The Mod movement was
first started from Britain as a subculture developed
by teenagers. These teens wanted a new image and style and want to break the
formal tradition being worn by their parents.
This was the early ’60s. The girls used to wear pleated
skirts and hushpuppy shoes-flat, lace-up, suede shoes-nylon macs, and little
grey jumpers. And the hair, was center
parting, straight, and long. They also had their own style of make-up, the eyes being the
prominent feature by using thick eyeliner, plucked eyebrows, and little or no
lipstick.
Young Leslie Hornsby was teased as a child about being
skinny - thin as a twig, they said. Thus the name, Twiggy. Dubbed "The
Face of 1966" Twiggy dominated fashion photography. She was on the cover
of every major fashion and teen magazine. Her boyish look was the one to
emulate.
A model for a scant four years, she had never even walked
the runways by the time she exploded onto the scene. Educated at the Kilburn
High School for Girls, her look and image was an instant globular sensation.
She was even imitated by Mattel when they issued a "Twiggy Barbie" in
1967 and by Milton Bradley who created a board game out of her. Lunch boxes,
false eye lashes, tights, sweaters, tote bags and paper dolls -- all these bore
her famous moniker. In her prime she graced the covers of Vogue and Tatler, and
even had her own American publication "Her Mod, Mod Teen World."
The British Mod style emerged from a desire among British
youth to break away from the stiffness of the 50’s and uncouth look of the
teddy-boys, and to emulate the more stylish Italian, French and, latterly,
American fashions.
The original and enduring mod style for men is a slim-fitting dark coloured suit, worn
with a lighter coloured shirt and thin, dark tie, along with a pair of dark
shoes. Of course this is a style that can be worn by many person walking along the street but the beauty
is in the details. Mods usually prefer a two-tonic coloured suit, made of a
light material and fronted by three buttons (with the bottom button being left
undone). The jacket has a breast pocket which can be adorned with a
handkerchief in a variety of styles.
The mid 60’s Mod style was influenced by pop art which took
everyday items out of their normal context and made them into something
entirely stylistic. This was most vibrantly expressed by The Who with their symbolic use of arrows,
Union Jack jackets and RAF target emblems. The influence of pop art continued
during the mod revival years and jackets and parkas were often adorned with badges
and patches by the early mod revivalists.
MOD - Music - The Who
.
MOD - Music - The Who
.
Small Faces were formed in 1965 by members Steve Marriott,
Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, and Jimmy Winston (who appears in the above clip but
was soon after replaced by Ian McLaglan). Famously their first gig outside
London took place in a tough working men’s club in Sheffield. The crowd at that
club was mainly made up of Teddy boys and hard-drinking workers. They were
thrown out after only 3 songs. Despondent, they literally dragged their gear
into the nearby mod-oriented Mojo Club (owned by a young Peter Stringfellow)
and offered to perform there for free. They played a set which left the local
Mods (and Stringfellow) in pure ecstasy
This song is a classic
Scooter art also came to the fore during the mod revival
