Scanned from an old Gentlemen's Quarterly from the late sixties, these mod fashions really caught my eye. Say what you want about the mod style, it certainly had a frenetic energy that is hard to ignore, even forty years later.
Mod was a victim of its own popularity. Once it became over-popularized, as evidenced by this spread in GQ, the young Brits gravitated to other forbidden fruits of youth, namely psychedelia. Both GQ and Esquire had long been the domain of sweater vest wearing, martini drinking bachelors..... the fact that a mod fashion spread had made its way to GQ was a red flag that the young would soon be through with it.
It wouldn't be long before the mod style morphed into that spectacular (albeit mostly mythical) point in time known as Swingin' London. So, enjoy these images from when mod was mainstream. Some are godawful, but that's the price you pay when you take risks and let your creativity run wild.... history (those, like us, far removed) will not understand, and therefore laugh. But at this point in time, this was the coolest of the cool.
Yes. Your eyes do not deceive you. What you see before you is indeed a gold velor suit. Austin Powers would be proud.
I'm stricken by who "pimp like" the mod style was. They're every bit as flamboyant and loud. Put a fedora with a peacock feather in it, and this guy is Willie Dynamite.
Sweet Lord! Once you come to terms with his upper body's wardrobe, you then have to contend with his pants. Did anybody actually wear this stuff? I'm really wondering what kind of shoes he's wearing.
I really dig the paisleys, but it's like GQ just kept the same male models from their "square days". In other words, this same guy was probably sporting an argyle sweater and golf shoes a few issues back. He could be Pete Townsend's father.
Either this guy is horribly sunburned, or the camera could not handle the over-saturation from his jacket.
This GQ model is thinking: "What the hell is this? I'm used to model tuxedos while sipping high-balls.... ....these punk kids and their stupid scooters make me sick. I need a drink..."
It's fashion. But it's also a transcendental psychedelic voyage. Grooooovy.
Would make really good camouflage if you're hiding in a pile of leaves. Otherwise, pretty awful.
And here's an advertisement from the same magazine. He's going to need a lot of whatever's in that mug if he's going to have the courage to go out in public in that suit.
