Mod Gone Wrong: Mod Jeans

So, a couple of weeks ago, some discussions were generated about jeans and the Mod thing. Over on the MM Facebook page ('LIKE' it... it's a neat thing to do!), people were talking about vintage 501s and A Modernist shared this link to Union Made Goods. In the comments section of this post, a couple of original 1960s Mods started posting about their views on Levis jeans back in the day.

But, of course, I'm not going to write about good jeans today.

Personally, I'm not a heavy jeans guy in general. I do like them if I'm cleaning up around the place, doing something manual, or if I'm feeling really lazy on a Sunday. I don't do 501s as much anymore and tend to stick with the Levis boot-cut 527s (slim fit and low rise) or even H&M 'Lads' because I like the way the flares look with my shoes. (But the discussions mentioned above do have me re-thinking 501s.)

That said, there are some jeans I've found online that look to be geared toward people who share my obsession... but, oh, just miss the mark! Listen, just because you make a mighty fine scooter, doesn't necessarily mean you know how to make a pair of jeans that Mod scooterists should be wanting. Take these, for example, from Lambretta (yes, they're in the clothes game too):

Shake your Mod rump!

Yup, a nice pair of faded, easy-fit (aka, loose), denim with the ol' Mod stamp of approval right on the ass! If you wear these to the next scooter rally and strut on down that aisle of scooters, be ready for a bevy of mini-skirted, bobbed-hair ladies swarming around you. Hip-shake that target to new levels of lovin'!

Check out the more macho 'dark' Lambretta Mod jeans for a close-up of that back pocket: 
 

Baby got Mod back.

How slick would these things be with your matching target t-shirt and tennis shoes while you're out riding your scoot? Who cares that your scooter will be better dressed than you are! At least you'll be sitting on a piece of Mod denim.

Okay, okay, tired of the target look? Well, Lambretta also released this beautiful pair 'Mod' jeans with a trio of 'official' Mod badges pinned to the rear end: 



These look to be out of stock, but keep your eyes open on Ebay!

You have there a badge representing the Union Jack, the roundel, and the Lambretta shield: the axis of Mod, if you will. Personally, I ain't too comfortable sitting on badges, what with the pointy pins and all, but that's just me. But if you're wearing these and some yahoo tries giving you guff, you can just reply, "kiss my Mod ass!" Heck, you'll mean it!

Friends, I don't know about you but I think I'll stick with the Levis 527s (sometimes 517s), 501s, and occasional H&M 'Lad's. And Lambretta, you may want to stick with the scooter-makin'.*

*Reader Syd W. informs us that Lambretta doesn't even get with the scooter-makin' these days. Seems they're into the branding business instead.

Weekly Blog Roundup: 6/9/2012

Good morning! Good morning! Check out this new batch of great blog posts before you head out today:

• Believe it or not, but every once in a while, when I'm not obsessing over mod stuff, I like to enjoy a good piece of animation. And when it comes to animation, you can't really beat the mid-century work of the UPA studio!
• Some beautiful scans of late 1960s Danish interior designs.
• Something tells me this school ain't around anymore.
• Fleetwood Mac's Bob Welch died this week. Here's a nice little post on his soul days with the Seven Souls.
• A new book out on the 1980s Mod scene in England... I gotta grab a copy for research purposes! Another review here.
• Keep your eyes peeled for a new upcoming exhibit (and book!) on Ivy Style.
• There are some amazing North American DJs out and about, and many of them will be at ModChicago this month!
• Damn! Want to start your morning off on a good note? Then play this Mr. Suave 'Modcast' while getting ready for the day! (Starts off with one of my favorite Meyer Hawthorne tracks and includes great stuff from Raphael Saadiq, Eli Reed, Al Supersonic... aw heck, just get to it already!)

Alright all... go out and enjoy the day!

Sharp Stylings #43: Lloyd Johnson

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've said it once and I'll say it again: the Mod thing is the best subculture to grow old within. It's a look that continues to age very well... provided you don't go the parka, badge, and bowling shoes route. The older I've gotten, the less interested I've become in that loud, in-your-face appearance in which M-O-D is literally spelled out somewhere on your clothing. Nah... as I continue to age, I'd much rather work on refining this look I love so much.

And there's some great inspiration out there to learn from. Take, for instance, original Modernist and fashion designer, Lloyd Johnson. Obsessed with clothing since the late '50s, Johnson went on to play roles in the fashion industry of the 1960s, and eventually helped provide outfits for the Punk generation of the 1970s and beyond.

Today, he still wears his Modernist roots on his sleeve. Here he is with Graham Russell at the Lloyd Johnson: The Modern Outfitter exhibit held earlier this year: 

Graham Russell and Lloyd Johnson. (See, Mods and Rockers get along just fine!) Photo courtesy of Mr. Russell.

Let's move in a little closer to appreciate Johnson's professional attention to detail.

Sorry, Graham, for cutting you off, but  I had to zoom in a bit just to show off those details!

First off, check out the beautiful olive green three-piece suit he's wearing. Three-button jacket with moderately thin lapels and a high button stance. And speaking of buttons, look at how great they contrast with the suit. The buttons look to be made of woven leather that not only plays off the green of the suit but also matches well with the red paisley tie which also contrasts well with the suit.

Then there's his dress shirt in what looks to be blue and red stripes with a solid, white collar. The blue is subtle and offers a break in the color scheme, while the red connects with the paisley tie and jacket buttons.

The collar itself is in a nice club collar style held together with a sharp collar pin. Personally, I'm a huge fan of the club collar, especially in the tab style. Button-down club collars are pretty sharp as well, but I've had a harder time finding them. And the final touch to Johnson's look? That gold fob chain hanging on his waistcoat.

This entire look hits all the right notes, especially for the older, dapper gentleman. In this photo, Lloyd Johnson let's us all know that aging gracefully is very achievable with a Mod(ernist) aesthetic. And this is the path I've chose to follow. If I can look half as sharp as this by the time I reach his age, I'd be very happy!

Top 10 Modern Dance Jazz Songs

I dig jazz as much as they next guy with great musical tastes! My favorite styles of jazz, as you can probably guess, are the different schools that evolved throughout the mid-20th century. Lots of jazz styles from cool jazz, soul jazz, hard bop, modal jazz, latin jazz, and heck, even free jazz.

But I'm not here today to get into those sounds because you can get better info on sites like this and this. Instead, I want to get into more current music. A short while ago, I delved into more contemporary jazz bands to help broaden the ol' DJ range and I found some great stuff going on. There were bands taking the sounds of the '50s and '60s, and either adding in a mix of '90s acid jazz or throwing in new dance beats and instrumentation. Many times, I heard the term 'nu-jazz' tossed here and there. Call it what you like, so long as you can dance to it!

So, here today, let me present to you my Top 10 Modern Dance Jazz Songs of the 21st century (in no particular order)... and keep in mind, my use of the term 'jazz' might be much more loose than yours:

1. The Five Corners Quintet - Shake It - Some straight-ahead, quick-paced dance jazz without any sampling or funky drum breaks. The Five Corners Quintet, based in Finland, take a modern jazz sound and amp it up to hip-shakin' levels, like this song shows. Features tenor sax from Timo Lassy, who's listed again further down.
   
2. The Filthy Six - Knockout - Tight soul jazz from these guys throwing out the best in horn work and burnin' Hammond organ. If you get a chance, look into getting their entire LP... highly worth it for new hammond jazz dance tunes.
   
3. Timo Lassy featuring Jose James - The More I Look At You - A Timo Lassy track, but the highlight here is the smooth, crooning voice of Jose James, probably one of the top jazz vocalists around right now. He's played with various performers including Chico Hamilton, Nicola Conte, Jazzanova, and, here, Timo Lassy. Missed him last time he played in San Francisco, but I'm hoping not to repeat that mistake!
   
   
   
4. Ken Morimura - Descarga Pa'ti - Okay, I don't know much about this guy at all, mainly because I can't read any of the Japanese on his website! But I don't need to read Japanese to hear Morimura blast out a heavy latin jazz groove. What I was able to find is that Morimura is the pianist and composer of the following track. Absolutely hip-shakin' beats are bein' tossed down right here!
   
5. Hidden Jazz Quartet - Hi Footlocker - Some German 'nu-jazz' for you from the Hidden Jazz Quartet, again, mixing some soul dance beats with nice jazz instrumentation. Lots of nice touches here, including the guitar and organ solos.
   
6. Dusty - Keep It Raw - Nice, funkier jazz number here with a few samples, including very familiar one courtesy of The Meters. Don't know much about Dusty, but I do know this track blends all kinds of good sounds from the mentioned sample, funky drum beats, heavy horns, and groovy piano work.
   
7. Frootful - Colours - Frootful is a project headed up by an amazing graphic artist, Nick Radford. Not only can this guy bust out beautiful murals and LP art, he can also hit you with wild '60s-styled soul jazz! Combining great vibes, guitars, horns, and well-paced drumming, this whole LP hits you in all the right spots.
   
8. Nicola Conte - Bossa Per Due - By this point, Nicola Conte doesn't really need a whole lot of introduction. Sharp-stylin' Italian producer and composer who brings out some of the best bossa nova vibes in his music.
   
9. Koop - Come To Me - Okay, these guys interest the heck outta me! Unfortunately, I don't have any of their work on vinyl so I've never DJed them. But, they are one of my favorite bands to relax to at home when we're just taking it easy. Now, from what I'm aware of, all of their music is just a well-done mix of previous samples, clips, overlays. Whatever it is they do, great music like this is the result. It's just hard to think that this is all just a crazy blend of samples!
   
10. Nick Rossi Set - Sweet 'Tater Pie - Aw man, I'm not gonna say too much about this guy. Still performing great music in the fields of jazz and Western swing throughout the Bay Area on top of keeping up one of my top blogs. This song harkens back to those fun times in the early 2000s when the Set was playing around often, starting out as a 4-piece combo and ending as a full-on horn-infused group. I had to wait until my wife first moved in with me before I was able to get my hands on this 45... still one of my fave tunes!
    

That's it for today! Yes, like I said, I'm loose with my use of the term 'jazz', but hey... in the end, it's all good stuff. If you have any more info on any of these musicians or songs, or have any similar recommendations, then pass them on!

Weekly Blog Roundup: 6/3/2012

Another week of great posts out this past week. Have some coffee, put the newspaper down, and read these instead!

•  Rob Bailey has been doing much to keep this Mod thing exciting over the years, but if you don't know him yet, take some time with this interview.
  
• There are two books I'm most looking forward to: Mods - The New Religion and In the Lap of Mods, the upcoming biography on The Action. Luckily, this interview with drummer Roger Powell is helping to tide me over.
  
• An interesting idea going on over at a website dedicated to 'Mod' shoes: video reviews of different shoes, starting off with loafers!
  
• Mods aren't the only well-dressed subculture in pop culture history. Chicago had its own Gousters back around the same time. If you've seen Cooley High, you may be familiar with the look.
  
• A nice write-up on a John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers featuring a pre-Cream Eric Clapton.
  
• A great photo set from the first Monterey Jazz Festival!
  
• A Modernist tackles jazz greats Jimmy Giuffre 3 and the influence of Claude Debussy.
  
• I'm a very huge fan of scarves, so this post is pure eye candy for me!
  
• Apparently, I missed Paul Weller's birthday last week. It's okay... he missed mine earlier in the year. But enjoy this fun Q&A he sits down for.
  
• Let's end this list with another great 45 find: a fantastic version of 'Got My Mojo Working'!

That's it for today. Have a great one!

Sharp Stylings #40.1: David John Dry [UPDATED!]

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 don't think I can find a better illustration of how staggeringly stylish a person can look on a scooter:

Photo courtesy of David John Dry, original 1960s Mod.

 One of the best Mod photos I've seen with everything right going on. Scooter not hidden beneath a wall of lights and mirrors... check! Sharp suit... check! Parka... ch--- wait! No parka??? Dang! That's what makes this image the shizznit!

Check that guy out there... he's sporting a beautiful overcoat with tight, thin lapels. A perfect extension of the style he's wearing underneath. That suit ain't covered up by a grubby parka. No way... this kid's settin' the standard!

Any young Mods out there looking for inspiration? The search is over.

[UPDATED: Thanks to the power of the internet, someone was able to track down the person in the photo, and he was very kind to offer a better version of the photo along with information on this look. I want to thank David John Dry for allowing the use of his photo and to remind you to keep an eye out for Paul Anderson's upcoming book, Mods - The New Religion, which looks to include more stories like this! To keep up to date on the progress of his book, LIKE his facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MyForthcomingBookModsTheNewReligion.

Now let David Dry explain his photo in his own words:

"The picture, I think, was taken in 1965/6? It was shot in a road called Friars Place Lane quite close to the Western Avenue in Acton W3, London.

The coat was made to measure from Harry Fenton's in leather with two vents in a Wine (Maroon) colour. Levi jeans (Indigo - so called: 'Shrink to fit) at the time, now known as 501's are in evidence - a relative rarity in England at that time. Often purchased from American servicemen via their PX, such was the supply problem. The nearest airbase was West Drayton, near London Heathrow, not that far away. The button down shirt is white with a box check in brown from Lord John's in Carnaby street. The jacket is a four button grey wool mix FROM TAKE 6. Tie was, I think, a woven slim style cut. Shoes hand stitched Italian and are from Toppers of Carnaby Street. The look, less the coat, was a mix of American Ivy League and Italian style - British MOD!

Just as a point of information - wearing a crash helmet was not a legal requirement in the UK at that time. This legislation came in in 1972. The Vespa (Douglas) Sportique Supreme is also featured in the picture - silver paint and chrome plated side panels (called 'bubbles') and front fender (just for you in the US!). This scooter was not mine and belonged to a friend called Mick Derry. "] 

Seriously, guys... this is the kind of stuff that brings back the excitement I once felt as a teenage kid learning about Mods for the first time!

Sharp Stylings #41: The Who

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 can't believe that after all this time I still haven't featured The Who in a 'Sharp Stylings' post! Come on... these were the guys I first got into way back when. These were the guys who sold me with 'My Generation.' And these were the guys I used to study while leafing through my beaten-up copy of Richard Barnes's The Who: Maximum R&B book.

And one of my favorite photos from that book is this one right here:

I used to study the detailing in all these outfits, particularly John Entwistle's. Although I'm not a fan of the 'goth' look, if you're gonna go all black, follow Entwistle's model. Even though he's dressed without an ounce of color, the details of his gear add in that needed splash of pizzazz.

Let's start from the bottom up: slightly-pointed winklepicker boots with a Cuban heel. Nice way to add in a little height... not that John needs it, but I sure would! Then, you have his narrow-fitting trousers cut at the right length. Top that off with a wide-buckled belt and you have my favorite trouser/shoe look. Wide belt, narrow trousers (preferably, with slight flares), and pointed boots.

Now, let's move on to the upper portion of the ensemble, first with the black button-down shirt with what looks to be white buttons. Great collar on that shirt, although I'd prefer to leave it unbuttoned at the top (unless a tie is involved). But now, the best part of this look: that amazing suit jacket! Great width on the lapel, high gorge with a 3-button front, and a buttoned flap breast pocket. Love that detail! If you look closely enough, you'll notice the side pockets also button up. Just an overall flash look on John Entwistle!

Okay, don't get me wrong. The other guys look very slick as well, even the generally casual Keith Moon. His neutral trousers with the flap pockets and buttoned-down belt loops can't be beat! And Roger Daltrey's looking sharp with a dark, striped coat and that patterned scarf/ascot over his shirt. Pete Townsend's keeping it mellow with a 2-piece tan suit, but as you can tell, the guy who stands out, even while wearing just one color, is John Entwistle. Wonder if Johnny Cash was taking notes?

I'll end this post with an awesomely cool clip of The Who on French TV. A clip that proves just why Keith Moon is one of the greatest drummers of all time... so great, he drums beats out of thin air!