Me, My Turtleneck and I

Welcome to Mod Superstar and what will soon become home to my ramblings on mod culture fashion. Through the course of my blogging, we will look at current trends in the world of retail, look at forgotten clothing accessories, provide an insight into my experiences growing up as a mod during the 80s, 90s, 00s and oh my god, I’m sounding old!

Just a brief insight into my life, I’m 42, somewhat sarcastic, I’m an ideas man that has failed in every measure to turn an idea into action. I was born in the UK and moved out to Canada in 1996, with my wife. My passions in life include fashion and the pursuit of the perfect hemline, my sport of choice is football and the team I follow is Tottenham Hotspur. I enjoy cooking, antiques, a flutter at the casinos as my game of choice is poker which I’ve had a bit of success with over the years. I have two daughters and my loyal companion Mr. Chunks, a 9-year old Golden Retriever (named by my youngest daughter at the time and it stuck).

What got me into the mod scene was my father, he had a great passion for music and his vinyl collection would list The Jam, The Who, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, The Easybeats, The Birds, and anything else as long as the name seemingly consisted of the use of the indefinite word ‘The’.

It began with The Who’s Album vinyl cover their self-titled album The Who. It was an Italian pressing (which I later found out.) Yellow and the faces of the band caricatured on the front. As a child, I took an interest in the cartooned images as you’d expect, and my father took this as a sign to turn me into the next Pete Townsend.

The Who, 1966 Italian cover for self-titled ablum The Who

Some decades past and now here I am writing about mod fashion to a global audience that I hope will be able to take something from what I have to share.

Our first topic of discussion: The Turtleneck, yes, we are diving straight in after my preamble and looking at the fashionable neck warmer. Given the season we are now entering, this seems the perfect time to look at the turtleneck which has made a comeback into high-street fashion, even for those unaware of its association with mod culture.

Paul Newman, circa '68

Rodger Moore, circa '73 'Live and Let Die

The turtleneck has come in and out of the trends over the decade, typically worn with a blazer or suit, but this isn’t anything new. The turtleneck for some can be seen as an irritant, cheap fabrics will itch and will, in some cases, leave the wearer with a mild sense of asphyxiation, but get the right one and you’ve landed one of the most flattering garments made for the male form. The main roll (pun) of the item is about framing the face and it works, jawline or no jawline, neck and no neck.

Daniel Craig, 007 promo image Spectre 2015

Okay, so you can’t wear it every day of the year, but as the night falls yearly in the autumn and winter months, there is no excuse why you can’t bust out your mix of black, light black, dark black, pastel black, chrome black turtleneck (other colors are optional.) and boost your outfit and self-confidence.