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In the mod era, it was law that you had a suit, and being a law abiding citizen,( "Honestly officer, i have no idea what these blue tablets are!") i went along with it.

As mentioned somewhere else, i ordered a suit from March the Tailors, it was somewhere around where Next is almost opposite to the old Odeon.

I should add that it HAD to be made to measure, no self respecting mod would have ready made!

I somehow managed to get 9 bob together for the deposit, and set offf with my mate for the tailors.

Now, at the time bottle green was immensely popular, but, being a big "Avengers " fan, and being impressed by how smart John Steed looked, i chose pinstripe

To be "in" you either had a long centre vent (mine was 13") or twin vents that were slightly shorter usually 12", anything less was ridiculed! Also, it was mandatory to have the jacket"waisted, and flared", basically it went in just below the chest area, and flaired back out again lower down. There didnt seem to be any rules about the trousers, except they had to be paralell, and i selected 16" bottoms, which by comparison to now, are extremely narrow, but remember we had more or less just come out of the drainpipe era.

Suit ordered, i now had to find the 18 bob a week to pay for it, and luckily got one at the local co op, stacking shelves and delivering grocery orders, on the bike, ala Ger ger ger Granville in Open all hours!

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  • 11 months later...
  • 1 month later...
I could do with some Alka-Seltzer after last nights visit.............pi553d

Did you visit The Regency Red? Why didnt you come into The Boogie Room and say hello?

As for what to wear in there, it gets rather warm, so the fashion pic suggestion aint for me!!

I guess i feel the warmth more as ive just spent the 3 previous hours at freezing point at the gig beforehand!

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  • 5 months later...
Should mention, longer than normal pocket flaps, and a ticket pocket, or even 2 were the rule as well, as were far more than normal buttons on the jacket cuff.

Great discription Craig. Mine was dark brown, made to measure of course with 3" pocket flaps, 6 buttons on the sleeves, twin 12" vents and 17" paralells. Not forgetting rolled lapels on the jacket. you couldn't be seen with pressed (old man) ones. Bought it from Austin Reeds near the Old Bell Inn. I also had it in the Knock. Perfect. How did you feel on the first outing?

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Great discription Craig. Mine was dark brown, made to measure of course with 3" pocket flaps, 6 buttons on the sleeves, twin 12" vents and 17" paralells. Not forgetting rolled lapels on the jacket. you couldn't be seen with pressed (old man) ones. Bought it from Austin Reeds near the Old Bell Inn. I also had it in the Knock. Perfect. How did you feel on the first outing?

This has set me thinking! I had an Italian suit made at Alexandres which, if I rememger, was oppostie Marks and Spencers. It may be the Orange shop now. It was light grey with a black stripe, the jacket had three buttons and small high lapels. I used to get most of my clothes from Continental house on Hockley or Jeffs at the top of Alfreton road. There was also a tailor on the opposite side to Jeffs but a bit further up, he was next to the monumental masons.

One of my most prized possesions was a pair of brown cuban heeled boots, with a seam running up the front. They came from Stead & Simpsons and cost me £3. 9s. 11p. They took a lot of saving for! What about the shirts? The button down ones and those with the pin through the collar wern't too bad but the girraffe necked ones were really uncomfortable.

Happy days

Cheers, Johnl.

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coooo,,,, this takes me back.

I went into Burtons with a rough hand drawn design for my suit.

8 Buttons on the cuffs & 8 pockets. I had the jacket just a bit longer, to make way for the longer vent - of 18 inches.

I had to pay for it up front, cos the tailor thought I'd refuse it if he made it the way I wanted - but it went down a storm.

I got married in it and still have the jacket somehwhere,,,, but the trousers went long ago.

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I had a pair of those yellow 'TUF' work boots and sometimes wore them with my suit. I suppose it's up for debate whether they looked cool or stupid. I thought they were the dogs.

Do you remember those 'tie and hank' sets that woolworths used to sell? The consisted of a slim tie and a piece of cardboard with three or four small triangles, made fro the same material as the tie, attached to the top. You slid the cardboard into the top pocket of your jacket with the triangles showing so it looked like you had a carefully folded handkerchief in your top pocket.

Speaking of Woolworths, do you recall their own record label 'Embassy'. Covers of popular songs.

Cheers, Johnl.

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I had a pair of those yellow 'TUF' work boots and sometimes wore them with my suit. I suppose it's up for debate whether they looked cool or stupid. I thought they were the dogs.

Id forgotten all about these! I never wore mine with a suit though, it was " du riguer" to wear a pair with 501's, especially if you had the 1" turnup on them!

For my 2nd suit, again from March The Tailors, which a=was somewhere near to where Habitat is now, I went for a kind of brownie biege colour, and insisted that it have an 18" vent, ala the one mentioned above.

Except when I took delivery, it was more vent than jacket, and, as I wasnt the tallest bloke in the world, looked a bit silly, so I had them alter it back to a measly 15" !!!!

Talking of footwear, anyone remember fell boots?

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Don't know about Tuf boots, but I recall desert boots during the mid 60's.

50,000th post

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Don't know about Tuf boots, but I recall desert boots during the mid 60's.

The Tuf Big T I recall it was, they were a yellow/tan colour, and I think Stephensons on Radford rd sold them, they were supposed to be work boots.

As for desert boots, I had a couple of pairs, and also the Fell boot, which were Spanish I think, and were sold at Wakefields, they were a bit more heavyweight.

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TUF Boots ?

I hope you lads had boots that lasted longer than mine !

About 4 weeks in & the soles came off the uppers.

Mind you - I was stupid enough to wear 'em to work !?

Shame - I did like 'em.

-------::-------

Craig: ahhh - see why I had my jacket made longer ?! Mind you - at almost 6ft might have made a difference !

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  • 1 year later...

GitYerSenDarn Burtons Black Slim Mod Suit £49 quid.

Black Slim Mod SuitGet down

That suit bears absolutely no resemblance to the sort mods in Nottingham wore.

Ours were "waisted and flaired", basically meaning they tapered in at the waist, and flaired back out a little lower, ticket pockets above one jacket pocket, or sometimes two, more buttons than necessary on the sleeves, and, of course OTT vent lengths.

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  • 3 weeks later...

That suit bears absolutely no resemblance to the sort mods in Nottingham wore.

Ours were "waisted and flaired", basically meaning they tapered in at the waist, and flaired back out a little lower, ticket pockets above one jacket pocket, or sometimes two, more buttons than necessary on the sleeves, and, of course OTT vent lengths.

hi craig, been reading this thread. nothing mention about mohair suits.most of my seventeen suits were mohair.used to travel to leeds get my mohair material off the market very cheap then nip around the corner just behind the Haymarket to a bespoke tailor who made the suit up for about ten to fifteen quid. took a fortnight,made to measure mohair suit for around £25.not bad. isitsafe

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That was very cheap for mohair Jan, my wool worsted ones from March the tailor was eighteen guineas made to measure, but because I was still at school, I had to pay eighteen bob a week, having had to get a job stacking shelves and delivering groceries on a bike at the local Co op!

Actually, how the hell did I get HP when I was just a school kid?

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  • 8 months later...

Have just found this site and memories come flooding back.Anyone remember Rons hairdressers opposite co-op on upper parliament st.Spent many Sat afternoons,worked Sat morning ,waiting on stairs .Also Jeff,s near Canning Circus THE place to go for any Mod clothes.Happy Days

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Ayup MickB and welcome to the site, I remember Rons hairdressers well although the only time I went there I had a girl cut my hair who seemed to take great pleasure in rubbing her crotch against my upper arm . (Not that I'm complaining though!!!!)

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Have just found this site and memories come flooding back.Anyone remember Rons hairdressers opposite co-op on upper parliament st.Spent many Sat afternoons,worked Sat morning ,waiting on stairs .Also Jeff,s near Canning Circus THE place to go for any Mod clothes.Happy Days

Rons was Thee place to get your regulation French crew cut, which was what nearly all mods had after the back combed bouffant look of about a year or so previous!

5 bob I recall it cost, and Jeffs saw much of my pocket money off, with " Lord John of Carnaby Street" hipsters, and check button down shirts, ala Stevie Winwood, but then they had my 52/6 for original Levi 501's, of which a year or so back were fetching £500 in shops just off Carnaby Street!

If anyone is interested, I still have some of my old ones, and you can have them for a mere £300!!!!! No, really.

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