Thought it would be fun to do a Photo only(ish) blog. Below are some people who I feel best represent cool shoes, each is an icon in many ways, but when i think of them i think, yep “smart dresser” and always good shoes !
Finding pictures, with shoes in, was hard work for some, as we see them in films or videos for only a second !
I make no apologies ! this is my list! , and a very incomplete, but it will do as a start !
Enjoy Andy
Suggs
I think smart dressing and cool shoes may have started here for me. Suggs was always stood out for me in his brogues and loafers. And i suppose because of the nutty dance you had to look at the feet!
Paul Weller
Weller of course he had to be in the list. Weller was my hero for so long, musically he inspired so many of us and i love the fact he is out there still playing with new sounds. Style wise he cant be bet most of the time. Â Shoes wise he is normally a mile ahead of everyone ! except perhaps the next set of pictures.
The Small Faces
Yes all of them ! There are literally 1000’s of pictures online of Marriott Lane, Mac and Jones. and in them they are always look brilliant including the shoes. The first picture here is my favourite picture of them.
Liam Gallagher
Liam enters the list because although i am bigger Blur fan, Liam is the archetypal rock star . He is one of the guys who can pull of anything and look cool in it. I am not so sure about the recent ‘Pretty Green’ range , i always think thats someone behind him ! but whether you like it or not Him, Neol and Damien all gave the MOD scene a big bloody kick in the 90’s
James Brown
James Brown is one the best dancers ever, anyone who has ever seen him slide across the floor will know that. But if you are going to slide across the floor like that, you are not going to be wearing rubbish shoes when the whole crowd is looking !
James Bond
Yes all of them ! James bond always looks cool, and whether it be Connery Moore, Morgan or Craig ( i know there are others) they always look their best! Possibly not strictly MOD! but cool anyways.
Michael Caine
Yep another actor. In the famous picture below with the Shooter from Get carter look at those cuff links !!!! Again bit of mare trying to find a picture of him full length, but in the Italian job, Get Carter, Icpress file and countless others inc the Eagle Has Landed Caine looks ace.
and a button down shirt !!!!
George Harrison
My favourite Beatle. Since i think 6 years old i have wanted to be George in the Beatles. Why you ask ? when i was younger it was the guitar, and as i have got older he seemed like the cool one. John and Paul may have wrote some of the best songs ever, but George wrote two of the Beatles most beautiful tunes. ‘While my guitar gently weeps’ and ‘Something’. He was no slouch either as these pictures prove.
I dont think there is a summary or conclusion really. Just an excuse to look at cool people in cool gear. I hope some of you agree and welcome hot debate at who i may have missed out !
Video Review of the NEW Weavers from Delicious Junction
Apart from loafers, the weaver is one of the shoes we get asked about a lot. Mainly I believe because they are so hard to find. Until recently DNA Groove have been the only people making them since Hudsons.
So Delicious Junction have filled that gap, which is good, and also as a bonus not at the top end of the price range. DJ shoes all under £100 which makes them very good value.
This style comes in 2 colours, Black and Bordo. If you have ever seen a pair of the Vandellas, this is very similar to them, but obviously in Weaver style. The shape of the sole and feel of the shoe is very similar to the Vandella.
The weaver effect is embossed and not a true ‘Weaver’ but for the money these are spot on. What i do like about the black ones is that these could be worn daily to the office.
The bordo has i believe has a very similar leather as the Rudeboy , so that Two Tone effect of Black and Bordo. Look at the pictures below for closer inspection.
DJ are doing full page adverts for these in Scootering so i assume they also think they are going to sell well.
In terms of wearing it is very comfortable shoe and fits snuggly. The sizing is good on these, so go for your normal size.
2 eyelet derby lace shoe with an embossed matt leather upper and a hard wearing smooth outsole.
Construction: Embossed leather upper – Leather lining – Other materials sole
Colour: Black matt smooth leather
Sizes available: 5.5-12
Video review of the Dark Brown Vandellas Cords from Delicious Junction
This is the Delicious Junction Vandella shoe. It comes on 3 colours Dark Brown, Tan & Bordo. The bordo colour to me is like a red wine colour, not quite a purple. All 3 colours have matching (or very near) leather to supplement the Suede.
This is a definite going out shoe for a few reasons. Suede is not an everyday wear, well not in the UK, or anywhere else it rains alot. Personally i think the Bordo would look really good with a dark blue suit. The dark brown as reviewed here is a very nice colour, i am not convinced with dark jeans, but perhaps of an outfit like a suede jacket ?
George Harrison in some cord shoes.
The shoe style reminds of mid 60’s Beatles. In particular George Harrison. He has some really nice clothes around 65 – 67. His shoes also very natty. I thought he was wearing something like these in the Paperback Writer video.
In terms of wearing it is very comfortable shoe and fits snuggly. The sizing is good on these, so go for your normal size. The suede is going to stretch after a few wears. The base of the shoe is very similar to the Delicious Junction Weaver.
It has 2 Eyelet tie lace, Construction: Leather upper – Leather/ textile lining – Rubber sole, Sizes available: 6-12.
Video review of the New Terry Rawlings Shoe from Delicious Junction
Very close to these fellas i reckon ?
These are very cool shoes, distinctly remind us of Steve Marriott & Small Faces era 1966.
They fit very well and are comfortable straight out of the box. There is limited stock on these so if you are interested i would buy sooner rather than later.
In terms of sizing, the 8 was snug on my feet, i am an 8, on one foot and 8.5 on my right, and they fitted well. If you are a very wide foot, it may be best to go up a size, but remember this suede so it is going to stretch.
The shoe is made up of both suede and leather. It has 4 hole eyelites and comes in Sizes: 6-12. The construction is very good and it feels like a sturdy shoe.
For more information please watch the video review here
The thoughts behind this blog entry are mainly about how different shoes can come up different sizes.
Modshoes stock a range of shoes by different makers,sometimes within their own ranges the shoe sizes vary as well.
So is an 8, an 8 in all makes?
Well straight away you have to consider the style of the shoe. The cut of the shoe, the design of the shoe, how is it going to stretch, is it laced or slip on? The point being some shoes are designed for a thinner foot.
For examples here are two brogues, one by Loake, the other by Delicious Junction. Both are really good looking shoes. Both stylings are good to my eye, meaning the Loake is slightly rounder, and the DJ a more flattened front. Both come in black or oxblood. Both have leather soles. One is £78 and one is £150.
Now the first thing you may think is well, I can save myself half the price. And that is a fine argument. But, and this a big but, which one is going to fit like I want it to?
Now this is the exact reason, I started the Modshoes website. There is not one website out there that could tell me the difference, and more importantly, whether either of them were any good.
So now I have a pair of both and yes they are different , the Loake is designed for a wider foot. My left foot is 8 and my right 8.5. So when I am buying I need to know if the shoe is going to grow to the shape of my feet. The Delicious Junction Upsetter on the other hand (or should i say foot!) had a narrower feel. So much so that I may even consider going up a size to see if it feels right.
So what am I trying to get at? Well here are some simple pointers as I see it;
Make sure you know your proper size. In the UK, Clark’s will measure you, and the cheap outlet Brantano will also.
Do you have a wide foot?
Does the design of the shoe lend itself to stretch if the shoe is a little tight to start off with. More on this in a bit.
If you are a wider kinda guy, are you going to have to give tight Italian winkle pickers a miss!
So how do you accommodate your foot.
A lace up shoe is always going to flex more. Stand to reason doesn’t it. The lace is very forgiving in terms of your front of foot. A Derby lace up is more forgiving than an Oxford. Brogues tend to come in both Derby and Oxford styles, so if you are buying online, you know the Derby is safer.
Next up in my mind is the leather.
Cheap leather is never good. Whether you are buying a lace up or a loafer, you want the foot to be accommodated properly after a few wears. Some quality loafers can take up to a year to wear in, I have heard Sebagos are meant to be like this. But they also last for years!
So time to start naming names!
Delicious Junction Sizing
We sell a lot of Delicious Junction shoes. We sell them because they are a good shoe at a fair price, and aim their styles at MODS. Not all of them but over 50%. The leather is good on the shoes we stock.
Rudeboy
They do vary, the Rudeboy which is very popular, I would say is slightly wider then most loafers. I advise people to come down a size, rather than go up.So if you are an 8.5, go for a 8.
The Upsetter
The Upsetter though, comes up small, I have tried on an 8 and 9, my normal size being a large 8. But I would get the 9’s because the cut is narrow. Same with the Upsetter boots.
Their other shoes also vary a little, but in the main the loafers come up big and the laces smaller. But this is maybe because I have a wide foot.
The Delicious Junction have only taken a few wears to feel right. The leather on all the shoes I own of this brand have taken about 5 hours of wearing to feel comfortable.
In this video I danced for an hour in a brand new pair of Delicious Junction Detroit loafers and they started feeling good after that hour. The Detroits are the one exception to the range of loafers, if you are an 8.5 go up a size, not down.
Loake
Loake though does tend to be more standard in sizing. And as you would expect from a UK maker that’s been around for a while, the range is consistent. But you pay for that, Loakes start at £99.
The leather Loake use though takes a bit more wearing in. Will it last longer! Only time will tell, but I know lots of soulies with Loakes and Bass Weejuns that are years old and still going well.
Ikon
Ikon we also sell, and again are very like the DJ line. Now maybe this is because both are made in Portugal ! And as such have European sizing rather than stricter UK.
I do want to come back to the design, stitching and leather, all of which play a part in how the shoe is going to fit on your foot.
When considering buying a shoe, think about whether the leather will stretch, also the stitching. Has the designer designed this for a narrow or a wide foot?
A loafer has the stitching to stretch, but if the leather strap across the top is made of cheap leather, it won’t stretch well!
Look at the Loakes here for example.
The Brighton has a wider look, the Georgetown a narrow. Both are very good leather and stitching.
I suppose I would like to conclude that you get what you pay for. Are the Loakes worth twice as much? Well I think so, but are you going to wear them every day or for long hours?
Meaning, if like me you go out once a week, and you have a few pairs of shoes, it is unlikely that a pair of shoes are going to wear out fast, so have more pairs of cheaper shoes.
But if you intend to spend many hours dancing at a soul club, with loads of talc on the floor, then go for good quality ones, your feet will say thank you!
So please watch the video and come back with comments, and also your own experiences of sizing.
Comments and also your own experiences of sizing, very welcome below
Before we even start, I am one of those people that has watched this film far too many times, and in the 80’s could recite every word without the aid of the film itself. Was I obsessed ? o yeh twenty times over!
The film itself has been talked about 100’s of times, and I am doing this article because Warren at ‘we are the mods‘ did a recent show about it, and to be a little light hearted just before Christmas 2012.
So for first time in over 10 years I watched the film. As I began to watch one thing dawned on me! The film is really dark, not in the subject matter, but that most of it is shot at night. Also the print that has been used for the DVD is not the sharpest. Eddie Piller has mentioned that there are very few sharp prints of the film. Meaning that even if you can see the feet, the quality lets down the tell tale signs of the shoes.
I think the ACE Face would have better shoes.
The opening sequence with Jimmy going to what we are led to believe is the Goldhawk Club, appears to be wearing Desert Boots, and these boots seem to stay on his feet for most of the movie.
Throughout the film Jimmy seems to have several outfits, from casual to a tailored suit. I like most of the outfits he wears, but I must admit I thought there would be more diversification on the feet. In fact, I thought there would be more shoe types from the main characters, the only time we see something that’s different is on Sting’s feet.
Sting’s grey or gray shoes I think nearly look the part. The buckle is cool, but I think the film’s designer was actually trying for a smarter loafer, in a flash colour to match the suit he wears. Sting’s suit does look that little more flash as you would expect as he is meant to be the ‘Ace Face’, but personally the shoes need to be better!
So what other shoes can we see?, well not a lot to be honest.
As I watched I thought there would be loads in the fight sequences. There are lots to be seen but no real what I call out and out mod shoes.
In the opening Brighton sequence the camera pans along the scooters, lots of cool scooters and loads of people. In the crowd you can see the Northern Scooter clubs that took
How many trilbys ?
part in the filming. I maybe wrong but i believe that they Olympics Scooter club and also the people that run Armando scooters in the 80’s were in the film, but i am not 100% on this.
The style of the Northern Scooter Mods I can see, is Parka, Jeans and on the feet, Doc Martens and Adidas Trainers. Certainly there have been pictures in “Scootering” of the clubs involved in the film, the makers tried to disguise the Lambretta Gp orientated look to make them look like LI’s etc.The producers must have also been dishing out the hats, how many trilbys! But why not the feet as well?
Are these Cherry Reds ?There are loads of red socks in the fight sequence!
There is one guy in the riot sequence in a Black Harrington, and he has Cherry Red DM’s on. Another thing you do see a lot of is ‘Red Socks’. There is a guy coming out of the water, he is standing next to Nasty Nick from Eastenders. The amount of sock on show could seriously take an eye out!
I must mention a continuity bit here. For us UK people Nasty Nick can be seen wearing a light blue Polo shirt for the beach fight, but once he is in the lanes running around he has magically found his Parka.
I have read some other blogs saying the style of the clothes in the film is a little lacking in ‘Style‘. I wonder if the mods saying this have pondered whether the reason we think of the 60’s MODS being so much smarter, is because we have only seen pictures of MODS dressed up for the weekend. Meaning in the going out parts of the film, such as the Brighton sequences, Jimmy, Spider, Chalky etc are all wearing suits. But we also see the cast midweek and at work. And with the best respect even the toppest MOD dresses down sometimes. In the Documentary “British Style Genius” a MOD from that time suggest that the original mods had jobs that allowed for wearing of decent clothes. But I always think of Jimmy is being ‘Run of the Mill Mod‘ not a top face.
How did she run in them heels ?Stepth in Suede Loafers, blink and you will miss them in the film
Anyway this is meant to be about the shoes !
Steph for most of the film lives in little white heeled shoes. How she runs around in heels even little ones is beyond me. She wears these in nearly every scene apart from one. When she arrives at Brighton on her feet are smart pair of suede loafers!The rest of the film the women seem to be in one inch high heels, and flats worn with Ski Pants.
These seems to be the closest to jimmys http://www.robertcoleshoes.com/amblers-desert-87002-boots.html
The Desert Boots that the male cast live in, don’t look that good to me either. They seem to be the heavier boot style, with brass eyelets. I have had some of these boots myself and they did last ages, but they are not overly smart.
Dave does seem to have smarter Clarks looking ones in the Brighton bits. Chalky and Jimmy though, let the side down.
Another technical point is that because Jimmy is the central character we dont see the whole of him much in the film. When Jimmy is in shot he is up close,for obvious reasons but the director is trying to help us see what he is thinking. Towards the end of the film as Jimmy is starting to reflect we see more of him.
Now I am saving the best for last.
Jimmy and Stepth actually looking smart, the shoes as well. Thanks to Carlos to drawing attention to this picture and outfit.
We see Jimmy in a decent Boating Blazer early on in the film, and some of his outfits are cool, but on his feet are a pair of loafers.
On the right here is a still from the filming where the shoes can be clearly seen. They look good to me and no doubt influenced lots of guys in the 80’s to wear them.
I am not sure if they are Bass Weejuns? They look like they are Bass Weejun Larkins, as they are quite narrow and the lip is rounded . Other makes traditionally are a wider foot.To be fair the wardrobe department may have just got some smart shoes from a local shop. These days Loake have Georgetown which looks very similar. The Bass Weejun in the UK is getting harder to get, stock seems to be very limited in any shops.
I think Jimmys Loafers are Bass Weejuns Larkins
At the time I loved this film so much, for many reasons that lots of us loved it for. As I have got older I would draw different bits from it. In my scooter days i would happily watch just the scooters. I have only seen the film once on the big screen, in the 90’s, when I was going through my raving days, then I loved the dancing all night etc sequences.
Now I look at the film differently again. In my 40’s I can see lots of the fashions are a very late 70’s take on the 60′s, but the overriding feeling to me now is what a great film about youth and all that it entails, take away the clothes (and perhaps the scooters) and it becomes timeless.
From a shoe perspective not as much to say as I thought there would be. But I really did enjoy taking the time out to watch the film again. If you have the time over Christmas try to watch the film, as i think you will get more from it than you might think at the moment. And I hope you find some little gems just like I did.
Have a good Christmas and Happy New Year Andy @ Modshoes
For examples here are two brogues, one by Loake, the other by Delicious Junction. Both are really good looking shoes. Both stylings are good to my eye, meaning the Loake is slightly rounder, and the DJ a more flattened front. Both come in black or oxblood. Both have leather soles. One is £78 and one is £150.
Rudeboy
The Upsetter
As I watched I thought there would be loads in the fight sequences. There are lots to be seen but no real what I call out and out mod shoes.
