‘Mod Girl Fashion -Deadlier than the Mod Male’ by Claire Mahoney of The New Untouchables

Mod has always been a bit ‘mad about the boy’. Pick up any mod book or retrospective and its pretty much always about the mod male – the mod girl might get a cursory mention if we are lucky. Of course, during the 60s the social context was very different – women were still on the fringes both economically and culturally – they were used to riding pillion.

Even when I was a teenager at the beginning of the 80s we mod girls were more likely to be found on the side of the dance floor or on the back of a scooter. No matter how much you cared about music, it was really difficult to get yourself taken seriously in those heartfelt debates about whether Sound Affects was better than Setting Sons – this just wasn’t girls’ talk. Boy, has that changed though.

These days, fabulously dressed female mods seem to be all over. The dance floor is packed with them. Often it’s the blokes, not wanting to crumple their suits or get their shoes stained, that are clutching their pints on the sidelines. In fashion terms, eBay and our love affair with all things vintage has unleashed a veritable flood of on- and off-line shops. In short, apart from 1964, I’d say there has never been a better time to be into the scene.

Gina Giraffe who got into mod during the revival thinks that part of the reason why women have more choice is because the scene itself is broader than it’s ever been. “Women are into the scene in their own right, not just Mod-WAGs who are dragged along for the ride. They are experimenting with different 60s looks, so the range of clothing and accessories to choose from is wider.”

She still thinks the scene very male dominated however. “In my experience I don’t think attitudes have changed a great deal since the revival. It’s still a male-dominated scene, just a quick glance around any gig, rally or ride-out will quickly prove that. These days women’s opinions do seem to be more considered and respected, but I expect that’s because many of the men of our age on the scene have wives and daughters of their own and have mellowed over the past 30 years. I think things will be very different for the new generation of female mods who are currently in their 20s. They have grown up in a world of real equality between the genders, so the imbalance we experienced won’t exist.”

The availability of original 60s clothing on sites such as eBay has made it easier than ever to get that authentic look. Whether your style in totally vintage or a mix and match approach seems to be a matter of individual taste. In the words of mod, Jane Buttery, whose wardrobe is mainly original 60s: “It’s just a personal preference. However, I find it hard to find many original vintage skirts/trousers, so I shop for skirts and trousers from good old M&S, Boden or Laura Ashley. What I like about it is that you can be creative and individual with how you put an outfit together knowing you can have your own unique take on that era.”

We also have the option of high quality reproductions from the likes of Carnaby Streak (thecarnabystreak.co.uk) who faithfully reproduce 60s dresses and tunics and will even custom size for those of us (i.e. most) not sporting a Twiggy-type figure. Angela Williams set up the company because she saw a gap in the market for: “Good vintage 60s original mod clothing.”

She says: “Much of the vintage clothing worn now is more bold and psychedelic than when I first got into the mod scene. I think this is the reason why so many women are choosing to buy new clothing over vintage. There are companies now that offer good quality clothes that actually look vintage.  Another option many have chosen is to have vintage clothes reproduced.”

There is also the fact that polyester and Crimplene may wash and dry beautifully quickly but it can be very itchy and hot to wear on a night out – so sometimes modern fabrics in a good 60s design are about function as well as form.

A cursory look at Vogue or Elle magazine will confirm that the obsession with the 60s it not over yet. It has been very hit-and-miss on the high street though, with some collections named and shamed by mods who’ve been dressing in a 60s style for years.

Angela hits the nail on the head: “I think the 60s will always be popular fashion-wise. It is such an influential era that it never really disappears from the catwalks. But it’s a double-edged-sword when fashion focuses on the 60s. Although I am introduced to a new generation of 1960’s lovers with every ‘revival’, the high street is flooded with cheap 60s-inspired clothing. These are mostly bad interpretations and the true mod will always seek out the more true to style and well-made clothing.”

Coming up

Over the coming months, we will run a series of articles on female mod fashion from the 60s through to the mod revival of the late 70s to the present day. We’ll be looking at the the influential designers from Biba to Quant and how high street brands such as Fred Perry and Merc have evolved over the years to meet the needs of a young generation of women wanting to look stylish and hip. If there are any topics that you think we should discuss do get in touch at claire@newuntouchables.com

Claire Mahoney

At the age of 13 mod made perfect sense to me. I liked the look and the attitude - but most of all I liked the music. Secret Affair was my entry point, but they were soon playing second fiddle in my affections to The Jam. Paul Weller, of course, proceeded to break mine and many others hearts in 1982, when he put an end to that particular musical roller coaster – but what it meant was that, uninterested in anything else that was happening in music at the time, I had to look back. I was lucky enough to be given two plastic bags full of 60s 45s by my uncle who used to stock the jukeboxes back in the day. Their contents included a number of Stax originals, plus the Who and the Small Faces, as well as Motown classics from The Four Tops and the Supremes. So, when Phil Collins charted in the mid 80s with 'You Can't Hurry Love' it was nice to be able to say: “I've got the original of that!” It became quite an irritating habit of mine over the years. These days I still enjoy discovering new, old music, be it soul, rnb or jazz, as well as witnessing mod taken another turn among today's youth with bands like The Strypes. My day job as a journalist means I am lucky enough to be able to write about music and modernism now and again. Other than that you'll find me mostly on the dance floor or on eBay still looking for that perfect A line dress.