Feb 2012 During the 1960s politics and society went through a period of instability. Nevertheless, it was a revolutionary time for the fashion world. There was a vast array of fashion styles around at the time; often the 60s is associated with the hippy. But in addition there was a more stylish and more fashionable clothes revolution taking place, that of the Mod.

The band The Kinks took a sideways look at the dress style of Mods with the lyrics to their song Dedicated Follower of Fashion. Perhaps in retrospect we can take a look back with some affection and nostalgia. But at the time, when all of this was taking place, did it seem so revolutionary at the time? Maybe we can only rely on personal anecdotes, but we also have an indeterminable amount of societal consequence to draw upon.

Very different to the previous decade, entering the 1960s brought about a whole new style of clothing, with younger people spending their new found wealth on the latest fashions of the day. 60s Mod clothing was colourful, stylish and fashionable and drew its roots from French and Italian dress styles. Before the Beatles were very well known the fashion in the UK was still very much of the 1950s style. A new band, releasing new music of a kind not heard before, and dressing in a new way had a huge influence on the youth of the day.

The traditional view of Mods is that they wore sharp suits etc. Although this is true, there were also occasions where they wore more casual clothes. Jeans were often worn, but they usually had to be Levis, polo shirts were also popular although again they had to be a designer label. Casual jackets included the Harrington.

Carnaby Street was the main and most famous place to buy 60s Mod clothing, being in the heart of London it is well placed and served well by surrounding hostelries.

Although Carnaby Street was the main place to buy clothes, not everyone lived within an easy travelling distance of London. Consequently there was a spread of Modern, fashionable clothing store across the length and breadth of the country to cater for the increased demand of these new fashion items. The high street, especially local independents, thrived during this period of new prosperity. After the down of the post war years this was the country’s economy thriving and on a new high. Never before in the history of retail had such a large increase in year on year sales previously been observed. Of course, this new found wealth among retailers couldn’t last forever, but at the time there seemed to be no end to optimistic views of future.
The Mod movement may have faded off the scene as quickly as it had arrived, but it has had a profound influence on the following years, both from a political, social and personal viewpoint.

To see the full range of 60’s Mod clothing available click here now!