Fashion And Soul

[Guest MattB]

For those of you who didnt see my post in the hello section as it were, im relatively new to the forum, personally i would think that fashion has been discussed time and time again but i didnt know really what the views were on it.

I myself medley a few different styles but i do enjoy my 60's originals and im not particularly a fan of baggies, maybe thats my lack of dancing ability!

What do you guys tend to wear to nights out, i have personally noticed that alot of the senior guys will wear a nice sherman and levi's with some brogues or slip ons and the ladies often wear a nice dress, i myself wear mohair trousers, shirt or polo sometimes a tootal scarf etc, do you think the fashion has evolved with the scene?

[John Elias]

Myself, can do both,i.e do have original bell wrangler jackest or levi or harringtons plus benny's,but not baggies,feel that's OTT or will wear upto date fashion stuff,this all men's clothing you hear!!,regards,John.

[Guest mark shepherd]

have seen a lot of fred perry on the scene, original harringtons and twin tipped polo,s.

i own a mens designer clothes shop in darlington ,county durham, and one of the best selling ranges is limited edition fred perry classics,

its being worn this spring / summer by trendy young people, and fred perry have been re-juvenated by using top designers like comme des garcon and up and coming designers like judy blame and alister mckimm.

and not forgetting pete docherty, seems every time he,s snapped in a stupor hes got a fred perry on, even paul weller has got in on the act, designing his own limited edition polo,s.

so it seems to me - what goes around comes around, who knows this autumn / winter we might all be wearing 40 inchers with numerous pleats and crown flaps.

anyone wanting to buy fred perry classics - markrshepherd@btinternet.com

from harringtons and polos to prince of wales check trousers, duffle bags, wallets and camel hair scarves

discount to anyone who can spin around 10 times then drop into the splits

[ajb]

hehehe........i was looking to buy a tank top on sunday, to go with my white cotton short sleeved shirt

[Guest MattB]

I think ill be dropping you an email, at the moment i feel the interest has brought people to become a little ridiculous, i bought a really nice harrington the other day from sherrys just off carnaby st and it was good quality but i did feel a little bullied into it, and after a mates experience i will never buy a john smedley from there, i have one, really nice merino long sleeved polo with pointed collar and it was well worth the ticket price.

I think suits can be where alot of people go wrong, i have two simple re-tailored suits and they were really worth the money but alot of people dont realise you get what you pay for..

Any idea where to get a nice tailored shirt, wrap around cuffs?

[Guest Matt Male]

Fashion and soul? Maybe when i was 17, now for me it's a pair of (loose fitting) trousers from Primark, a short sleeved check shirt from Tesco (actually quite adventurously (word?) wore black last time). The only thing which is a remote nod to fashion sense (and dancing practicality) are my Doc Martin shoes, the soles now totally smooth after 15 years.

[wendy]

what's a tootal scarf?

thanks

[Guest dundeedavie]

what's a tootal scarf?

thanks

it's a patterned scarf made by the company Tootal . original ones are nice

[Winnie :-)]

For those of you who didnt see my post in the hello section as it were, im relatively new to the forum, personally i would think that fashion has been discussed time and time again but i didnt know really what the views were on it.

I myself medley a few different styles but i do enjoy my 60's originals and im not particularly a fan of baggies, maybe thats my lack of dancing ability!

What do you guys tend to wear to nights out, i have personally noticed that alot of the senior guys will wear a nice sherman and levi's with some brogues or slip ons and the ladies often wear a nice dress, i myself wear mohair trousers, shirt or polo sometimes a tootal scarf etc, do you think the fashion has evolved with the scene?

===========

Noticed you go to the soul ole, do you also go to the Railway and did you used to go to the rocket?

Winnie:-)

[Guest mel brat]

For those of you who didnt see my post in the hello section as it were, im relatively new to the forum, personally i would think that fashion has been discussed time and time again but i didnt know really what the views were on it.

I myself medley a few different styles but i do enjoy my 60's originals and im not particularly a fan of baggies, maybe thats my lack of dancing ability!

What do you guys tend to wear to nights out, i have personally noticed that alot of the senior guys will wear a nice sherman and levi's with some brogues or slip ons and the ladies often wear a nice dress, i myself wear mohair trousers, shirt or polo sometimes a tootal scarf etc, do you think the fashion has evolved with the scene?

I'm sorry, but I think that still wearing Fred Perry or Ben Sherman shirts and Levi's after 40-odd years shows a complete lack of imagination!

[Bitchdj]

as if you are gonna see me in a "nice dress " where do you go to see these ladies in nice dresses???......i think its slightly naff to wear retro clothing...maybe its an age thing but i go for comfort over fashion anyday

cookie

[Guest scissorsnipper]

For those of you who didnt see my post in the hello section as it were, im relatively new to the forum, personally i would think that fashion has been discussed time and time again but i didnt know really what the views were on it.

I myself medley a few different styles but i do enjoy my 60's originals and im not particularly a fan of baggies, maybe thats my lack of dancing ability!

What do you guys tend to wear to nights out, i have personally noticed that alot of the senior guys will wear a nice sherman and levi's with some brogues or slip ons and the ladies often wear a nice dress, i myself wear mohair trousers, shirt or polo sometimes a tootal scarf etc, do you think the fashion has evolved with the scene?

i myself matt being a laydee favour the full circle skirt because when your dancing and spinning it gives you the balance and you dont end up on the floor in a heap. :dance: some people in some venues look at you as if your in a time warp but i say as long as your comfortable in what you wear does it matter what other people think

[Guest mel brat]

i myself matt being a laydee favour the full circle skirt because when your dancing and spinning it gives you the balance and you dont end up on the floor in a heap. :dance: some people in some venues look at you as if your in a time warp but i say as long as your comfortable in what you wear does it matter what other people think

Then I intend to step out in a medieval tabard and tights next time - or perhaps a bear skin and woad!

[Guest mel brat]

it's a patterned scarf made by the company Tootal . original ones are nice

Oh, yeah. I remember Tootal! They made those psychedelic headscarves that TV scriptwriters supposed all "groovy young men" wore 'round their necks from C.1968 right up to 1974!

(ie. Anyone under 35 in situation comedies like 'Robin's Nest' and 'Bless This House' etc.)

[Guest MattB]

===========

Noticed you go to the soul ole, do you also go to the Railway and did you used to go to the rocket?

Winnie:-)

I went to the railway for paul donnelly's birthday as i got a ticket through john bradley, i went with my friend jamie parr and his dad pete, i have been the braza a few times too, where is the rocket?

[Guest MattB]

I'm sorry, but I think that still wearing Fred Perry or Ben Sherman shirts and Levi's after 40-odd years shows a complete lack of imagination!

And i think in regard to this, imagination is something that i feel i have, i embrace earlier, so called "vintage fashion" and i do really enjoy originals but i also try and mix it up with new garb, I think its the slant you put on it, i only own one fred perry t-shirt and i've never worn it out. I like wearing winklepickers, slim fit trousers, shirts, ties, scarves, really varied stuff, but i do understand where your coming from, fashion is a roundabout that continually comes around and around..

[Guest Fatius Bumius]

Then I intend to step out in a medieval tabard and tights next time - or perhaps a bear skin and woad!

count me in, tights and tabard anyday. Who needs Trinny & Suzanna when you can pick up tips on here

[Guest scissorsnipper]

Then I intend to step out in a medieval tabard and tights next time - or perhaps a bear skin and woad!

you'll certainly be noticed then!!! no spinning for you then unless your built like lynford christie

[Guest Fatius Bumius]

you'll certainly be noticed then!!! no spinning for you then unless your built like lynford christie

I think I'd be a bit worried if something started sprouting in my lycra

[Winnie :-)]

I went to the railway for paul donnelly's birthday as i got a ticket through john bradley, i went with my friend jamie parr and his dad pete, i have been the braza a few times too, where is the rocket?

==========

Holloway Road, London. I may be getting you mixed up with another lad, rocket nighters were about 4 years ago.

Winnie:-)

[tone5446]

Nothing wrong with the button down, perry, loafers, brogues look, its a classic style that almost always looks good, whereas the bags 'n vest 'n badge brigade just look plain daft these days. If you're anywhere near my age, what photos would you rather look at, those taken of you in the 70s, all hair and moustaches, or the ones taken in the 60s? - I know when I looked the smartest.

tone Your Man @ C&A

[Guest mel brat]

you'll certainly be noticed then!!! no spinning for you then unless your built like lynford christie

I think that in the Middle Ages, frantically spinning around would have probably been considered an activity that only lunatics engaged in! (no change there then!)...

I wouldn't wanna be denounced as a "heretic" and get shoved in the (Shotgun And The) Duck-ing Stool !

[Guest mel brat]

Nothing wrong with the button down, perry, loafers, brogues look, its a classic style that almost always looks good, whereas the bags 'n vest 'n badge brigade just look plain daft these days. If you're anywhere near my age, what photos would you rather look at, those taken of you in the 70s, all hair and moustaches, or the ones taken in the 60s? - I know when I looked the smartest.

tone Your Man @ C&A

Yes, I've already said elsewhere that I regard certain items of "Ivy League" clothing as timeless classics, but you have to ring the changes occasionally, or risk looking like an extra from "American Graffiti"! As for vest n' baggies et.al. they actually went out of fashion in 1974, and surely anyone wearing them nowadays are just as bad as those youngsters who stagger off to the local "retro disco" in a multi-coloured afro wig, flares and silver platformed soled boots!

Edited March 20, 2007 by mel brat

[tone5446]

my spies in the north tell me that there are still enclaves of retro-soulsters still wearing this stuff at do's. I'll find out where and post info tomorrow.

Tone

[Guest Bogue]

I'm sorry, but I think that still wearing Fred Perry or Ben Sherman shirts and Levi's after 40-odd years shows a complete lack of imagination!

Mel that's just everyday casual ware now anyhow, for youth, middle age & non soulies. A Fred Perry is no different now to wearing say an Addidas or Nike polo shirt & i should think half the globe probably wear Levi's, apart from me, i always prefered Easy cause' i got a big arse.

& now sadly it's M&S cause they cater for big arses & short legs !

Think i might get me a Fred Perry for the summer, i haven't had one since 82.

[Guest mel brat]

... fashion is a roundabout that continually comes around and around..

It certainly is that! When I see how the kids today imagine the 'seventies to have actually BEEN I despair! (All "Lava lamps and Afro hair", apparently!)

Still, I guess we did it to our parents with the 30s and 40s revivals though, so it serves us right!

[Guest mel brat]

Mel that's just everyday casual ware now anyhow, for youth, middle age & non soulies. A Fred Perry is no different now to wearing say an Addidas or Nike polo shirt & i should think half the globe probably wear Levi's, apart from me, i always prefered Easy cause' i got a big arse.

& now sadly it's M&S cause they cater for big arses & short legs !

Think i might get me a Fred Perry for the summer, i haven't had one since 82.

I haven't got the ARMS to carry off wearing a Fred Perry anyhow! (Seriously!)

[Guest Fatius Bumius]

Nothing wrong with the button down, perry, loafers, brogues look, its a classic style that almost always looks good, whereas the bags 'n vest 'n badge brigade just look plain daft these days.

Got to agree with you, smart classics for the fellas anyday.

I've sat at soul nights, people watching, favourite pastime, and notice clothes, ladies and gents, all tend to wear lots of black.

Clothes aimed at the 35-50 age bracket is dire for us ladies, you fellas just don't understand lol. It's either floaty, floral and frumpy, or High Street fashion shops and you find everyone wearing the same thing from 13-50 years of age.

I find if I go out dressed pretty normal I have a boring night out. I've got what I call "Happy Clothes" - colourful, slightly lol, and when I wear bright colours I have a great night even if the music's a bit naff. Dreading the day I'm forced into wearing the Floaty Florals. The futures bright, the futures orange

Clothes say a lot about your personality.

[Guest mel brat]

my spies in the north tell me that there are still enclaves of retro-soulsters still wearing this stuff at do's. I'll find out where and post info tomorrow.

Tone

Right! "Shotgun and the Ducking Stool" for them then!

[Guest Fatius Bumius]

I haven't got the ARMS to carry off wearing a Fred Perry anyhow! (Seriously!)

Do you fellas have a complex about having biceps or lack of, like us ladies have that "Does my bum look big in this" complex??

heard a couple of fellas moan about their arms ....strange.

[Bazza]

Got to agree with you, smart classics for the fellas anyday.

I've sat at soul nights, people watching, favourite pastime, and notice clothes, ladies and gents, all tend to wear lots of black.

Clothes aimed at the 35-50 age bracket is dire for us ladies, you fellas just don't understand lol. It's either floaty, floral and frumpy, or High Street fashion shops and you find everyone wearing the same thing from 13-50 years of age.

I find if I go out dressed pretty normal I have a boring night out. I've got what I call "Happy Clothes" - colourful, slightly lol, and when I wear bright colours I have a great night even if the music's a bit naff. Dreading the day I'm forced into wearing the Floaty Florals. The futures bright, the futures orange

Clothes say a lot about your personality.

Ay..you know me Di,Ill wear any colour ( as long as its black )

Bazza

[Guest Bogue]

I haven't got the ARMS to carry off wearing a Fred Perry anyhow! (Seriously!)

Actualy i forgot, the sleeves were quite short, mmm think i'll stick with a Nike down to the elbows too !

[Guest Fatius Bumius]

Ay..you know me Di,Ill wear any colour ( as long as its black )

Bazza

Well it suits you Your are the original Man In Black lol.

Last time I wore all black someone said, OOooo you look nice, where have you been?

My reply : A funeral!

[Guest MattB]

Nothing wrong with the button down, perry, loafers, brogues look, its a classic style that almost always looks good, whereas the bags 'n vest 'n badge brigade just look plain daft these days. If you're anywhere near my age, what photos would you rather look at, those taken of you in the 70s, all hair and moustaches, or the ones taken in the 60s? - I know when I looked the smartest.

tone Your Man @ C&A

I think the sixties was an amazing decade, one that i constantly find myself envisioning and to this day i wish i could live it, i just find seeing the pictures there really was little wrong with the fashion then, the cuts of the girls dresses, the lapels on the leather jackets!

I do agree that things need to be taken up a notch, but as the old saying goes, "if it aint broke.."

[Guest mel brat]

Clothes say a lot about your personality....

Yes, you're right. Fortunately the scene's not too hung up on what one wears out, otherwise deeply soulful individuals with absolutely NO dress sense wouldn't get a look in!

I think it's a good thing that people on the Northern scene at least are accepted for who they are, rather than what they wear, (unlike in certain places, which will remain nameless!) Nonetheless, those who still insist on wearing 'Spencer's baggies' and appalling sports vests must accept the inevitable consequences of their actions!

Edited March 21, 2007 by mel brat

[Guest MattB]

I think that you've hit the nail on the head, none of us have an interest in the fashion aspect due to necessity, its purely something that we indulge in at our own will, i know that i could quite happily turn up to a gig in jeans and a shirt but i like the idea of making a bit of an effort, i enjoy the music better when i feel confident about how i look..

[Guest Bogue]

Do you fellas have a complex about having biceps or lack of, like us ladies have that "Does my bum look big in this" complex??

heard a couple of fellas moan about their arms ....strange.

Yeh, but it's more of a "Does my beer gut look big in this" !

One thing i do thank the youth of today for (or was it Bullseye) ; the fashion of wearing T shirts outside your jeans ! imagine the nightmare of having to tuck your shirt in underneath the bulge & into your trousers ?

So it's Nike rather than Fred Perry, cheaper too ! leave's you with your BFH

Edited March 21, 2007 by Bogue

[Guest mel brat]

Do you fellas have a complex about having biceps or lack of, like us ladies have that "Does my bum look big in this" complex??

heard a couple of fellas moan about their arms ....strange.

Not so much a "complex" over biceps (what are them?) , as a complexion that glows in the dark!

Edited March 21, 2007 by mel brat

[Guest Bogue]

Must admit, i did used to like dressing smart. Early 80's was my favourite, Zoot suits, baggy shirts, wing collars, dickie bows the lot ! Used to polish my shoes till i could see my face in them !

It was easy to convert the look & shoot off to a nighter too, just leave the Zoots on & replace the top with a Fred Perry

[Guest edsuede]

I'm sorry, but I think that still wearing Fred Perry or Ben Sherman shirts and Levi's after 40-odd years shows a complete lack of imagination!

...or, that you've found the clothes and image you genuinely like and feel comfortable in, rather than just wearing what current fashion dictates.

[Baz Atkinson]

PLIMSILS ARE BACK IN THIS YEAR ACCORDING TO FASHION PUNDITS ALONG WITH PLEATED TROUSERS IN GREYS AND BLACKS,WELL THERE WOULD REALLY GOOD ON LATE FORTY SOMETHINGS ETC,STRUTTING THERE STUFF LIKE NUTTERS.

I THINK THE SCENE HAS BEEN DISTICTIVELY ANTI FASHION EXCEPT FOR THE EARLY TO MID SEVENTIES,DO PEOPLE REALLY CARE? I CAN REMEMBER FEELING RATHER GOOD AT WIGAN IN 1979 WITH MY PRESSSTUD LATHER JACKETT AND TAPERS AND BROUGES.

I LIKE LEVIS AND TIGHT TEE SHIRTS WHICH SHOW OF MY 17INCH ARMS AND 40INCH GUT LOL.ALWAYS LIKED STONE ISLAND WHICH IS AN INDIVIDUAL THING FOR ME AND NOWT TO DO WITH ANY FOOTBALL AFFILIATION AS MY TEAM SUNDERLAND AND MOST OF THEIR FANS STILL WEAR NCB DONKEY JACKETTS[ALTHOUGH SOME DO DRESS FOR THE OCCASION].

BAZ A.

[Reg]

I'm sorry, but I think that still wearing Fred Perry or Ben Sherman shirts and Levi's after 40-odd years shows a complete lack of imagination!

Oops, that's me then-I love Fred Perry t-shirts even though I've been wearing em on and off for the last 25 years-I found a picture of myself in about 1981 in my mum's back garden wearing a Fred Perry t-shirt and jumper in my Jam days.....then I realised I've got nearly the same outfit now! As The Nut said I'm not going to be wearing floral smocks or anything floaty until I'm at least 80. I did wear a skirt at Cleethorpes last year though-with a Fred Perry of course

[Pete S]

When I went to the Ritz in 2001 I wore combat trousers and a hoodie to go in, someone asked me where my skateboard was

[Guest mel brat]

...or, that you've found the clothes and image you genuinely like and feel comfortable in, rather than just wearing what current fashion dictates.

I'm not knocking what ANYONE chooses to wear (apart from the aforementioned 'Spencer's baggies' which give us all a bad name! ) But I take issue with the idea that Fred Perry shirts et.al. are somehow "traditional" Soul wear. There's no such thing. I still think the Soul scene needs to be just a little bit less conservative, in more ways than one, if it is to attract the younger punters it needs to thrive and grow.

[Guest Fatius Bumius]

I'm not going to be wearing floral smocks or anything floaty until I'm at least 80.

Power to the flower, NOT! lol.

My kids say to me, mum you will have to wear those kind of clothes one day...

They say, "you're not going out looking like that are you" They sound like my dad did in 1980! That skirts a bit short, yes dad and when I get round the corner of the street and I am out your sight it will be even shorter

As for black plimsolls making a come back, my mate wore those, dressed like Kevin Rowland,Dexys Midnight Runners, basically cos she was that bad off and plimsolls, raggy dungarees and your dads old grey pit vest were cheap.

I bought original 60s gear picked up out of charity shops, wool suits were the worst, in need of a dry clean to say the least. Couldn't afford to have them dry cleaned and washing machines didn't come with a decent wool wash cycle. A spray of perfume to cover up the nasty niffs but when you got warm, no amount of perfume could cover up the smell. It's not me that stinks, honest.

[Geoff]

This is a thread after my own heart, used to be obsessed by fashion in the 60s, despite not having a great income due to being an apprentice.

When I started going out to clubs again in 2002, I remember wearing a short sleeved button down collar checked shirt and khaki chinos, clothes I felt comfortable in, never occurred to me that there would be plenty of other guys wearing similar clothes. One thing I did remember from my youth was that clubs get really hot, especially if you dance.

I always wear a short sleeved shirt, cotton, sometimes a polo shirt, sometimes a normal shirt. I don't like to wear a shirt outside my trousers unless it is one of those shorter ones, personally don't like ones that hang well below your backside. T shirts are good for the summer or having as a spare in your bag.

I don't generally wear jeans to soul nights, I wear them for work, and frankly don't feel like paying £50 plus for Levis, although I don't mind paying for their Dockers.

Out of curiosity, what shoes do others recommend on here? I need to get some new ones for going out and dancing, my current ones are showing signs of going home.

The 60s were a better decade clotheswise than the 70s imo. I look at my wedding photos from 71 and feel acute embarrassment, all that long hair and wide lapelled suit, scarey bit is that I've still got the jacket and silk tie somewhere in a cupboard at home. Would anyone on Ebay want to buy them, lol.

60s fashion was much smarter, but of course someone of my age would say that I guess. And fashion was not static, plenty of different styles of shirt, 2 or 3 button suits, tweedy sports jackets, plus the odd things that you seemed to see for about 3 weeks, e.g. Norfolk jackets, and those Beatle things that buttoned up to the neck.

The funny thing I do remember when Lesley and I used to go to the Royal Tottenham on a Thursday night was that sometimes it seemed as if everyone had been given instructions to wear suits, the next week everyone was wearing shirt and v-necked pullover, and so on. Perhaps we were all receiving subliminal instructions.

I had an original Harrington from the Squire shop in Brewer Street, loved it, but can't remember what happened to it, a few years ago I got another from Simons of Covent Garden, but have never worn it to a soul night, don't want it to get saturated by the smell of smoking. Hope that doesn't offend anyone.

As you get older you do dress for comfort, and if you want to dance that is most important. It's not as if anyone is really interested in how I look, after all who am I trying to impress. It's the music that counts. Unfortunately there aren't a load of nice ladies looking for guys like me.

[Bazza]

This is a thread after my own heart, used to be obsessed by fashion in the 60s, despite not having a great income due to being an apprentice.

When I started going out to clubs again in 2002, I remember wearing a short sleeved button down collar checked shirt and khaki chinos, clothes I felt comfortable in, never occurred to me that there would be plenty of other guys wearing similar clothes. One thing I did remember from my youth was that clubs get really hot, especially if you dance.

I always wear a short sleeved shirt, cotton, sometimes a polo shirt, sometimes a normal shirt. I don't like to wear a shirt outside my trousers unless it is one of those shorter ones, personally don't like ones that hang well below your backside. T shirts are good for the summer or having as a spare in your bag.

I don't generally wear jeans to soul nights, I wear them for work, and frankly don't feel like paying £50 plus for Levis, although I don't mind paying for their Dockers.

Out of curiosity, what shoes do others recommend on here? I need to get some new ones for going out and dancing, my current ones are showing signs of going home.

The 60s were a better decade clotheswise than the 70s imo. I look at my wedding photos from 71 and feel acute embarrassment, all that long hair and wide lapelled suit, scarey bit is that I've still got the jacket and silk tie somewhere in a cupboard at home. Would anyone on Ebay want to buy them, lol.

60s fashion was much smarter, but of course someone of my age would say that I guess. And fashion was not static, plenty of different styles of shirt, 2 or 3 button suits, tweedy sports jackets, plus the odd things that you seemed to see for about 3 weeks, e.g. Norfolk jackets, and those Beatle things that buttoned up to the neck.

The funny thing I do remember when Lesley and I used to go to the Royal Tottenham on a Thursday night was that sometimes it seemed as if everyone had been given instructions to wear suits, the next week everyone was wearing shirt and v-necked pullover, and so on. Perhaps we were all receiving subliminal instructions.

I had an original Harrington from the Squire shop in Brewer Street, loved it, but can't remember what happened to it, a few years ago I got another from Simons of Covent Garden, but have never worn it to a soul night, don't want it to get saturated by the smell of smoking. Hope that doesn't offend anyone.

As you get older you do dress for comfort, and if you want to dance that is most important. It's not as if anyone is really interested in how I look, after all who am I trying to impress. It's the music that counts. Unfortunately there aren't a load of nice ladies looking for guys like me.

I always wear Leather souled Brogues,great for dancing,after you have bedded them in a bit

Bazza

[Guest mark shepherd]

This is a thread after my own heart, used to be obsessed by fashion in the 60s, despite not having a great income due to being an apprentice.

When I started going out to clubs again in 2002, I remember wearing a short sleeved button down collar checked shirt and khaki chinos, clothes I felt comfortable in, never occurred to me that there would be plenty of other guys wearing similar clothes. One thing I did remember from my youth was that clubs get really hot, especially if you dance.

I always wear a short sleeved shirt, cotton, sometimes a polo shirt, sometimes a normal shirt. I don't like to wear a shirt outside my trousers unless it is one of those shorter ones, personally don't like ones that hang well below your backside. T shirts are good for the summer or having as a spare in your bag.

I don't generally wear jeans to soul nights, I wear them for work, and frankly don't feel like paying £50 plus for Levis, although I don't mind paying for their Dockers.

Out of curiosity, what shoes do others recommend on here? I need to get some new ones for going out and dancing, my current ones are showing signs of going home.

The 60s were a better decade clotheswise than the 70s imo. I look at my wedding photos from 71 and feel acute embarrassment, all that long hair and wide lapelled suit, scarey bit is that I've still got the jacket and silk tie somewhere in a cupboard at home. Would anyone on Ebay want to buy them, lol.

60s fashion was much smarter, but of course someone of my age would say that I guess. And fashion was not static, plenty of different styles of shirt, 2 or 3 button suits, tweedy sports jackets, plus the odd things that you seemed to see for about 3 weeks, e.g. Norfolk jackets, and those Beatle things that buttoned up to the neck.

The funny thing I do remember when Lesley and I used to go to the Royal Tottenham on a Thursday night was that sometimes it seemed as if everyone had been given instructions to wear suits, the next week everyone was wearing shirt and v-necked pullover, and so on. Perhaps we were all receiving subliminal instructions.

I had an original Harrington from the Squire shop in Brewer Street, loved it, but can't remember what happened to it, a few years ago I got another from Simons of Covent Garden, but have never worn it to a soul night, don't want it to get saturated by the smell of smoking. Hope that doesn't offend anyone.

As you get older you do dress for comfort, and if you want to dance that is most important. It's not as if anyone is really interested in how I look, after all who am I trying to impress. It's the music that counts. Unfortunately there aren't a load of nice ladies looking for guys like me.

"fotwear" - for me its got to be fred perry footwear as well, especially the plimsoles in a table tennis style, in various colours, retail at about £40 in canvas / leather / herringbone,

great with jeans or dress trousers along with your polo, harrington or cardigan ( which by the way is a must have item again this spring/summer)

did i say all the above available at boola (anyone guess where i got the name - so good they named it twice)

or via e-mail / PM

cheers, shep

[Guest Byrney]

I'm not knocking what ANYONE chooses to wear (apart from the aforementioned 'Spencer's baggies' which give us all a bad name! ) But I take issue with the idea that Fred Perry shirts et.al. are somehow "traditional" Soul wear. There's no such thing. I still think the Soul scene needs to be just a little bit less conservative, in more ways than one, if it is to attract the younger punters it needs to thrive and grow.

I'm with you on this.

A few months ago I saw posts that critcised the wearing of trainers (aparently you cant dance in them - thats where I've gone wrong since wearing Bamba in 78), "off the peg shirts" jeans and owt other than the "traditional" northern soul uniform....

I don't fit in then with my liking for some CP Company, Fjall raven, vintage adidas, smedley and jeans; I must be trying to be trendy

[Manfromsoul45s]

I'm with you on this.

A few months ago I saw posts that critcised the wearing of trainers (aparently you cant dance in them - thats where I've gone wrong since wearing Bamba in 78), "off the peg shirts" jeans and owt other than the "traditional" northern soul uniform....

I don't fit in then with my liking for some CP Company, Fjall raven, vintage adidas, smedley and jeans; I must be trying to be trendy

MMMMM!!! Byrney your ideas intrigue me and i wish to subscribe to your newsletter...

I look at it like this, at the time everyone was wearing "baggies" of one sort or another back then, but they went OUT OF FASHION!! so therefore if you wish to purchase such item now you have to have them made, rent them from a costume shop or buy them from a "nostalgic" soul website or from "captain cod" at prestatyn.