Photograph by Jonathan Cherry
Mod style is still a strong look. Here’s how to wear the clothes and the attitude this bank holiday
1. Look sharp. Have tidy hair, shiny shoes, a smart outfit with clean lines and a striking silhouette. Mods always look heavily but simply styled. We are not at home to Mr Shambles.
2. Eschew logos. But wait… this is complex.. While there are definite ‘Mod’ labels eg Fred Perry, it’s a bit uncool to flash logos about. Mods above all do not want to look slavish. So go no-logo if you can but if you must logo, make it a cool Mod one.
3. Get a Vespa (or at a pinch a Lambretta).
4. If you can’t afford a Vespa or a Lambretta, buy a push bike and a classic cycling jersey to wear while riding it. Very Mod.
5. Wear a Parka jacket if you get nippy on the bike. And adorn it with patches. Also proudly wear button badges on your lapels, beneath the Parka.
6. Listen to a lot of The Kinks, particularly ‘You Really Got Me’ and ‘Waterloo Sunset’ and nod along appreciatively.
7. Go and watch Bruce Foxton of The Jam perform live while you still can. (He’s on tour this year and it might be his last).
8. Try to claim a bit of Italian heritage, look a bit Italian or, if nothing else, drink strong espresso while leaning on the corner of a bar in an Italian coffee shop in Soho and look a bit moody.
9. Sniffily say things like “Actually, Lambretta aims at the Mod market but wasn’t really around for the first wave of Mod in the 60s or the Mod revival in the 70s, which Paul Weller basically caused single-handedly…”
10. Don’t start any fights on Brighton Beach but if you really must have crossed words with a rocker on the pebbles, do it wearing a sharp suit.
If you’d like some more mod inspiration, don’t miss our Modern Eccentrics feature in the May issue, in which we meet some modern-day Mods.
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