Modernist Fashion in SL

Sometimes you should look very close before you buy. I saw this great suit at Shiki, one quick glance and the jacket hooked me and kerching the lindens were in the till. Threw it on and discovered the pants were knee length, its a Japanese store and that seems to be the trend with many of their designers. Still the jacket was uber cool, even if had cost me a fair bit.

Then i had a surge of inspiration, a bit of tweaking and maybe i could wear the full suit too. Wearing the pants with some cool long black socks meant that i could black out the flesh to give the impression of longer length. Next I adjusted the prim turn up [cuffs to the Yankee vocabulary] so they sat just above the cool Martin boots. With scripted lace colouring I set that to red to match the detail on the jacket collar and we were in business, a sophisticated ska/skinhead influenced look; coupled with the fishtail parka it screamed modernist.

Shiki

Its Over...

I t seems its finally over The Twissted Wheel is no more, its very foundations dispatched to its creator's inventory. Why? To be honest I have no idea something to do with internal politics and modernist factions disagreeing , blah blah. What I am certain of is that a huge gap in the modernist's second life has been created and we must wait in anticipation to see if it can be filled by an alternate venue. I am fearful of this and severely doubt it, but Second Life is a hive of creativity so who knows, not me that's a certainty.

What made The Wheel so great, the music was astounding but the whole look of the construction screamed modernist; and I confess I posed often in front of the walls etc to give a chilled mod feel to my happy snaps. It was the look as much as the sound that made The Wheel so special and I shall miss it.

Oxblood

One of my favourite store for skinhead styled clothes was Oxblood. They made some really cool flight jackets, Fred Perry polo shirts, braces T-Shirts and other essential skin items. The link between the neoMods and the ska inspired seventies skins style was close through the influence of the TwoTone movement; so when looking to style your Second Life mod checking stores that cater for punks and skins are essential stores to visit and investigate for style saviours.

Sadly Oxblood is no more, Real Life sometimes takes away avatars and their second life journey ends, gets us all in the end.

Modernist Fashion in SL

Hidden amongst the Gothic leathers and thrash metal items are several classy mod items at Nordic Blasphemy.

There's a reasonable crombie, but lacks the top pocket red handkerchief of a classic skinhead crombie; that said it looks nice enough. Bit of ska influence in the pork pie hat and the black suit; also nice buys. Shirts, sweaters, polos all lie in wait for the modernist shopper. However, the gem amongst the mod/skin retail event is the fine Harrington jacket, there is a black one but this blue version transported me back to the spring of '81 and the purchase of my own blue jacket as colour was introduced to the standard black fashion item.

Worn with the combo shirt the jacket looks superb and is a fine piece of virtual modernism, buy one!!!

Nordic Blasphemy

Modernist Fashion in SL

There are very few designers in Second Life designing specifically for the mod market. Mod Squad Designs is among the best out there; as with the majority of SL designers they create clothing primarily for the female market [as I was informed girls buy more stuff, simple economics]; but, they do have a few gems amongst the plethora of band and soul record label T-Shirts. And, with little modification some of the girl outfits could be re marketed to a male audience.

If the neoModernist is to thrive and survive on more than the scraps salvaged from a precious few items tweaked from other clothing genres designers need to take a few risks and challenge the male SL stereotype; jeans and T-Shirts may be uniform dress throughout Second Life for many male avies but the true Second Life Mod seeks far more stylish alternatives, lets hope designers who can provide that flourish. Splash the lindens at Mod Squad Designs and maybe it'll be worthwhile them changing their design strategy. For now snap up the cool Lambretta sweater, either black or white a truly inspired piece of modernist design, thank you!

Mod Squad Designs

Modernist Fashion in SL

A classic item of the modernists wardrobe, the blazer...the brighter the better. And, here are three brilliant examples to be found in the metaverse modernist inventory. The first shows an Italian box jacket influence, but its vibrant colours and sharp design make it an essential find for any mod on the second life trail of modernist utopia. Next is a traditionalist boating blazer picked up in Mako as store dedicated to vintage wear, 1920s, Victorian et al. A much heavier English tailored designs but highly suited to the modernist look. Finally, a tennis club blazer from Young Urban who have made mod influenced designs in their store all of which can be utilised by the neoModernist in Second Life.

So throw on your blazer but forget about punts, leap on your scooter and head on a medicated all nighter in the virtual world.

.:*WAvE.:*
Mako
Young Urban

The soul fest @ Wigan C

Not as well attended during my visits as one might have hoped but amongst the people there a great time was had; some fine DJ's played some excellent mixes and the dance ball provided all with a magnificent selection of moves. A twelve hour marathons, medals to those who made it thru it all, weakling that Albion is he failed to sustain that amount of energy.

Despite his lack of stamina he remained long enough and revisited several times all which enabled the crucial vanity fix of a quick clothes change from, smooth sixties modernist:

To a ragged jeans NeoMod:



Before ending as a bare chested Northern Soul seventies Casino warrior of the dance floor:

A great event and a pity so few people came but such is the nature of Second Life, lots of worthwhile events fail to get the crowds they deserve. Maybe next time, anyway this modernist had a fine time.

The Union Jack

A true icon of modism the Union flag dominates much modernist imagery. Worn on parkas in patch form of one kind of another, the flag often provides the backdrop for band names, modernist slogans or the stark "mods" declaration favoured by many mods.

In second life the mod is blessed with many opportunities to incorporate the Union Jack into their modernist portfolio as many designers relish the chance to use the flag as a means to brighten up there clothing. Amongst the most prominent is the Little Britain Store; ostensibly a metal store but much of their clothing range can be tweaked to meet a skinhead vibe or even a NeoModernism with a twist for the twenty first century.

In a strict modernist style the classic Townsend Union jacket is available and other designers have incorporated the flag into their clothing ranges that can easily be utilised as mod clothing of the highest quality.

One of Albion's greatest modernist grid finds was a Union Jack vespa, a fantastic looking machine and it now takes pride of place in Albion's modism scooter fleet. Opportunities for mods to utilise this masterpiece of modernist iconography abound, so put your best foot forward and walk with a modernist beat, the mods are on the march!

The "Virtual" Jam in SL

I'd seen a lot of second life musicians; playing covers and original stuff and on the whole its pretty good stuff. But, this would be the ultimate a virtual tribute band covering my boyhood heroes, and icon of of manhood...The Jam, lead by the Uber Neo-Mod, Paul Weller.

Teleporting in, I headed to the front rail, sounds just like real life, except for one subtle difference...I was seated on my Vespa; in all my years of following the band/man I've never watched a gig sat astride a Vespa:

So, I had my seat organised only had to wait for the band to come on stage. When they did, dressed in sharp dark suits; I instantly recognised a couple of flaws a) there were four of them, b) one was a girl. Ah well no matter Weller had always said he'd wanted a fourth member on hammond organ, further evidence of his Small Faces influences. It was no big deal, time to hear what they sounded like.

The first tune rumbled out, and it was taken off a "live" album sounded great but i have that on my i-tunes and the sound quality is. superior; the gig was obviously the four avis animated on stage while a series of recorded live tracks were streamed out to the audience [I was tempted to say crowd, but we numbered less than a dozen]. That's not quite what I was expecting.

Conclusions: well listening to old Jam tracks is always a joy; but, I could have watched a DVD, listened to I-Tunes or I-Pod or even dragged the albums and singles onto the turntable etc...so on the whole a touch disappointing. Not the modfest celebration I had anticipated,,,ah well keep on dancing and move to the beat if you want to be the virtual ace face.

Modernist Fashion in SL

Suits, a critical aspect of the modernists wardrobe; without a sharp suit your little more than a scooter boy in a parka.

Fortunately Second Life has a wealth of virtual tailors that can meet your needs. Three button single breated, is the essential look and flagship store such as Redgrave and Blaze will supply such suits. But there are many other stores capable of providing a classic cut suit to match your modernist needs.

Albion is wearing a great suit from !King a stunning white garment suited to his desire to be a face. The suit is paired with a neat black shirt/white tie combination from Young Urban.

The look is classically modernist and paired with his GL prim hair and neo-ban shades he definitely has the air of a modernist face.

!King for Men
Young Urban

Ska' s gone underground and got lost!

Clubs in Second Life can occassionally have brief lifespans or are relocated and lost to your inventory. One such club suffered that fate, The Unbdeground Ska Club. I have not been there for months and when I shuffled through my Landmarks I found it jumped on a TP and whoah landed on a barren mountainside. So, has the club bitten the dust or been relocated rquiring a trawl thru the SL search engine, I have not looked yet, shame if its gone relief if I locate it as the DJs played some exceptional ska cuts during my visits there.

Like I guess many of my generation I was oblivious to ska until the 2Tone movement burst onto the UK scene in the late seventies. As a schoolboy I joinerd the stage invasion when The Specials played a gig in our grim industrial town, the first gig I ever went to. It encourage a life long love of the music, arrival at the Trojan label and others via Madness, The Beat et al. Sharp two tone suits and the unform of monochrome outfits are standard ska issue; alongside the harder skinhead style all absorbed by the neoMods to embellish modernist fashion and style.

So I pay homage to the SL Ska club of my choice and hope it resurfaces or I can catch the Djs spinning elsewhere.

MOONSTOMPING!!!!!!!!!

Modernist Fashion in SL

One of the clothing items that is viewed as standard issue and defines you as a mod is the US military fishtail parka, emblazoned with cloth patches championing mod band or UK insignia.

Essential outer clothing for the mod astride his scooter the parka easily compliments the casual polo and jeans look or a more sophisticated suit style.

This second life design, found at Slate Speed Scooters, enhanced your virtual mod lifestyle. Its prim hood and jacket/skirt combination beautifully compliments the rest of your modernist wardrobe. It has two jacket versions, one proudly carrying THE WHO scrawled on the back, the other is plain but carries the Union flag on its sleeve. A masculine essential in the virtual mod world, perhaps a little overpriced at 400L, but that's being hyoper critical, jump on your teleport over to the store and grab one, check out there scooters too .. I bought one but SL ate it as I unpacked it and I never got to see it, But, thats a whole other story.

Slate Speed Scooters

SLS: Second Life Scooters

Scooters are a Mod icon, in my youth I paraded sat upon a divine lime green Vespa Rally 200; so when i discovered the Medaka Garage was building scooters I quickly teleported over to take a look.

There are several cool machines stocked at the garage both Vespa style [tagged Vispa] and Lambretta. Reminiscing again, I opted for the Vispa GS DX and using the easy edit hud I tint the scooter lime green to complete the wander down memory lane. Then I head off to a photo studio to bash out some delightful snaps of my green lean machine, in a multiverse dominated by our bretheren across the pond the scooter is often overlooked in favour of chugging choppers and surging superbikes. These scooters like in life wont win you any races but they will aid your coolness rating and flersh out your vitual modernist existance.

I tested out the demo then launched in and bought one of my own complete with modernist attachments:




The hud that allows a myriad of colour schemes allows you to stamp your own individual look on your scooter whether you decide on a Vespa:


Or , the sharper looking lambretta:



And the truly eccentric, they can choose the rabbit:


Medaka Garage

Modernist Fashion in SL

Fashion comes in many guises, but undoubtedly the Mod look of the sixties taken on by the neoMods of the late seventies and early eighties, who infused the sharp Italian inspired fashions of the original modernists with 2Tone skinhead and ska fashions, is one of the coolest around.

Bold insignia like this jacket from Young Urban are one of the building blocks of modernist fashion. This motif is carried through much of Mod culture, the Union Jack being a principal emblem of modism.

Stay sharp, dress like you mean it....keeo the faith, you know you need to be a face!

Young Urban

The Wheel keeps on turning...

In its third incarnation the sixties inspired Twisted Wheel continues to provide classic soul and sharp sixties tunes either by streamed radio or a host of marvelous DJs.

I first encountered The Wheel whilst lumbering through the SL search engine. I teleported in and found myself transported to the northern terraces of my youth, a wonderful build recreating life oop North with rows of houses, corner shops and little terraced pubs. In the square amidst a couple of cool shops, lay The Wheel, the name taken from an iconic Manchester club of the sixties,,a solid fortress of northern soul. I instantly swapped my standard issue soft rock look for the sharp, cool mod threads and slunk back into my youth.

So I joined the group and began to wallow in my memories waiting for news of a nights entertainment. When the notice came through I rifled my inventory for a suitable mod look. I opted for monochrome simplicity with a boating blazer and white trousers and some cool bowling shoes. Suitably attired I grabbed a fag and dropped it in my mouth SL smoking is really the only smoking worth indulging in. Then feeling as though i was an extra for SL-Modrophenia I jumped on the link and tp'd into The Wheel. Full of sharp suits and ice cool girls in their best skaville black/white I set my stall out and danced to some awesome tunes; I began to strut my stuff.

However, no sooner had I found my Mod SL mecca when i heard the news that the sim was closing and The Wheel would come to an end. Calamity, my fledgling SL-Mod life was over before it had really even begun.

But, as one door closes another opens in the fluid world of SL. Whilst the fantastic northern street sim would vanish the club had been moved to another locale. Excellent, notices flew about the group in preparation for the reopening party. What a blinder, I toned it down in polo and ska pants for the reopening. The set was astounding, some standard favourites and some utterly obscure sixties gems, applause for the DJ. A good crowd and a wealth of souled out modernists, with additional friends blitzed the dance floor. Sharp moves and sharp threads were requisite if you wanted to elevate yourself from merely being a face in the crowd.

Everything is solid safe as houses. Alas SL houses are as feeble as those blown down by the big bad wolf. No sooner had the club reopened than it closed again! Tragic and modernist dreams put on hold again. But like the C4 Phoenix this club keeps on coming for you and another rescue bid appears. The club is housed on a third sim and modernism keeps on going on. That's how I found myself grooving to the stream in The Twisted Wheel Mk3 thanking my lucky stars and relished a modernist SL for as long as it lasts.

The Twisted Wheel, land of a thousand dances,,,so move those feet.

The Twisted Wheel

An event to look out for.....

Wigan C Music Festival

Its a Mods second life

Well after a stumbling debut on the Free Finds for Men Blog I thought I might try a touch of inane second life warbling here on a blog of my own creation. No mean feat considering my feeble technical skills and inate luddite tendencies. What should you expect, a raft of typos grammarical errors [did you spot that one] and a considerable pile of fashion waffle; modernist diatribes, and musical polemics.

Do not expect to much if you discover this piece of self indulgence I lack both talent and imagination so it will limp along while it holds my enthusiam but will undoubted slip into the mire that most blogs are by nature condemned to inhabit.

Why mods, because its my youth, neomods of the nineteen eighties a chance to be reborn in Second Life, relive desperate moments at the Casino [pre-mod revivalism]; remember moonstomping ska filled school discos and rejoice in a Jam filled bedroom of classic sixties cuts and energetic young mod bands. Can you relive such a youth? Well the scooters are there, a few clubs too. The clothes can be rooted out and if you're clever [which I am not, hey its not self deprecation just blind honesty,,technical computer stuff confuses me] you can produce your own.

Okay time to jump on my Vespa and head out to the Twisted Wheel, see you there some time.