The emergence in the late 1950s to early 1960s of the Modernist, or ‘Mod’ has become ingrained in popular terminology and is now synonymous with the fashion, music and motorcycles of the time.
Mod clothing in particular was at the forefront of this new image. Young people, the first to grow up in the post war period, wanted to break free from the image of their parents, who had not had much money previously because of the war. In recent times there has been confusion over what exactly a Mod was. A common misconception is of the scooter riding, working class teenager. In fact the clothing was of an Italian style, sharp suits and a style opposed to that of the American rock and roll style.
This subculture emerged from the increasingly large number of coffee bars that had sprung up around Britain. As opposed to public houses they were not restricted in their opening hours, and so could stay open all night if they wished. This gave rise to the opportunity for youths to gather and is often seen as the starting point of youth culture. Because of the nature of coffee bars it enabled all types of different classes and types of people to mix, including some older people who introduced the Mods to different and new kinds of music.
Although the music was part of the trend, the clothes were the more defining image of the era. Mod clothing was affordable to teenagers, who for the first time could spend any money they earned on themselves, in the new prosperous age. They spent it on stylish clothes, suits in particular, in order to distinguish themselves from the 1950s leather, rocker style.
Male Mods wore clothing that had a smooth, stylish look that reinforced the difference between them and other fashions of the time. These included Italian suits, thinner ties and black shoes or boots. The hair styles were short and neat and bore a stark contrast to other styles. It was not uncommon for some male Mods to use a small amount of makeup, in particular eye shadow to improve their appearance and be different.
They mainly chose transport in the form of scooters, as motorbikes were heavily associated with the rocker look. They were also cheap and easy to customise, they were seen by the Mods as an extension of their fashion and gave them a freedom that was previously unobtainable.
For females, Mod clothing was often shared with their boyfriends. Therefore the style tended to be more androgynous, wearing shirts and having shorter haircuts. This also sparked a rebellious nature in that they wore miniskirts in order to rebel against their parents.
Mod clothing went out of fashion towards the end of the 1960s as its increasing popularity meant that it was no longer rebellious to wear it.
