Yeah so we’ve had all the discussions.

The Who aren’t Mod, blah-de-blah.
 
Now we’ve established this, can we take a moment to appreciate the clothing that a certain Mr Meaden (presumably) dressed these guys in for this video?
 
Apart from the fact that Daltrey seems to magically change his full outfit in the first minute and they all seem to have something wrong with their necks, this video is a treasure trove.
 
Desert boots.

Rollnecks.

John Smedleys-style tops.

Button-down shirts.

Even Bretons make an appearance.

Wish it was like that in clubs nowadays...

It's not a particularly Mod song, but this is a strong tune nevertheless.

Yes. I know it’s sacrilegious in the extreme. But I haven’t lost my mind. I feel like I’ve found it.
 
One day I just absolutely unloaded on somebody about the Who and what I really thought about the standard-bearer for the Mod movement (at least, from the outside). And then I thought back to myself. Did I really believe that? Turns out, yes.
 
Think about it. Not only were the Who “manufactured” into Mod by their early manager Pete Meaden (who admittedly was a top face, whatever this means now), but if you look at the pics, you can tell. It’s gimmicky. Pete Townshend wearing a union jack blazer. Roger Daltrey wearing that silly shirt that makes him look like a clown. They’re like a pop art version of what a Mod band would be. If you were going to paint a picture of a stereotypical Mod band (i.e. all targets, union jacks, etc.) it would be the early Who.

And as for their music. Let’s put Quadrophenia aside for a moment. That is an album I listened to death two years ago and it even sounds fab now. Some of those songs really capture the attitude I expected of being teenaged in that 1960s period. Spitting anger, bottomless despair and strutting cockiness, all in a mob who shared your sensibility. But rioting on the beach isn’t uniquely Mod. Being part of a gang isn’t either. The album was written a long while after the golden days were dead and was set in a time when Rome was burning. For many hardcore Mods, 1965 is the year to forget rather than to remember.
 
If you go to The Who’s greatest hits album, I almost never listen to any of their early stuff. Just look at the track listing... Boris the Spider. Happy Jack. I’m a Boy. These songs are all ridiculous, and you’d almost certainly skip them if they came on your playlist at a party. It’s the gimmicks, back again. I Can’t Explain is decent, but My Generation, supposedly the anthem of a movement, is actually pretty stale a few years on unless everyone is already sloshed.
 
I’m not going to lie. It was a wrench. And it’s going to come as a shock when you wake up and realise it, but the standard-bearer for Mod is actually barely Mod at all.
 
To strike a sympathetic tone, I’d say The Who are the gateway drug that leads you into the scene... but when you go back to them after trying the harder stuff... you have to wonder what all the fuss was about.

Classic. Shame about the quality but can still get an impression of the pop art style here.

Such a ledge.

Ever since I first saw the video for the Who's Substitute, I have admired Roger Daltrey's shirt. Now it looks as if somehow else has too...

It's a shame it's short-sleeved but then summer is coming...

Great pic of the Who here in full (I assume dressed by someone else) Mod get-up.

Always impressed by Townshend's cufflinks - that large French cuff with a suit jacket is something I aspire to.

Things are heating up over the recent news of Quadrophenia sequel.

Round 1: Roger Daltrey kicked off about the new film, saying it was a blatant attempt to cash in.
​
“It's just a money-making exercise. Quadrophenia stands on its own and is an iconic film. We haven't given this project our blessing.”

Bill Curbishley, the Who’s manager and producer of the original film said:

"Quadrophenia has an enduring appeal and will forever be THE definitive mod film. Quadrophenia is a significant and influential film based on The Who’s music not some Carry On franchise. Any follow-up to this film could only be made by the authors of the original and would need to be worthy of the name. This karaoke sequel announced recently in the press would be totally ridiculous."

He also said the film:

“...quite clearly isn’t a sequel”

Round 2: The new film’s director Ray Burdis said he wouldn’t be using any of The Who’s music in the new film, claiming the songs were “over-exposed”.

“If The Who's management had actually read the script of To Be Someone, they would have realised it is a stand-alone film based on modern day Mod culture.”

"It’s a feelgood, fun, fashion and music extravaganza.”

Ray originally said about the film: 

“We need to have young blood in this film - and young talented bands. Obviously we’ll have a couple of classic tracks too, for the original generation.”

So I guess it’s a draw so far. We’ll have to see how the film turns out, although various people I've chatted to expect it to be total crap. 

I’m all up for there it being a new film. But some rehash that includes all the old characters and old cliches might be a bit dodgy. 

​​I’ve gone with this topic again because of the revelation last week of Wiggo’s new shoes. 

I love the design because it harks back to an inspiration I’ve always seen as synonymous with the 1960s and Mod. In this case, Wiggo chose a design that is one of Paul Weller’s signature guitar designs (although from which kind of album period, I’m not sure - I’m guessing mid Setting Sons?) and it’s pure pop art. 

Both the shoes and guitar look great - sharp lines and bold colours, effectively an enlarged Roy Lichtenstein cartoon. As I mentioned in my post a while back, the Who took up the pop art banner in a big way when they started, surfing on a multicoloured tide of union jack blazers, RAF roundels and a whole collection of zany patterns and bold colours that was infused into their clothes and reflected in their earlier uncomplicated, chord-driven tunes.

There should be more of this. 

It’s possible to do it wrong of course. Ben Sherman had a go, but their Beatles shirts were a bit kitsch - using a well known logo and plastering it all over a shirt was a bit opportunistic IMO. 

Having said that, it probably sold well for non-Mods looking to be associated with the world’s supposed greatest band. But they should try again with some other stuff. 

Pretty Green have gone paisley mad this season: shirts, t-shirts, parkas, light jackets, hats and even footballs. As I said earlier in the week, I would definitely be up for some paisley socks too. 

But the point is clear - the paisley pattern is epic, always looks great in the sun and I’ll bet it sells like hot cakes. Paisley came a bit after pop art, but the idea is the similar. These kind of patterns and colours were what attracted me to Mod in the first place and they absolutely capture the fire and imagination of 1960s optimism, bullishly looking to the future.

I hope Wiggo inspires similar feats of outrageous Modernism.

Those cufflinks though...

Although we’re told don’t judge a book by its cover, those of us of the Mod ilk know that more often than not, what you’re wearing is the face you present to the world, so you might as well make it look good and perhaps a bit distinctive.

Nowhere is this easier to do than in the kind of shirts you wear. There are a billion combinations of colours, patterns and styles that one could look to for a distinctive look, but in this post I wanted to highlight something in particular that I thought was slightly missing its niche from the market at the moment and that is the military-style shirt.

“Style” might be a strong phrase. A shirt with any other pattern can be military style, but I would usually describe it as a shirt that is one colour, with epaulets on the shoulders and two front flap-pockets.

They're pretty rock 'n' roll and also, IMO, a good look for hot weather. Think Michael Caine, or Daniel Craig in Casino Royale. 

I always browse the usual clothing sites in my free time (/ time I’m wasting) at work just to see what goodies are bubbling away beneath the surface. This is usually quite rewarding, because I tend to just drift through the sites from page to page, clicking on links that I might not normally pay any attention to, just to see what’s there.  On Thursday, for instance, I was excited to see Adaptor had a few very bold polka dot numbers from Relco. Likewise they have a bit of paisley. Then I went to DNA Groove and Art Gallery just to have a browse and there are some serious checks and stripes going on in those places. At the moment, my favourite is the Noddy from Art Gallery, great colours, strong pattern. Then to Ben Sherman of course, where they can always be relied on to produce a powerful no-nonsense Oxford that always goes well with a jumper or suit.

But of a “military style” there is nothing to be seen.

It doesn’t have as strong a popular tradition as some of the other styles, but it was a thing. They were prominently worn by the Who some of the early pictures (especially Keith Moon), as well as by the Creation on the cover of their How Does it Feel to Feel record. If anyone’s got any other band examples, I’ll be happy to post.them here.

In the 2000s, DNA Groove had a good series of smart shirts with their classic collars, but with epaulets on the shoulders and a distinctive button style. They also had contrasting colours. All the ones I’ve got are ones I’ve designed myself on iTailor.

But I guess the only conclusion can be that this type of shirt just doesn’t sell as well as I think it should!