The sharp crack of a snare drum, the purring of a Vespa, and the click click of high heel boots on hard pavement. It’s the Swingin 60s in London, baby, and what’s old is new and what’s cool is Mod. The Beatles, The Who, The Kinks, Carnaby Street, Julie Christie, and David Hemmings. Are you a Mod or a Rocker? Or as Ringo famously said in A Hard Days Night, when asked to pick sides, “I’m a mocker.” Whether at the job or “on the job”, the fashions of the smart, eclectic hipster never fade.
For many, their introduction to the universe of swinging London came from that international man of mystery, Austin Powers. Why do you think Mike Myers created his own James Bond/Derek Flint hero? The threads are totally shag-adelic. Fitted mid and max-length overcoats, dramatically belted, remains a staple of the hepcat’s wardrobe. Modern updates on the classic ready-made suit include mohair, cashmere, and wool jackets with pants cut with a flair for a rock-and-roll finish. “You think you are clever, Mr. Smarty, Mr. Tight-Tight Trousers,” cries doll-baby Rita Tushingham in the 1965 sex romp The Knack and How to Get It.” Long purple coats, highwayman high colors, and Union Jack jackets can put a rocket in your pocket, make you feel like you are on leapers, and you know you are the AceFace.
Why are we still bobbing to the Mersybeat? Why do 40 year old fashions seem so fresh? Is it merely nostalgia, a harkening back to what we may, mistakenly, take for a “simpler time? Just boomers refusing to give it up and go gentle into that good night? Could be. But one look at the sharp sleek lines, the bold colors, the eye-popping pop art sensibility and we are sold. Both of a time and place, and totally timeless.
For many, their introduction to the universe of swinging London came from that international man of mystery, Austin Powers. Why do you think Mike Myers created his own James Bond/Derek Flint hero? The threads are totally shag-adelic. Fitted mid and max-length overcoats, dramatically belted, remains a staple of the hepcat’s wardrobe. Modern updates on the classic ready-made suit include mohair, cashmere, and wool jackets with pants cut with a flair for a rock-and-roll finish. “You think you are clever, Mr. Smarty, Mr. Tight-Tight Trousers,” cries doll-baby Rita Tushingham in the 1965 sex romp The Knack and How to Get It.” Long purple coats, highwayman high colors, and Union Jack jackets can put a rocket in your pocket, make you feel like you are on leapers, and you know you are the AceFace.
Why are we still bobbing to the Mersybeat? Why do 40 year old fashions seem so fresh? Is it merely nostalgia, a harkening back to what we may, mistakenly, take for a “simpler time? Just boomers refusing to give it up and go gentle into that good night? Could be. But one look at the sharp sleek lines, the bold colors, the eye-popping pop art sensibility and we are sold. Both of a time and place, and totally timeless.
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