Just a quick post today - Pretty Green have a selection of dazzling new shirts out, presumably to celebrate the new releases of rKid’s new songs.

These are beaut - looking to be of a heavy knit style similar to a Gabicci or something from Brick Lane’s Mendoza (which if you haven’t visited, do. It’s great for this kind of loud, rude-boy style knit) and also like something you’d see Steve Marriott wearing on the front of some 60s magazine.

So if you fancy something a bit fresher than a Fred Perry, click on through.

Fred Perry are known for their classic polo shirts with the sleeve piping, but this one’s a bit different. Not only is it a strong navy colour minus the collar stripes (unusual), but it’s also pure cotton with the look of a John Smedley and probably that silky smooth feel to match. To complete the retro look, the sleeve piping is slightly wider.
 
It’s a bit pricey at £70, but given that brand new ones from the FP shop are £55, it could be worth it. And it’s wool remember.

​You all know I love a Chelsea boot. Especially one in suede. Now Beatnik shoes have added a few to their collection in the lushest colours imaginable. When I say lush I don’t mean the fruity combos I talked about in previous posts. I am talking sensible Mod lush, a lush that prides detail and style over bold colours, suaveness and smoothness over attention-grabbing loudness, subtlety over spectacle. Basically, a series of different shades of brown.
 
Check them out - they are a little over the average in terms of price (about £177 including P&P and currency exchange), but then they are treated with a special anti-moisture material, so you do the maths.
 
I also really like the blurbs that go with them - even if the English translations don’t always make sense.

​This is JTG’s original cord jacket or "Denim-Style Jacket" (DSJ), their answer to the denim. It’s definitely original and it looks swag, especially in navy.

​No danger of double denim here...

Adaptor are minting out the sports tops like no-one’s business. Superb range of colours and I really like the way they decided to combine the stripe designs. Previously it was the case that you could buy one with a striped neck or one with a stripe down the chest. Now they are combined into one great look that couldn’t be more pop-arty.

They are also 3 for £45 so get in there before summer ends.

​I’m not sure if this is still on sale as a Baracuta Harrington (get the title now?). The link is a bit of a dead end (I left it in anyway) and it’s quite hard to find any mention on their website, as much of a pleasure as that is to look through. 

Never mind! Let’s revel in the pic for now

​Patterned trousers (also known in personal circles as “Jam trousers” after an Eddie Izzard sketch, or even “Ruperts” as a Northern acquaintance affectionately liked to refer to them) are one of fashion’s great mysteries. They have a volatile history at the forefront of almost every phase of 20th Century youth history, believe it or not. Starting with the Small Faces, they seem to have been an almost permanent feature. Even the Who, manufactured artfully as they were by Pete Meaden, performed a lot in Ruperts in their early period. One of my favourite record covers from The Specials has Terry Hall and Jerry Dammers both wearing quite powerful tartan trousers. They’ve also been referred to as a punk staple, worn by the likes of The Clash, The Damned and of course The Sex Pistols. Miles Kane even appeared to be dressed in a pair of subtle grey dogtooth on stage in Birmingham, but these claims are unconfirmed and probably owe more to dodgy eyesight than to style renaissance. We live in hope.

​Anyway, I have recently taken delivery of a pair of light brown dogtooth trousers from Madcap England, one of those zany companies that supplies stuff on Atom Retro. And they are, frankly, some of the best I’ve worn.

I think they must be a winter season, as the material is quite heavy, but they fit well and appear to be of excellent quality. The outer shell is polywool, a blend of wool and polyester which nevertheless looks great, especially given the price.

​However, what I most like about these boys are their style. Madcap are generally known for their slightly outrageous pattern choices (think striped blazers, whacky Trip Op Art shirts, etc) and in many ways this is their unique selling point. But these trousers are more subtle, darker and far less attention-grabbing. They look sick without making themselves the centrepiece. So much so that I could even get away with wearing them day-to-day if I wanted to - they fit with so many of my other outfits.

“Jam trousers” or “Ruperts” make a great addition to any Mod wardrobe. But if you’re looking for a strongly versatile pair of dogtooths - go for these ones.

Great post here by Pellicano on the origins of the Breton.

I also very much liked the phrase "Rebel without a pause", which I see as one step along from the original.

Having received my very first Gabicci top for my birthday the other day (thanks to my brother), I am now more fascinated than ever by their range. I'm treating this post as a quick stream of consciousness, but the polo shirt below is a good example of the kind of unusual and niche patterned polos that Gabicci does. 

Weirdly enough though their best stuff rarely seems to turn up on their actual site. Those gems such as that below seem to surface on Atom Retro (where my bro got my one) or other places such as, in this instance, Stuarts.

If you're looking for a Fred Perry alternative, check them out.

Not come across these guys before, but it looks like their site has a strong selection of goods - more on them later in the month!