Okay, the Mod Male giveaway drawing for Robert O'Byrne's The Perfectly Dressed Gentleman has ended. However, I will NOT be announcing the winner today. I got caught up in other things last night! But I will announce the winner on Monday. Suspense! Now, on to today's post.
************************************************** 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.
Wow, 52 Sharp Stylings posts... that's a whole year! (Well, there've been 53, really, since I miscounted at 39... doh!)
Over the year, I've spent too much time getting down on Mod stuff I don't care for (as in yesterday's post). But my intention was always to balance those posts out with these Sharp Stylings posts that just focused on good style for us to get inspired by. I never wanted these to be limited to straight-up 'Mod' looks, either. Heck, I even featured one of the guys from True Blood, early on, along with a Gossip Girl guy. But the point of those was to notice the detailing in their outfits and take ideas to incorporate into your own look.
On the Mod Male Facebook page, reader Jose D. made a great comment: "The church of Mod is a broad one..." I know it's been said before, but this comment resonated with me because it's important to keep in mind that many people approach this thing in different ways.
Some people out there are still content with walking around in jeans, desert boots, and a Jam t-shirt, saying things like, "we are, we are, we are the Mods," and, well, that's their thing. Others are more interested in casual Fred Perrys and a pair of Adidas, and that's their thing. Others are way more interested in decorating their scooters with lights and mirrors than investing in their own wardrobes, and that's their thing. Not mine, but to each his own.
Then, you see an image like the one below and it gives you hope that there are younger people getting into the Mod thing and pushing forward the fashion/style aspect of it. Check this image out from Dean Chalkey's The New Faces documentary:
So much of this works for me and what's even more important is that these guys each have their own individual identity within the 'look.' Different hair styles, different cuts of suits, different shoes, different detailing. Each person seems really invested in the look he or she has put together. And, at least in my eyes, they don't necessarily look like stereotypes. There's just a great mix'n'match feel with this photo.
That, to me, is one of the most fun things about the Mod thing. I'd be so bored walking into a club and seeing people in the same parkas, the same Merc suits, or the same desert boots. But if I walked into a club and saw people like in the photo above, I'd be checking out the individual detailing of what they had going on. "Aw man, check out that guy's striped jacket. Sweet! Oh wait, I'm digging on that dude's 3-piece suit. But look at how well that guy contrasted his tie and pocket square!" And so on and so on. (And yes, I know you'd probably be checking out the Mod gals. But hey, I'm happily married so I don't need to!)
Years ago, we used to check out the websites for various German, Italian, and Spanish Mod clubs. My buddies and I would take notes on the different colors, patterns, and cuts of clothing the Mod guys wore in those photos. This was the stuff we obsessed over! Unfortunately, 10 years later many of those sites seem to be defunct so I can't link to them. But the Mod guys over there really put a lot of effort into looking slick in his own way.
Sure, there are a lot of guys out there happy in their target t-shirts. And that is what most not-in-the-know people think of when it comes to the Mod thing. But, there are so many others out there who also get more excited over a tailoring detail done on a shirt, the type of fabric used in the making of a jacket, or the simple touches of Ivy stylings. I see these guys going back and forth on internet forums, appreciating the finer aspects of attention-to-detailing.
Y'know, I just didn't feel right committing an entire post to picking apart Fred Eagle's photo in that last post. I was worried that others might pile on with negative comments, but luckily, the Facebook comments showed that people appreciated Fred's sportsmanship above all else.
Well, if I'm going to get down on Fred Eagle's photo, it's only fair I offer up a personal photo for balance. Here's one that goes beyond Mod Gone Wrong. And yes, this was probably how I dressed at age 18.
You all know how much I love this Mod thing already, but there's also a lot I don't like.
I don't like the clichés, the stereotypes, the overall bunkness of Mod 101. Why? Because there's so much more to the Mod thing than that. Yes, I started out engaging in those types of stereotypes as I'm sure most people into this did. But you stick with something long enough and, hopefully, you get better with it, growing and improving over time. After all, why stand around looking like you're part of the parka-clad, desert boot, Merc suit-wearing army, when you could be developing your own particular look and style, similar yet separate from the rest?
Well, today, in honor of a year of criticizing the weaker aspects of Mod looks, my pal Fred Eagle has offered his services as a guineau pig to demonstrate the typical ways in which Mod has Gone Wrong. I know it was tough for him to put himself on the line like this, but I thank him greatly. Here he is after committing Mod Stereotype #17: attending a scooter rally for a screening of Quadrophenia.
Now, before I get into this, let me tell you some positives. Fred Eagle really is a great guy and a fantastic photographer. He's got a great energy that spreads to all around him. And, if you meet him on one of his Paris trips, he can help you navigate the Metro with ease. Recently, he shared a great post demonstrating his excitement over recent Mod happenings. Then, he gave me permission to let loose on the photo above.
So, let's get to dissecting his look! Here are 10 ways in which Mod has gone wrong:
Sunglasses At Night - Hey, despite all the doom and gloom out there, I still think our future's pretty bright, but not so bright you need shades on in the evening. Or indoors at a club. Sunglasses should only be worn on sunny days, otherwise, you'll look like you're trying WAY too hard. Mods, take note... you ain't foolin' no one by wearing sunglasses in the dark.
Parka - If you've read this blog before, you know my opinion on parkas. Why wear a grubby ol' army coat, when you could be bustin' out the style with a slick overcoat? Okay, San Francisco evenings can get pretty chilly, so MAYBE I can see wearing a parka in weather like this or if you're out in snowy conditions. But if you're in a sunny climate, no need for a parka!
Patches On The Parka - Hmm... looks to me like this may be a Who shirt cut out and made into a patch. Yes, in my youth I used to wear a ton of pins and patches on my parka (when I wore one). I even cut up my old Jam t-shirt and sewed it to the back. But these days, parkas are bad enough without plastering them with all your favorite bands. Personally, I don't need to display all that information to strangers. What ever happened to sublety? And besides, bands like The Who have made a pretty good living off of what they do. Why give them the free advertising? Now, if they bought ad space on your parka, that's a whole different matter.
Dog As Accessory. I think Paris Hilton has the monopoly on dogs as accessories. If you really need to walk around holding something, try shooting for a walking cane or a curve-handled umbrella. But if you really need to walk around with a dog under your arm, French Bulldogs are way more cool-looking.
Wrinkled Trousers - Sharp lines, my man, sharp, clean lines. Them trousers need a nice, ironed crease right down the center of the legs. Sta-prest are the way to go in most cases.
Desert Boots (Especially As Evening Wear) - I know, I know... I'm in the minority on this, but desert boots just don't do it for me, especially if you're out for the evening. For one thing, they contrast too much with the black trousers. What's needed here is a nice pair of polished loafers or dress shoes.
Clenched Fist - Hey man, what's with the aggro? There aren't any Rockers around and even if there were, there's no need for fighting. Sharp Mods don't go in for violence. Loosen up that fist and hang mellow. We're all friends here.
Parka Covering Up Your Clothes - Another problem with the parka here... it's buttoned up, hiding all the clothes underneath. For all we know, that's a pretty sweet sweater being worn. Unfortunately, the parka just covers everything up. If you insist on wearing a parka (ugh), take it off as soon as you're off your scooter. We don't want to see you in the same jacket worn by all your buddies surrounding you; we want to see what great clothes you're wearing underneath!
Aggressive Attitude. Again, man, why do you look like you want to steal our lunch money? You didn't just get out of an oi show. Throw a smile up on that mug! Too often Mods have gotten the 'snob' label tossed out at them, but they can be a welcoming lot for the most part. (Just please don't quote lines from Quadrophenia to try and win them over.)
Hair Style - Nothing really wrong with the hair, but since I see a nice hairline with no missing sections, I say go for a Marriott cut. Or grow out some bangs with slightly longer sides (but not TOO long!) and you got a nice Mod cut there! Still, his hair looks fine here. (Although, I must ask... is it dyed à la 1986 Style Council?)
Despite all these points, there is one very important thing to keep in mind. No matter what, you should not judge a person by the clothes he or she wears. (Yeh, yeh, something I need to learn to do more often...) The dude in this photo is a great guy who wouldn't hurt a fly. And this just goes to show that even when Mod Goes Wrong, sometimes the person underneath is a Man Gone Solid. And they don't come much more solid than this fellow.
Seriously, a round of applause for Fred Eagle for allowing me to harrass this photo of him! Next time I see this guy, I owe him a can of Budweiser!
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And don't forget, today is the last day to enter the Mod Male drawing for a chance to win 'The Perfectly Dressed Gentleman' by Robert O'Byrn and Lord Dunsby! For full details, visit the Mod Male blog post, The Mod Male Blog Is One Year Old Today. But for the short version, all you have to do is one of two things:
Become a follower of this blog, if you're not already, and leave a comment on the blog telling me how you got into the Mod thing OR how you got into whatever it is you're obsessed with (i.e., goth music, a baseball team, your favorite author). Doesn't have to be Mod-related. Or,
'Like' the MOD MALE Facebook page and leave a comment on the page, telling me how you got into the Mod thing OR how you got into whatever it is you're obsessed with (i.e., goth music, a baseball team, your favorite author). Doesn't have to be Mod-related.
Before we begin with this week's post, don't forget to enter the Mod Male drawing I posted about last week for a chance to win 'The Perfectly Dressed Gentleman' by Robert O'Byrn and Lord Dunsby! For full details, visit the Mod Male blog post, The Mod Male Blog Is One Year Old Today. But for the short version, all you have to do is one of two things:
Become a follower of this blog, if you're not already, and leave a comment on the blog telling me how you got into the Mod thing OR how you got into whatever it is you're obsessed with (i.e., goth music, a baseball team, your favorite author). Doesn't have to be Mod-related. Or,
'Like' the MOD MALE Facebook page and leave a comment on the page, telling me how you got into the Mod thing OR how you got into whatever it is you're obsessed with (i.e., goth music, a baseball team, your favorite author). Doesn't have to be Mod-related.
Contest ends August 9th, at 6:00pm PST! Good luck!
Now, let's move on with this week's post... ************************************
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.
Recently, the Parka Avenue blog ran a post on double-breasted suits, so in honor of that, here's a snappy shot of Steve McQueen, rockin' the DB with his wife, Neile Adams:
McQueen's double-breasted jacket has a nice 3-button front with the bottom button, unbuttoned. Peaked labels, seen on this jacket, do look best on double-breasted jackets. Really adds a nice angle coming off the top far left (or is that right?) button. A nice dark pocket square, dark tie, and white shirt just add to the overall classic look Steve McQueen is sporting here.
The only thing I can't really get behind are McQueen's shoes. Maybe they're obscured by the grass, but am I the only one that thinks they're a tad too bulky?
I'm traveling for work this week so don't have a lot more to add today. Just take a moment to dig on a well-done double-breasted suit. Then, take another moment to dig on his wife's even better get-up, down to her go-go boots! Yowza!
Acid Jazz records celebrates 25 years of releasing great music! Anyone else remember those early days? And on that note, who can forget this great release?
If you missed the recent showing The Who: Quadrophenia - Can You See The Real Me?, the documentary on the making of the original LP, the Anorak Thing helps fill you in!
I'm glad my wife made me put on the Olympic Opening Ceremony because some of the music choices really got me excited. Unfortunately, I fell asleep during Paul McCartney's performance, but if you missed any of it, Monkey Picks sums it up for you!
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.
Hold on a sec while I climb aboard this bandwagon...
Okay, the name on everyone's lips right now is Bradley Wiggins and for good reason. The guy won the Tour de France! Hey, that ain't no easy feat. Trust me... I've seen The Triplets of Belleville!
Oh wait, what? Did you say he likes Paul Weller and Fred Perry? Oh man, forget the bike thing... let's talk about that instead, here and here and here...
Actually, if we're gonna take this down a mod path, then I foresee a lot of future 'mod' types skipping out on suits and even Fred Perry polos in favor of cycling shirts. And let me tell you, ya gotta be in pretty good shape to get away with those. (Why do you think I avoid them?)
Instead, people should be looking to this image for inspiration:
I love this photo just for the quality, the choice of B&W, and the style of bike he's leaning on. Plus, he's got on a pretty dapper suit! The waistcoat buttons a bit too low for my personal tastes, but he is just looking razor-sharp here! Well-cut pants with just the right amount of narrow going on. Three-button, light-colored jacket with high arm-holes, ticket pocket, and medium-width lapels (not a bad thing). And it looks like he's wearing a french-cuff, rounded tab-collar shirt. Toss in the beautiful B&W wing-tip shoes, and you have one of the most stylin' athletes around! (And let me tell you, if I won the Tour de France, you better believe I'd be stocking on a whole mess of bespoke suits!)
Everyone right now is playing up the 'mod' angle behind Bradley Wiggins. Hey, I don't know how 'mod' he is outside of having pretty good tastes in general. But what all this attention has shown is that people from all walks of life get into the mod thing and that it's only one aspect of a person's character. Mod types aren't one-dimensional. They're musicians, graphic designers, business people, construction workers, managers, computer programmers, and athletes.
Whether Bradley Wiggins is mod or not doesn't matter... the guy just won the TOUR DE FRANCE!!
He's now a sports hero.
And if you want a great analysis of the media's coverage of Bradley Wiggin's mod leanings, ModCulture has you hooked up.
Well, whaddya know? Seems today is the ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY of the MOD MALE blog! Holy-moly! A year ago today, I decided to start flappin' my own gums about what I thought was so great (and not-so-great) about Mod stuff, starting with this post.
In honor of the 1-year anniversary, I'm having a little giveaway contest! If you want to skip this next boring story, just head straight to the bottom of this post. If you want to stay and read on, I decided to talk about what first got me into this whole Mod thing and why it's still such a big part of my life. To today I present to you... MY SECRET ORIGIN!
Let's get into the ol' time machine and head back to 1987... a horrible year in pop music, TV idols, and fashions. It was also my first year of junior high school and I was getting my first taste of acne. I hated 1987.
By the end of the 7th grade, I decided I just didn't share any of the same interests as my peers (see 1987 links above). My friend, Robert A., had already turned me on to The Smiths, the radness of Pretty in Pink's Ducky, and the coolness of pointed creepers. At this stage in my life, I wanted to be 'unique'. That's an important thing for a new teenager, wanting your own identity. And back then, liking a band like the Smiths really set you apart from the norm. So, I got full on into them and other assorted new wave acts. By the time I was in the 8th grade, I was walking around in black & white creepers and hair spiked up on one side. But even before then, on the last day of 7th grade, I read something that would end up seriously changing my life.
In our yearbook, if you had the money, you could buy a 'graffiti' square on a page and write whatever you wanted to write. Most people wrote messages to their best-frenz-forever or messages to their boyfriends/girlfriends about how they would be together 4-EVER. Well, these two 8th grade girls, who I remember walking around in black hair and 'new wave' stylings, bought a couple of squares and went in a different direction. Here is what they wrote:
'Mod'? I don't know what it meant, but it sounded cool and must have had something to do with all those bands I liked (with the exception of The Scorpions). The name floated around in my head, sounding mysteriously simple. Mod...
Later that summer, I was hanging out with a couple of cousins and they noticed my Smiths records in my room. One of them said, matter-of-factly, "We have a friend who likes The Smiths. Yeah, she's mod too." There was that word again. "Mod?" I asked. "Yeah, she's into all that weird music you like."
I remember looking through an issue of one of those Columbia Music House catalogs (remember, 12 records for the price of 1?) and in there was a section on all the new wave stuff I liked. You know what that section was called? 'Modern Rock.' Ah-hah! I figured it all out. 'Mod' was short for 'modern rock!' It totally made sense.
I couldn't wait for the 8th grade to start so I could share this info with my friends. They had to know that we weren't new wavers because new wave music was already old by 1987. No, now that music was called modern rock and we were mod because we liked it.
Further proof hit me at the beginning of the 8th grade when I was looking through my School is Hell book and noticed a comic dealing with the 81 Types of High School Students.
One of the 81 types of students was... The Mod. And he looked exactly like what I would expect one to look like (minus the duck-bill).
This discovery was extremely important to me. Not only did I have an identity separate from my peers (who were still listening to Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam), but, more importantly, I was into something that my dad and his generation were not a part of. See, when he wasn't talking about how great The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and 'TheSixties' were, he was always trying to school me on my own music: punk and new wave.
My dad was living in the Bay Area around this time and kept up with cool music. He had albums by the Sex Pistols, The Clash, and Elvis Costello. He was aware of bands like the Meat Puppets, The Smiths, and Flock of Seagulls. And he used to rub it in my face that he knew my music more than I did! In the 7th grade, when I told him I liked Echo & The Bunnymen because of their song 'People Are Strange' off the Lost Boys soundtrack, you know what he did? He made me a cassette tape of the Lips Like Sugar album and included the original Doors' version of 'People Are Strange'. Not only did he know my music more... he knew the original stuff being copied! And this drove me crazy. He was always one up on me.
But now... I was one up on him. I was mod. And this was such a new thing, there was no way he'd be in the know about it. Finally, I had my own thing. Well, one day while visiting him in Berkeley, he and I were walking back from a day on Telegraph Avenue. I had a little skip in my step as I listened to him go on about Bob Dylan and the Beatles before trying to talk to me about my own music. I lured him into trying to act cool with me so that I could get him with a gotcha question. And then I went for it.
"Oh yeah? You think you're so cool, Papa? Man... I bet you don't even know what a mod is."
He looked down at me in surprise and paused.
"Oh yeah, kid... okay, tell me. What's a mod?" I had him!
I told him all about how new wave just wasn't new anymore and how it was now called 'modern rock' and how kids that were into that music were called 'mod' because it was short for 'modern rock'. I smiled knowing I had just widened that generation gap.
Then he responded, "Really, kid? That's what you think a mod is? Interesting..."
I looked up at him, "What do you mean? That's totally what a mod is!"
He sighed... "Kid, let me tell you what a mod really is." This conversation wasn't going like I planned. But then he gave an explanation that still resonates with me to this day.
"Kid, mods were around in the sixties. They were young guys, teenagers, who rebelled against the society they were living in through the types of suits they wore. You know how punks dressed shabby in torn-up clothing? Well, mods wore really nice suits with thin lapels and skinny ties. They wore army jackets called parkas to protect their clothes and rode around on Vespas, italian scooters. And they used to get into fights with Rockers."
His statement about rebelling against society by wearing nice suits hit my 13-year-old mind hard. I was used to seeing people dress outlandish in order to be somewhat 'unique.' But my dad just turned me on to a wild idea of dressing nice as an act of rebellion. I pictured myself in a suit with 'thin lapels' and a 'skinny tie' and walking through a crowd of kids in bad mullets, baggy pants, and Reebok hi-tops. I was utterly fascinated...
...until he said, "The Who were a mod band." It was like a record needle scratching across my mind. The Who? The band I read about in the Guinness Book of World Records as being the loudest ROCK band in the world? The band that looked like this?
At that, he turned me off. No way were those guys 'mod'. When we got back to his place, he started pulling records out. He wanted to show me a photo of them as mods. The photo he showed me did NOT win me over.
All I saw was a geeky guy with a big nose in too-crazy-and-colorful-for-my-thirteen-year-old-mind clothes. I didn't buy these guys as anything having to do with what I thought mod was, but I was still interested in the concept of this subculture of kids walking around in suits as a way of snubbing the society around them.
The 8th grade went on for me and I delved further into all the music KROQ was playing at the time. And despite my dad thinking The Who were a mod band, I still asked him about what sixties mods were like. He would talk to me about Dick Hebdige's Subculture book and would go on and on about how mods were 'working-class' kids. I loved hearing about them. And even though mods only existed in the 1960s, I still pictured them being into stuff like Echo & The Bunnymen.
One day, I was hanging out with one of my uncles. I sat on his bed relaxing while he was playing me various songs from the sixties, something he used to love doing. I endured it, even though I didn't really care for The Byrds, The Beach Boys, or any of the other bands he made me sit through. Then he told me, "Okay, I'm going to play you a song but I don't want to tell you who it is. Just listen and let me know what you think." "Oh geez," I thought. "Here we go with more..."
The song he played me was unlike anything he ever played me before. It was loud, manic, and totally punk rock! I looked at him in surprise. "You like this kind of music?" I asked. He just smiled. Yeah, you know what song he played me, don't you?
When it was done, I asked him who it was. "That's The Who?!" was my response when he told me. And that's the song that completely sold me. From that point forward, I wanted more than anything to be a mod. I wanted to be the only mod at my school, maybe even the world.
Later that year, I learned about the Jam from another student who claimed his brother used to be a mod. The Jam led me to the Mod revival, which jived more with the music I was into at the time. Plus, it made me realize that there were mods after the 1960s. By the beginning of high school, I was getting into ska music, which would sidetrack me for a bit. Eventually, though, I'd finally get my first suit and, in time, my first parka. Sure, over time, I'd make several mistakes while slowly morphing from new wave kid to mod kid, but I learned from them and hopefully improved as I got older (open to debate).
Soon, I discovered that there were Mod scenes happening all around, from Berkeley to Los Angeles to other parts of the world! Looking back, it's funny to me that on that walk with my dad in 1987, when he first told me what a mod actually was, there was a whole rocking Berkeley Mod scene going on around me. And as I sat in my bedroom in La Puente, CA, thinking about being the only mod around, my future wife was blocks away already part of a Mod scene.
This whole Mod thing has been a huge guiding force in my life. It's turned me on to great music, great clothes that I still obsess over, and even great design. I've met amazing people through it who have become life-long friends and have helped me become a better person over time (open to debate). Through the Mod thing, I've met the most amazing woman who continues to tolerate my behavior, even though we still fight over closet space. And each day, I still find something about this subculture to get excited over.
Thank you all for sticking with this blog over this past year and I hope it hasn't bored you yet.
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Okay, in honor of the 1st year of the MOD MALE blog, I'm having a little give-away thing. What can you win?
The 2011 book, The Perfectly Dressed Gentlemen by Robert O'Byrne!
A great little guide on how to be an even more dapper Mod (or gentleman, in general), with illustrations by the talented Lord Dunsby. You can read more about it on the Retro To Go blog. Please keep in mind that this contest is not affiliated with any of these people. I just happen to have an extra copy and would like to give it to a Mod Male blog reader.
Here's all you have to do:
Become a follower of this blog, if you're not already, and leave a comment on the blog telling me how you got into the Mod thing OR how you got into whatever it is you're obsessed with (i.e., goth music, a baseball team, your favorite author). Doesn't have to be Mod-related.
Or,
'Like' the MOD MALE Facebook page and leave a comment on the page, telling me how you got into the Mod thing OR how you got into whatever it is you're obsessed with (i.e., goth music, a baseball team, your favorite author). Doesn't have to be Mod-related.
Contest will end next two weeks from today, on August 9 at 6:00pm PST. That evening, I'll put all the names in a bowl and pick a name at random. (And if you 'share' the Mod Male status update for this post on Facebook or share it on Twitter (@modmale), I'll add your name TWICE to the bowl!
On Friday, August 10th, I'll announce the winner on this very blog! That's right, this contest will last two weeks only! GOOD LUCK!!
