General Chat

Lou excuse me suedeheads were not plonkers they looked good were good dancers & liked all the right music. They also knew how to treat a girl, well they always would buy the Coca Cola in nice shaped bottles in those days, that shape was supposed to be the ideal woman's shape lol. I used to go to the Youth Club Disco for Early Reggae as it was in those days. Oh the memories ;-))) Pat x

Frances I lost all my photos from that, wish I had even a couple of them even if they were embarrasing I would love to see what a mess I probably looked lol. Pat x

Hubby had all those clothes. He used to be a 'suede head' which apparantly wasn't as bad as a skinhead. He was also so massively into (and still is) northern soul. He used to do all the dancing and back flips. He had the handkerchief in pocket thing. It sounds like he was a right plonker lol. He used to go to Colemans in Nottingham and the Palais. Have you heard of Colemans Gary? They played all the northern soul but his local youth club had a weekly disco that played all the ska.

The Skins lasted at the most 2 - 3 years, depending where you lived. In London it was from very late 1968 to 1970 as they were overtaken by the suedeheads mostly skins who were letting their hair grow and trying to disassociate themselves from the bovver skins that were bashing all in sight. The Ska Revivial were two toners & not skins at all. They did pay homage to the early Reggae Sounds but called the music Ska which had already been & gone in Jamaica in the early to mid 1960's. The Two toners looked & dressed more like suedeheads than skinheads. The only skinheads you would see after the initial skinhead years would be a completely different breed. Pat x

thoughts on defining a time scale for this dress, i seem to remember in my area Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire area, the skinhead culture and dress were in fashion from about the late 60s and peaking around the mid seventies, the dress was certainly gone by the time of punk in 76/77 and the twotone look that followed, Elaine mentioned being a skinhead in 1981, i never remember seeing skinheads this late, there is a some time film director called Shane Medows who was born and brought up in Uttoxeter, Staffs and he has made a film about Skin Head violance based on his experiances in the 1980s in Uttoxetter, yet now working in Uttoxeter and none of the locals ever remember seeing skinheads in the town in the 80s, they dont recall that many in the mid 70s, when at its peak, Shane Medows would have been too young to have been around at its peak, certanly in the early 70s, i might be wrong but i am sure it died out before punk.

The memories this thread brought back lol. Hi Aileen :-))) you have described my class when we went to Bourneville Chocolate Factory we were all dressed in that sort of attire. Gary long time no see lol. Didn't realise you were into all that Dave & Ansell Collins 'Double Barrel' & 'Monkey Spanner' Symarip 'Skinhead Moonstomp' which was taken from Derrick Morgan's 'Moonhop' & Judge Dread too lol. You must have listened to the legendary Laurel Aitken as well 'Jesse James'? Great Fun. I wore mostly Jeans, ben shermans and brogues too. Prince of wales check dress my mum made so it was slightly different to my mates as my mum wouldn't let me wear some stuff as Deb said 'too common' :-))) Great fun but didn't last too long before the nasty nazi skins took over & spoilt the whole thing :-((( Pat x

Oh and then came the cheescloth shirts which I adore to this day and still own two!!! xxhugxx

I remember Skin Head Moon Stomp, Dave & Ansell Collins, Big 10 etc, Harrington Jackets, Levi Staypress, Ben Sherman Shirts, Brutus Shirts, White 'skinners' Jeans, Lofer Shoes with the two tassels, Doc Martins, Brogues, Crombies, before this toe tecter boots with jeans and jean jackets with bleach splashed all over them, you had to be carefull or they fell in holes when you rinsed the bleach off, you did this to brand new denim so was riskey. and for the girls Monkey Boots

Yes Lindy, I loved that feather-cut, I wanted hair like Dora in 'Follyfoot' :))

Hey Elaine, was you 'bovvered' ? :)) that was my Brothers answer to everything then, I'm not bovvered, he used to say! :)) my Dad used to give him a right stare! :))

I had a Harrington and a pink Ben Sherman, to this day I hanker after a white Ben Sherman slim fit. I also had the feather hair cut. xxhugxx

Can remember my Brother wearing a Harrington, and putting ox-blood polish on his boots, then he got some on the Lino, Oops! did Mum go mad! :)) Petal and tulip collared shirts, remember those two-tone Trevira skirts, oh, great days! :))

I wore all of those in the early 70s plus tonic mohair (Trevira) coats and skirts, Prince of Wales check skits/coats and 'dog tooth' design too. Had to have the silk hanky in the pocket! Us girls wore Levi staypress trousers and our brogues had coloured stripy laces. One other fashion that springs to mind was the smock dresses we wore with the trousers- my dad went mad because he reckoned we all looked like pregnant schoolgirls!! Anyone remember Harrington jackets? Black bomber jackets with the inside design either tartan or dog tooth? Aileen

I loved my Crombie coat!, somebody pinched my little 'diamond' stud that was on the pocket, but they left the hankie, I know who that was! :)) (but I was frightened of him!) :))

When I was a skinhead in 1981, I had a crombie. It had a little red hankie you pulled up out of your pocket. Elaine x

I remember blokes wearing those in the 60s, but not girls. CB >*|*<

yes deb ,i remember them lol i had all 3 in my warddrobe,even the crombie,but then i am common lol. thought i was the bees knees lol. god i feel old :( susie but

Does anyone remember when all three were a 'must' in your wardrobe? My Mum let me get the Ben Sherman (Peach) and the brogue shoes (Ox Blood), but wasn't alowed to get a Crombie as they were 'common'! Deb

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