How Mod became the mainstream (Telegraph)

From the sharp-suited Soho jazzmen of the 1950s to Bradley Wiggins, Mod is the British style that never seems to grow old. A uniquely British fusion of American, European and Caribbean music and fashion, Mod was the new look of cosmopolitan, affluent post-war Britain, designed to rebuke the prejudices of older Britons towards the Continent and the colonies, while remaining proud of the island on which those myriad influences were stitched together.

Originally calling themselves 'Modernists’ after their love of modern jazz, the cult’s young founders emerged in London’s Soho around 1959. To the tight-fitting, colourful Italian suits of Brioni worn by Miles Davis, Mods added the 'pork pie’ hat of Jamaican immigrants, the Crombie overcoat from Scotland and the button-down shirts of the American company Brooks Brothers (which recently dressed the cast of the television series Mad Men); a more casual look combined the Harrington jacket from the States, Clark’s desert boots and, over time, a range of European sportswear from Fred Perry to Sergio Tacchini. TBC Here.

Mods a very british style.