British Style Genius - BBC2 9pm

[STFC]

This has been a pretty good series by all accounts, although I've only seen bits of it. Last episode tonight and it sounds like it'll be right up my strasse: mod, skinhead and casual fashion.

Loud and Proud - The Street Look

Next on:
04 Nov 2008 21:00 BBC Two

The series exploring what makes British fashion and style distinctive concludes with a look at how many of Britain's most iconic fashions have evolved from the street rather than the catwalk. At the heart of this uniquely British tradition likes a talent for appropriating clothes intended for other people - usually the wealthy and privileged - and turning them into very different kinds of style statement.

We meet the original Teds, who adopted the flamboyant Edwardian-style suits favoured by post-war Guards officers, while the original Mods show how they patched together influences from American jazz, French arthouse cinema and Italian cafe culture to create a sharper look. There's a look at the hidden subtleties behind the 1970s skinhead style, with its militaristic, boots-meets-Ben Sherman look, and we see how the European sportswear-influenced 1980s street style took its inspiration from the tennis courts and sowed the seeds of a label obsession that still dominates the street look today.

 

[Griff]

Nice one, I'll try and watch that.

*brushes down Lacoste polo-shirt*

 

[STFC]

This thread is the original and best, even if Fedayn's has got more posts.

 

[Griff]

I'll bump it for you, as it was the first one.

Yep, enjoyed that. Mrs.Griff was more into the skinhead stuff as it was what she was into between '69-71 as a young teen, but I liked the casual stuff, and it was nice for a few of my old bits to get a mention: Forest Hills, that Fila BJ top and of course the Burberry golf jacket.

Good stuff.

 

[dodgepot]

i thought the casuals looked lame, tbh. the teds, the mods, the skins - although they took influences and styles from elsewhere they all seemed to have originality and their own ideas and style too, whereas the casuals just seemed to go for labels.

 

[Griff]

i thought the casuals looked lame, tbh. the teds, the mods, the skins - although they took influences and styles from elsewhere they all seemed to have originality and their own ideas and style too, whereas the casuals just seemed to go for labels.

Know what you mean, but I could relate to it more. Wish I could have been a Mod really.

 

[STFC]

i thought the casuals looked lame, tbh. the teds, the mods, the skins - although they took influences and styles from elsewhere they all seemed to have originality and their own ideas and style too, whereas the casuals just seemed to go for labels.

I've been saying the same thing elsewhere today. Even though I hate to admit it, football casuals are far closer to chavs than what went before.

One thing in 'our' defence though, is that over the past 30 years the casual style has evolved and been through many different phases. Last night's programme only really looked at the beginnings of it. It didn't go into the dress down look for instance, which was a complete rejection of sportwear and designer labels. In general though, it is very label-driven.

 

[Fedayn]

I've been saying the same thing elsewhere today. Even though I hate to admit it, football casuals are far closer to chavs than what went before.

One thing in 'our' defence though, is that over the past 30 years the casual style has evolved and been through many different phases. Last night's programme only really looked at the beginnings of it. It didn't go into the dress down look for instance, which was a complete rejection of sportwear and designer labels. In general though, it is very label-driven.

But so was/is Mod and certainly skinhead fashion. The snobbery/label snobbery amongst older trad skinheads is pretty well ingrained. Even down to the actual labels/tags themselves

 

[Fedayn]

Know what you mean, but I could relate to it more. Wish I could have been a Mod really.

A Mod is just a skinhead who hasn't evolved.

 

[Griff]

A Mod is just a skinhead who hasn't evolved.

Well I kind of liked the early to mid '60s in general anyway, so the Mods, the music, and the clothes do have an appeal.

Have had the large DMs for a time in my yoof too, as well as the punk & casual stuff.

Used to go to skinhead gigs at the 100 Club and dance with them all wearing a diamond Pringle.