually someone's party outfit from back in the day.

And the fellow's costume is basically just... a parka. Without patches. Without badges. This costume needs a little more work. Well, at least he's got 2-Tone basketball sneakers on. I wonder if the costume comes complete with Quadrophenia dialogue? Maybe a little button in the pocket he can press so that a speaker in the hood can blast out, "Get in there, my son!" over and over again.

All the work this company put into their "Mod Revival" costume makes me curious as to what their "Punk" costume consists of. What, a safety pin? And I bet their "Goth" costume is a black cape.

After looking at this photo more closely, though, there seems to be something really familiar about these people. I can't quite put my finger -- oh wait! I think I've seen them before! Yeah, at practically every scooter rally photo I've seen on the internet!