Part One: Let's Keep It Classic

What makes a mod suit mod?  One may argue that the mod suit is what defines the mod look, more so than parkas, gingham shirts and pique polos - after all, we're only wearing our parkas to keep the grease and oil from our scooters from staining our impeccable, smart and sharp mod suit.

The mod suit look emerged in the late 50s. The first mods - the modernists - defined as such for their love of modern jazz over traditional jazz (the mods vs. the trads) looked to their jazz heroes for style inspiration. Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, et al, were often pictured wearing sharply tailored suits. Couple this with the influence of Italian fashion and the mod suit was born.

So lets examine our classic mod suit;  the basics and the necessities. The elements which define a mod suit.

1. Slim fit & Waisted Cut: The mod suit is a slim fit. As slim as you can stand it. The look does not allow for boxy jackets or baggy trousers. Your suit must be cut slim with darts to accentuate the waist. 
2. Single Breasted: The classic mod suit is a single breast. This means one row of buttons, not two (which is double breasted). 
3. 3 Button Fasten: Tradition dictates the jacket is high fastening with a three button fasten. However, we will usually wear it with only the top two fastened. 
4. Narrow, notch lapels: Slim lapels are a must, typically with a notch (over a peak). This is the triangular cut out shape to the top of the lapel. Exact width is a matter of taste, but around a two inch width will see you through nicely. 
5. Short length: This blazer isn't called the bumfreezer for nothing. Mod suit jackets are slightly on the short side. Nothing worse than a suit jacket which is too long. 
6. Short-ish sleeve: The sleeve should also be on the slightly short side, although not so it is overly noticeable. This is so we can show off our shirt sleeve cuffs and our fancy cufflinks. 
7. Ticket pocket: Another defining aspect of the mod suit. The ticket pocket is the smaller, third pocket usually found above the main pocket on the right hip of the suit jacket. A British tailoring tradition, we could write a completely separate article on the history of the ticket pocket, but for our purposes here, it adds that dandy mod heritage look. 
8. Mohair and/or Tonic fabric:  Not all mohair fabrics are tonics and not all tonic look fabrics are mohair, but if we can have both, then why not? Mohair is the classic fabric used in a mod suit. Mods loved the lustrous, smooth look mohair wool gives a suit, making it immediately the mark of class and style. Tonik - the original and proper fabric - was developed by French fabric manufacturer Dormeuil, but the tonic look here refers to a two-tone, iridescent fabric which copied that look. (The original fabric was quite expensive, but the look can be achieved with other tonic fabrics). 
9. Side vents: On the back of our mod suit jacket we find two side vents. This has also been written into mod lore that our classic mod suit shall feature side vents (twin slits at either side of the back of the jacket) and never a centre vent (a single slit in the middle of the back of the jacket at the bottom). The length of the vent is a matter of personal taste. The Who song (or High Numbers, as they were then) Zoot Suit contains the lyric, "I wear zoot suit jacket with side vents five inches long," so a lot of mods opt for that length, but anything in that region is fine. The vents purpose is to aid movement while wearing the suit. For a frame of reference, the vents on the suit jacket in the illustration are 7.25". 
10. Tapered, slim leg Trousers: On to the trousers and as you might expect, the mod suit trousers are slim leg and usually tapered, meaning the are narrower at the bottom than the top, as opposed to straight. 
    
11. Short-ish leg length: As with our jacket sleeves, we wear the trousers very slightly on the short side (but no half-masts, please!) This is so we can show off our stylish loafers, brogues or chelsea boots and maybe the snazzy socks we're wearing with them. Mod is all about detail and we need to show off that detail. 
12. Narrow Ankle: The tapered mod suit trouser leg results in the narrow ankle. A traditional suit would have maybe 16" - 18" bottoms or wider, but the mod suit will have a narrow bottom. Again, it's personal preference as to how wide. 14" is a good ball park figure. 
13. Pockets: Trouser pockets are a must, but how many and how they look is again down to taste. The mod suit pictured here has two front slanted side pockets which keep the shape and silhouette of the trouser nicely. Not pictured is also a single straight pocket with a button fasten on the back, but more about pockets in part two. 
14. Narrow waistband: Also details down to preference and style, but the classic mod suit will feature a narrow waistband, equipped to hold a narrow width suit belt (but probably unsuitable for wider jeans belts). You shouldn't really have to wear a belt with your mod suit, but sometimes it's nice. 

This, I should stress, is only the basics of a mod suit - a starting point. Here are the rules of mod suit style, and now we have learned the rules, we can break them! Look out for part two coming soon...

The suit featured in this article is the Madcap England Mod Suit in Burgundy Mohair tonic. Find it here.

Along with Mod clothing, Mod hairstyles have a rich and interesting history and heritage. Often how you wear your hair contributes to your over all identity, and none more so than within a culture like Mod and it's subcultures - Mod Revivalists, Teddy Boys, Rockabilly, Scooterboys, Skins and more. In our new blog mini-series we explore the history of mod hairstyles past and present, kicking off with the roots of the Mod look and mod fashion in 1950s America. Would you wear your hair like this?

A rare picture of Elvis with the Ivy League hairstyle in the 1950s

1950s: The Ivy League

Similar to: The Crew Cut, Butch Cut, The Short Back and Sides

A classic go-to hairstyle for men everywhere. The Ivy League coins it's name from the popularity the look enjoyed with college students in the US in the 1950s, giving rise to it also being called The Princeton, although there is some argument over whether this style really originated from Harvard University. A popular haircut which is never out of style, the Ivy League appeals to mods for it's neat, sharp cut and it's versatility for a short hair cut; this cut doesn't look out of place with any outfit.

Like the Crew Cut, the Ivy League is close and high on the sides and back. The hair is shorter at the crown and gradually gets longer towards the front. The hair is generally styles with wax, known as 'Butch wax'.

A Teddy Boy John Lennon sports a Duck's Arse hair cut in Hamburg, 1960. (Photo by Astrid Kirchherr)

1950s: The Duck's Arse

Similar to: The Detroit, The Long Pompadour
Also known as the Duck's Tail or simply, the DA, the subtly named Duck's Arse was the go-to hair style for 1950s British Teddy Boys. Using just about an entire can of pomade, the hair is slicked back around the sides of the head, (to resemble a ducks wings) and then the teeth edge of a comb used to define a central parting at the back, running from the crown of the head to the nape of the neck, resembling it's namesake! The hair on the top of the head was left messy and disarrayed or combed up and curled down.

A barber from Philadelphia, USA called Joe Cirello claims to have invented the Duck's Arse hairstyle in 1940. His clients included Elvis Presley and James Dean. Incredibly popular in the fifties for Teddy Boys, and giving the 'Greasers' their name, the hairstyle became associated with rebels and non-conformists, especially when it was sported by Dean in Rebel Without A Cause, and of course, Elvis Presley.

Johnny Cash wore a Pompadour in the mid 1950s

1950s: The Pompadour 

Similar to: The Quiff, The Duck's Arse, The Elephants Trunk

Elvis is all over 1950s Mod hairstyles! The Pompadour - also the Quiff - is of course the style Elvis was best known for and the hairstyle of choice even today for a lot of Rockabilly Mods and Teds. The pompadour also had something of a revival in the mainstream in recent years, being worn by people like Alex Turner and friends. The pompadour hairstyle - and with the onset of the 1960s, the Long Pompadour, sports slicked back hair, similar to the Duck's Arse, but with volume on top and at the front so that it looks like a wedge from the side - or go the full quiff. Again, lots and lots of pomade is required to craft the Pompadour! This is an extrovert hairstyle with its roots firmly in that early 1950s rock and roll look that the early mods craved. We think it's this hairstyle which lead on to the longer mod hairstyles of the 1960s.
Further Reading: 

• Beatles Style Guide: Part 1 1961 - 1962
• Rayban Icons Sunglasses: The Wayfarer
• New Saddle Shoes from GH Bass for Summer 2016

This season Lee Jeans are trying to get people to 'Move Your Lee'!  The style and fit of Lee clothes are important but what you do in them is what matters! Everyone has their own way of moving through their unique personal expression. Lee have created such comfortable jeans that whatever your doing you can express yourself. Move Your Lee is a celebration of the movement, style and freedom that lives in every one of us!

Lee's 'Move Your Lee' womens video shows a woman expressing herself using roller skates. This is her way of moving and her personal expression. She is wearing Lee jeans which shows how comfortable they are that she can roller skate but also she feels like wearing Lee clothing it gives her the freedom to express herself in a way she loves.





Lee's 'Move Your Lee ' mens video have styling influences from Northern Soul; which is a music and dance movement which emerged in England in the late 1960s. It combines classic Northern Soul dance moves with new contemporary dance styles to create an overall exciting dance video! They are all wearing Lee jeans and clothing, which shows it is super comfortable to dance in. It also shows that when people wear Lee clothing it gives them the freedom of their personal expression, which for this group of guys is through dance.


Check out the two videos for Move Your Lee:





Every season Lee Jeans create fantastic collections and AW15 is no exception!