The Mods - Lifestyle, Fashion and Music

The Kinks (Photo credit: Wikipedia).

By Jade Jennison

The 1960s introduced a complete new variety of youths to Britain and shook the world for years to come. These youths brought mass media coverage and called themselves 'mods' coming from the word 'modernists'.

It was neither a fashion style nor a music genre but a lifestyle. This group of people were the first youths that did not have to go out to work since the World War began so spent their extra money on stylish clothes and general entertainment.

This rebellious stage was for the typical working-class youngster who would prefer to spend their money on clothes; vinyls and alcohol fuelled events rather than food. Although these people were labelled as 'good for nothing kids,' there is no denying that the excitement of the culture and styling of the clothing is extremely appealing.

The Mod revolution was begun by 'teddy boys' who were influenced by the rock and roll which was being released in America and were generally well-known for their immense fashion taste. These stylish and wealthy young men and women dressed to impress with the men wearing slick suits inspired by an Edwardian style whilst the women sported a similar expensive fashion.

Working-class mods were inspired by such style but rebelled against the typical Edwardian suit-wearing teddy boys and created their own sense of fashion which is still seen as stylish today.

With the up-rise of mod subculture the music industry exploded with the likes of The Who, The Kinks, The Small Faces and more who fit into this specific music category. These types of people generally enjoyed socialising in music-filled all night clubs and coffee shops. They preferred to travel on Lambretta scooters accessorised with lights.

The typical male mod would be sporting either a full-tailored suit or a polo shirt, similar to the Fred Perry polo shirts manufactured today, and would almost always finish their outfit with a parka coat or a Harrington jacket. They had a specific style of haircut and always wore tailored shoes.

Female mods would wear flamboyant dresses, mini skirts and blouses with distinctive hairstyles and smart shoes.

As this typical style became more commercial, models, most famously Twiggy became the epitome of this particular fashion era. This caused a huge stir for the scene as it was no longer a distinctive lifestyle but becoming popular all across the country upsetting the scene and allowing it to eventually die out.

Despite this fact, some people attempt to relive such an important fashion within history by purchasing similar items to the previous mod style. Films like Quadrophenia and the introduction of The Jam to the music scene in the late 1970s early 1980s were both stimulated by the past and such fashions began to rise again.

Famously Paul Weller, the face of Fred Perry and frontman of The Jam, sported a look similar to the mod-style which is still achievable now.

In this modern day, clubs and fashions are still influenced by this particular style and it is still possible to get a gist of such an amazing era.

Jade Jennison is an enthusiastic writer in the subject matter of fashion and aims to provide information to people who share the same interests as her own. The websites recommended by Jade have been thoroughly researched and come highly acclaimed from direct experience. Achieve the mod look with Fred Perry Polo Shirts from Charlie Browns Menswear.

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