Menswear Cinema: Quadrophenia
In the late 90′s (1996-1999) there was quite a large Mod revival here in New York City. One of the many haunts I regularly danced to obscure soul albums was BAR 13 at a party called SHOUT. I think this is where my obsession with menswear began because we all took dressing like the Mods of the 60′s very seriously. I never quite got it as close as my peers. Some of these guys went all out. I was poor and stuck finding thrown together clothing at Salvation Army’s and Goodwills and the occasional “higher end” 99x pieces. That look, ironically, was adopted by The Strokes and their followers. Not to say I started the look but I damn well was one of the first.
I digress. At SHOUT they routinely played movies whilst we danced the night away. One of my favorites was QUADROPHINIA. I bought my own copy on VHS (I still own it) and watched it so much I nearly snapped the tape. QUADROPHENIA is an excellent coming of age film with great clothing and an amazing sound track.
Trends and times may change but I still find myself drawn to the Mod look. There’s something about skinny suits that make a guy look great. And although I do not wear them as skin tight as I used to, I sure as hell still tell my tailor to “Go a little tighter on the sleeves, please.”
Cue It Here:
Some very memorable screen grabs:
