The 1920s and ‘30s gave men’s clothing a sense of elegance, but it was the ‘50s and ‘60s that made it cool. Slim, sexy Italian suits started to spread beyond the Alps, while jazz musicians in the US popularized a certain style of East Coast dress. Guys such as Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. also gave tailored clothes a sense of “club cool” in a way that, frankly, traditional style icons such as Cary Grant and Fred Astaire never even possessed.
It was also a time for British mods — those young, sophisticated youths who could be seen zipping around on Vespas. Then, as now, men’s fashion started to look forward after years of looking backwards. In stark contrast to the Teddy Boys before them, who turned to Britain’s past for style inspiration, mods only wanted what was modern, and they took their cues from Italy and the United States. Instead of hair that was short at the back and sides, mods sported a friendly looking college-boy cut. And instead of Edwardian-inspired, drape cut suits, they wore form-fitting jackets with narrow lapels, skinny ties, and slim trousers.
Their style at the time was expensive and hard to come by, which is why many bought their clothes through the then-new system of hire purchase, or had things made-to-measure through some of the London’s East End tailors. Custom clothes were paired with custom Italian bicycles, and both were shown off at hip cafes and live music venues. When scooters later replaced bicycles, mods had to find something to protect their precious clothes from potential roadside splashes.
Their solution was to wear M-51 fishtail parkas, were which cheap and readily available at the time at military surplus stores. Large and oversized, they could be layered over suits, as well as combined with alpaca liners and fur-trimmed hoods when things got chilly. The coat’s name comes from the unique “tail” at the back of the garment, which has two fins that you can tie around your legs for increased insulation. Of course, no self-respecting cool kid of any era would ever do such a thing.
Dozens of companies today produce civilian versions of the fishtail, and they’re as great as when mods first wore them. Raf Simons made an iconic version for his FW03 “Closer” collection, and he’s continued the tradition of putting artwork on the back of his parkas for this season. Meanwhile, Arc’teryx Veilance makes something a little more streamlined and minimalistic looking, while Buzz Rickson does something truer to the originals. Other notables include Engineered Garments, Apolis, Esemplare, Private White VC, Marni, and Ten C. For more affordable buys, consider Alpha Industries, Gap, and J. Crew (the one at J. Crew is sold out, but it will probably be re-introduced in the fall).
Mods wore theirs over tailored clothing in the 1960s, but you can pair yours with a textured sweater and some jeans. When it comes to style, looking forward, rather than backwards, is the most Mod thing you can do anyway.
