Sock It To 'Em!

No, I'm not talking about these.

I was doing a bit of research this weekend and realized something: socks really get the short end of the stick whenever anyone describes a Mod ensemble. Oh sure, we can talk about how many buttons a jacket has, what type of collar a shirt has, flared or straight-legged trousers, ties/scarves/ascots, or what types of shoe shapes we all like... but what about socks?

I perused a few Mod books to see how much they've been discussed, and other than mentions of red socks with Hush Puppies and the Rude Boy preference of white socks, the books were pretty silent on the whole thing. I had a memory of a sock mention in the Mods book, but was disappointed when I found the passage. After Richard Barnes talks about how he and Pete Townsend were in awe of the clothing selections they found while shopping at His Clothes, he ends on a downer note by letting us know they only had enough money "for Pete to buy a pair of socks. I don't think he ever wore them."

Yeah, socks sort of fall by the wayside when it comes to a Mod wardrobe. Heck, I'll admit it... they weren't something I thought a whole lot about until recent years. When I first started started dressing more Mod, I was satisfied with white gym socks to go with my loafers and tapered Dickies pants. As my style got more refined and I got a clue on how to dress better, I kept my socks pretty conservative: dark dress socks in navy blues, blacks, dark greys, and dark browns. Some solid-colored, others slightly patterned, but overall hidden in between more stylish shoes and patterned or colorful pants.

But then it hit me... why aren't socks exploited more in a Mod's outfit? Let's be real here, many of us still tend to wear pants cut a bit above the top of shoes... highwaters, if you will. Personally, I've moved away from pants with a negative break... I'm just not at all into the Thom Browne look. But I still like my pants with no break, y'know, to show off some sock.

So, if I'm going to show off some sock, let it be colorful and exciting! Isn't that the best thing about a Mod look? The little details that make an outfit stand out? Soon, I started replacing the more drab 'safe' socks, with those of brighter colors. These days, I try to get the socks to match a color in my shirt or tie. If the socks are going to match the color of my pants, I try to use a lighter tone with a stand-out pattern (or darker tone, depending on how light the color of my pants are).

And right now, the sock industry is alive in styles that would make 1960s Carnaby Street proud! One of the best brands currently rockin' the sock world is, of course, Paul Smith. I'm sure you know this already thanks to the many fashionable, non-Mod guys out there, strutting down streets and experimenting with his multi-striped socks:

Paul Smith Mononuke socks in pink.

And, heck, he's even got op-art patterned socks to dig on:

Paul Smith op-art socks in blue.

Luckily, there's a great shop a block or two from where I work, called The Hound, with a nice display of sock styles in the window. I fell in love with the Marcoliani brand that they carry, which offers socks in vibrant colors and in patterns that include vertical stripes, argyle and more!

It's like Fruit Stripe gum... for your feet!

You can never really go wrong with argyle.

Another brand The Hound turned me on to was Robert Talbott which had some beautiful socks with monotone color blocks, in addition to other patterns. I'm not sure if they still have those available, but here is a pair I was able to get my hands on:

But hey, sometimes you may not want your socks to have crazy patterns, especially if you're wearing loud, patterned trousers. All companies above have some great solid-colored socks as does Mes Chaussettes Rouges, which I learned about from the Shoe Snob blog:

All of the colors of the rainbow, in sock form!

Now, I'm not against conservative sock wear, because many times you just need to bust out the navy blues and blacks to keep things simple and elegant. But every once in a while, bring some excitement to that little space between shoe and trouser leg! It's time to start extending your dandy sensibilities to your sock wear. After all, if you're going to wear short pants, give people a reason to take note!

Paul Smith socks featured on GQ.

Sharp Stylings #18: The Small Faces

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 Faces record 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.

Mod Gone Wrong: Mod Shaving Kit

This is a product that exists. A Mod shaving cream. Well, a whole kit, actually.

Again, how do you know it's Mod? Because there's a target on there. Oh yeah, and it's actually called 'The Mod Collection.' This whole set consists of an exfoliating face wash, shave cream, daily face balm, and (ooh) eau de toillete. Don't just look Mod, smell Mod too!

I was actually very curious about the cologne. I mean a Mod cologne? What, does it make you smell like the sea and sand of Brighton Beach?

According to the website, it's "masculine, modern and ever so slightly minty." Y'know, MOD! I really don't know what to make of it or its connection to anything Moddish, other than the target. Heck, they're not even using a sixties-ish, modern style font, like Eurostile, on this thing.

What I want to know is, other than Moddish folk, who is their primary market for this collection? Were there that many Mods in England crying out for a shave cream and scent to call their own? And are Mods buying this stuff so that they can truly be Mod from head to toe? I'm very curious...

All questions aside, there are some positive things to say about this attempt at a Mod cash-in. The company does seem to be a solid entrepeneural effort with hard work put in to making these products (instead of affixing a target to an already-made item). Also, they do seem to be very pro-environment in the manufacturing process and they don't test on animals.

But the most positive thing to say about the Mod Collection grooming kit? They're actually getting good reviews from people in the good smell industry! I can rant and rave all day long about a company placing a target on their products and calling them 'Mod', but based on the reviews I've read, if this was a regular non-Mod grooming kit, I might actually consider it! 

QUESTION: Have any Mods actually used this stuff? And if you haven't, are you going to give 'em a try?

Sharp Stylings #17: Jeff Beck

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.

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, I'm skippin' out on Mod Gone Wrong this week to bring you some super sharp style.

Say hello to Jeff Beck, guitar stud of such bands as The Yardbirds and (surprise) The Jeff Beck Group.

 

Yes, before falling madly in love with muscle shirts, this guy used to roll around town dressed like this. And apparently, much like Gabor Szabo, he'd just ride around town on a scooter, stopping every once in a while to lay some sweet guitar licks on people. That's just how Beck works.

Now let's see... what's so great about this photo? Hmm... well for starters:

• The earth-toned, paisley cravat tied under the collar of his white shirt.
• Well-heeled black boots with a nice chisel-toe.
• Dark, striped pants/trousers that look like they're cut with a small flare.
• Simple, black 3/4 coat which makes the paisley cravat pop out more.
• Oh yeah, and DUDE IS JUST COLD KICKIN' IT ON A SCOOTER WHILE PLAYING HIS GUITAR.

Really? Have you seen a cooler pose?

And with that, I'll wish those in the U.S. a Happy Thanksgiving and for the rest of ya, have a great rest of the week!

By the way, does anyone know what kind of bike Jeff Beck's sitting on?

"...clean living under difficult circumstances."

It's the phrase coined by Pete Meaden that most Mods, I'm sure, say they live by. Some might say it's the simplest definition of 'Mod'. Yeah, I kinda like it myself. It's simple... yet open to interpretation.

When I was younger, I didn't quite understand it. What was meant by 'clean living'? Being drug-free? Being hygienically clean? Being unsloppy? Well, at the young age I was at, I chose to interpret it as being clean (as in taking showers), not sloppy, and fastidious. And I saw the 'difficult circumstances' in a financial sense.

I was a relatively poor kid who saved money to buy cheap, used clothing to have tailored to look as Moddishly hip as possible. I didn't always succeed, but that was what I saw 'Mod' as being about. I used to hear about other guys, around my age, who did have money (usually from wealthy parents) and either went out to buy the best Mod stuff possible or have it tailor-made. I didn't understand the 'difficult circumstances' people like that lived under. If you had the money, it was easy to jump into a certain look. Some of us had to work a little harder, with several mis-steps along the way, towards that end.

I saw guys like us (who didn't have their parents' wallets to supply bespoke threads) more in line with the original 1960s Mods... young guys who were willing to sacrifice what little they had for a better appearance on their own terms. For me, no matter how broke or poor I felt I was, I wanted to look my best. That was probably the biggest attraction the Mod look had (and still has) for me.

Well, thanks to some articles DJ Soft Touch posted recently, I think I've learned what real "clean living under difficult circumstances" is and it's been happening in the Congo for many years. I thought it was tough living as a poor kid in La Puente, CA knowing more about gangs than anyone should (and it wasn't much, really) but I wasn't living in a war-torn Congo.

The Sapeurs are a subculture of immaculately-dressed men in the Congo who can put most Mods to shame with how sharp they look. Despite living with little money, bare resources, and civil wars, these men manage to walk down the streets dressed in beautiful, colorful, dandified clothing as a call for and show of respect. And guess what? They're dressing this way, during the day, with no Mod all-nighters or weekenders to go to!

Photo by Antony Kaminju from bbc.co.uk

Much like Mods, they pay vast attention to detail. According to the Messy Nessy Chick blog, these details include wearing a maximum of three colors in each outfit and leaving the bottom cuff buttons undone. Also, they stress non-violence through mottos like "Let’s drop the weapons, let us work and dress elegantly." And tell me if this sounds familiar: one of the early sapeurs, Papa Wemba, a famous singer in Zaire, has been quoted as saying, "Don’t give up the clothes. It’s our religion."

Let these guys be an inspiration to you. From the cuts of their suits to the beautiful colors they put on display, these guys truly live clean under difficult circumstances! And remember... for these guys, it's just another Tuesday.

If you wanna read more on the sapeurs, here are some great links for you:
http://messynessychic.com/2011/04/05/who-is-the-dandy-man/
http://harlemworldblog.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/sapeurs-the-fashion-victims-of-congo/
http://advancedstyle.blogspot.com/2008/11/stylish-sape-return-to-elegance.html
http://jonathancrisman.com/blog/?p=361
http://www.coolhunting.com/culture/gentlemen-of-ba.php

And keep an eye out for the Daniele Tamagni book, Gentlemen Of Bakongo Book: The Dandies Of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Sharp Stylings #16: Quadrophenia's Jimmy?!?

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.

Yes, Jimmy.

I can get down on this film a lot, but I reached down to find something positive to say and found one really good outfit in the movie:

It's like Jimmy had an off-day here as he actually looks pretty cool. Striped blazer, grey tab-collar shirt, beautiful horizontally-striped tie (my favorite detail in this ensemble), dark pants, and loafers (not desert boots, for once)! I like this outfit so much that despite how nice his scooter looks, I really wish it wasn't in the way so that we could dig what he's wearing in more detail.

In all honesty, this scene and outfit looks so different from anything worn in the rest of the film! If this was the type of look that was concentrated on in the film, instead of the 'lumpen' Mod look, I wonder how that would affected some post-Quadrophenia Mods.

See, even Steph's happy he left the parka and desert boots at home. Sting who?

Okay, after all this Quadrophenia talk, I promise to lay off the subject for the next few weeks or so.

Mod Gone Wrong: Quadrophenia 'Mod' Guy

Yeah, you probably think I'm a one-trick pony when it comes to criticizing Jimmy from Quadrophenia. You probably think I'm going to spend the rest of this post pondering why Jimmy would be wearing chunky, beat-up desert boots with, from what I can remember, a newly bespoke suit.*

But today, I'm letting ol' Jimmy off the hook. Instead I want to talk about the guy marching on his right. Seriously, what's up with that guy? Let's zoom in on him a bit to see what I'm talking about:

Was this a bad costuming choice or did this random dude, taking his lunch break, see some filming going on and run over to join the crowd? Look at the lapels on that 2-button suit! Did Quadrophenia not hire a gaffer to check up on things like this?

And I love just how cocky he looks. He probably has no idea what the movie's about, but he's still just so pumped up thinking about how impressed his friends are gonna be when they see him up on the big screen.

The guy looks totally wrong in this scene, but he's having such a great time, it's hard to hate on him.

*It's been almost 10 years since I've last seen the film (something I plan to rectify if I'm to engage in informed discussions on all things Quad). For those of you with a fresher knowledge of the film, remember the (possibly deleted) scene where Jimmy's getting measured by his tailor and later picks up his new suit? Is this the same suit he's wearing with those desert boots as he goes off to fight rockers? If so, ooh... Mod gone wrong... and a great way to ruin your bespoke suit.