Rod’s Togs -The Urban Cowboy?

It must have been at least a couple of years ago when I posted this pic of me wearing my suede trucker and suede Chelsea boots, and amongst a few complimentary replies someone wrote “Ah the Mod – Urban Cowboy look”.

I’m happy to receive any and all positive reactions to my pics but this one gave me pause for thought. I’d never even considered that there was any sort of crossover between Mod style and western wear, neither during the original classic era, nor the revival period, nor the various ways the look has evolved since then.

The first thought that sprung to mind on reading the term ‘Urban Cowboy’ was the John Travolta film from 1980 – hardly a stylistic high point!

Having previously lived in Houston for over twenty years – and even dated a girl from Pasadena who once drove me past the then-derelict Gilley’s where much of ‘Urban Cowboy’ takes place – the term ‘urban cowboy’ evokes images of the hideous gear some of the locals get into, especially during the rodeo period in February. Cowboy boots, awful starched and creased semi-flared rigid boot-cut jeans, gruesome embroidered cowboy shirts and wide brimmed hats – nothing there to be admired for me.

My Dad loved westerns so I was exposed to a lot of ‘western wear’ on the television when I was a kid growing up. I don’t think a lot of what we saw then was a true reflection of what was worn by cowboys in the late nineteenth century, whether it was John Wayne in rugged Levi’s and a cavalry shirt or the cast of ‘Bonanza’ and ‘The High Chaparal’ clearly dressed in gear more influenced by the nineteen seventies than the eighteen seventies!

There was one cool image of the urban cowboy stuck in my mind’s eye – that of the eternally stylish Paul Newman looking slim and wiry in worn jeans and a white heavy cotton shirt with two pockets.

I searched around and found that this was from the film ‘Hud’ made in 1963 as a contemporary neo-Western so I guess that Newman’s wardrobe for the film was at least somewhat reflective of western wear of the early sixties. No starched jeans, spangly shirts with double arrow motifs (thank you Mark Knopfler and Garth Brooks). Instead Newman wears a series of shirts in a style common to all of them with double chest pockets, pointed chest pocket flaps with snaps and slim, high-waisted jeans.

Obligatory accessories are traditional cowboy boots, a jewelled plaque belt buckle and a conservatively-sized cowboy hat – in this case the curious choice was a straw version rather than the more traditional fur felt.

In this wardrobe Newman looks tall, slim, rangy, ready for work, cool, relaxed and casual. These aren’t bad attributes for any outfit. All of the ‘big three’ western / workwear labels – Levi’s, (jeans) Lee (strides and storm rider jackets) and Wrangler (shirts) are represented in Newman’s outfits so he shows no exclusive loyalty to any brand.

I’m not shy about admitting to the sources and influences of some of my own choices. Going off that comment about my original inadvertent “Mod – urban cowboy look” I recently set about trying to create an outfit in that mould with Newman’s ‘Hud’ in mind as inspiration. The biggest concern of course is to avoid stepping too far into the realm of laughable cosplay.

Going from the ground up, cowboy boots are a large step too far and other than the Cuban heels worn by some Mods on their Beatle boots I don’t see much more than a tenuous link between cowboy boots and Mod style so I’ll stick with the snuff suede Chelseas.

I could have dug out one of a couple of pairs of washed out Levis 501 jeans I still have in the back of the cupboard but I think these cream Levi’s sta pressts are a step up in formality and complement the tan theme better.

For the shirt I have a Levi’s cotton canvas shirt in white with two chest pockets (no flaps) and over that I could choose between my tan suede Asos trucker or my dark brown Buffalo leather Levi’s trucker.

The key component of course is the addition of the hat. Despite all those years living in Texas I’ve never liked the idea of a cowboy hat (neither in felt nor the plastic straw ‘resistol’ versions) so this was treading on very thin ice for me. The most obvious choice for a hat that lies somewhere between ‘urban’ and ‘cowboy’ would be the Stetson ‘Open Road’ model. This is the style worn by Texan businessmen with their business suits, by numerous police and judicial officials surrounding Lee Harvey Oswald at the moment of his death, and by LBJ.

I actually owned an Open Road some time ago and never wore it as I never warmed to it. I like the style as seen from the side but from the front I couldn’t get past the disagreeable look of the three deep furrows going the length of the crown from front to back, so I sold it.

More recently I got a Stetson Stratoliner in silver belly (beige). This one works for me. It really has no western roots and was designed in the fifties with the new jet-setters in mind, with a shorter crown conducive to wearing in the low ceiling of a passenger jet. It has a teardrop crown and the brim is only very slightly wider than my standard fedoras so this avoids the cosplay cowboy look. I dressed it up with a silver hatband bought from my friends in Mexico who made the scuba flag cufflinks for me.

I kept the turquoise theme going in my other accessories. The belt buckle was also custom made for me in copy of a style I saw made by fineindianart.com. I also acquired a turquoise inlaid ring from the same vendor

And my Jack Marie Mage Yellowstone Dealan sunglasses continue the western theme as the mottled colour is described as ‘wolf’ and there is once again a turquoise thunderbird on the temple end.

So here’s the outfit in its entirety. The biggest concern is to avoid looking like you’re trying to dress up as a cowboy and instead just give a tip of the hat (sorry) to western influences in an outfit comprising otherwise routine components.

Hat – Stetson Stratoliner in silverbelly

Sunglasses – Jacques Marie Mage Yellowstone Dealan in wolf

Trucker jacket – ASOS in tan suede

Shirt – Levi’s

Strides – Levi’s

Chelsea boots – Meermin in snuff suede

Hat band, belt buckle, ring – Nudo Marinari, Cozumel, Mexico

Bonus pic of me in my original ‘Western wear’ outfit, on holiday in Hertfordshire, Summer 1968:

Rod’s Togs – Roll Neck With A Suit

I showed this outfit some time ago but dusted it off again recently for a family dinner. The monochrome look was appropriate for a cold and wet evening.

Sunglasses – Jacques Marie Mage Last Frontier Rawlins

Suit – J Crew in charcoal sharkskin

Roll neck – Uniqlo (merino)

Pocket square – Dapper Classics

Chelsea Boots – Meermin

Rod’s Togs – Another Long Sleeved Polo

It’s no secret that I like long sleeved polo shirts. I got this one in the sale from End Clothing around two years ago and don’t think I’ve had it on. I dug it out and found it was a near exact match to my dessies so it’s in the rotation now. Long sleeved polo shirts are perfect for early spring.

Sunglasses – Jacques Marie Mage Molino in camel

Polo – Fred Perry

Jeans – Uniqlo selvedge

Dessies – Clark’s Originals in honey amber

Rod’s Togs – Notes On Knitwear

Recently the MGM channel on TV seems to have set itself up as a rival to Turner Classic Movies and is showing a lot of golden oldies during the day. A few weeks ago they were having an Audrey Hepburn day, which included ‘Roman Holiday’ and ‘Breakfast At Tiffany’s’ in which the male protagonists Gregory Peck and George Peppard both sport some cool mid- century / Ivy threads.

Perhaps less well-known Hepburn films on display included ‘Funny Face’ followed by ‘Paris When It Sizzles’.

Whenever I’m watching films made in the sixties I always pay some attention to the style, with an eye to wondering if there are any ideas on show that I can incorporate into my own style. ‘Funny Face’ stars the very stylish Fred Astaire and on display is a quirk that he coined of tying a necktie around his waist through the loops on his strides in place of a belt. A cool idea but not for me.

What I really liked was a scene in which he’s doing an outdoor photo shoot with Audrey, wearing a sky blue cardigan over a white OCBD shirt and grey flannels.

I was quite taken with the colour of Fred’s cardigan here and it brought to mind knitwear of a similar colour worn by ill-fated James Bond ally Mathis in ‘Quantum Of Solace’:

In ‘Paris When It Sizzles’ there’s a film-within-a-film sub-plot which includes a cameo by Tony Curtis playing a stylish hipster who arrives on scene driving a Lambretta LD, wearing a scarlet red v-neck, white jeans and tan desert boots (with aviator shades).

I’ve discussed knitwear on the blog before, and noted that with some exceptions, it’s mostly not for me. Firstly it’s rarely cold enough here in Florida to require knitwear and when it is I’m more likely to wear a jacket as my second layer. Secondly it’s my belief that it’s hard to get knitwear to look good, avoiding unflattering bulges and rumples, and buttons and belt buckles poking through.

Still, although I’m not a cardigan man right after these two films ended I was scrolling the internet in search of v-necks in sky blue and scarlet red. So below are my interpretations which are tweaked from the inspiration pics to more appropriately match my personal style and prevailing climate.

Sunglasses – Jacques Marie Mage Molino in camel

V-neck – Lacoste

Polo – Lacoste

Strides – Levi’s sta-pressts

Loafers – Cheaney

Sunglasses – Dita Spacecraft

V-neck – Lacoste

Polo – Lacoste

Strides – Levi’s 501

Desert boots – Clark’s Originals in honey amber

Rod’s Togs – Suited Up For The Daddy Daughter Dance

My kid’s school has a Daddy Daughter Dance around this time each year. Last year there wasn’t much dancing as she spent most of her time in the bouncy house! This year there was no bouncy house and as she’s almost eight years old she was a little less hyperactive. She wanted to pick out my outfit – good job she has good taste!

Sunglasses – Leisure Society Cortez

Suit – Thick As Thieves MTM using Holland and Sherry wool-mohair

Shirt – Beapoke

Tie – Tyrwhitt

Pocket Square – Macy’s

Socks – Uniqlo

Shoes – George Cox

Rod’s Togs – Target Gloves

It’s been mentioned that I occasionally lean into some items that are associated with the revival era ‘identikit Mod’ image, which many Mods or ex- Mods of my vintage have long since left behind. An example would be my affinity for certain Union Jack-emblazoned gear.

Here is another recent acquisition that might fit that category – a birthday present from my brother:

Some viewers might not be impressed with the target inlays in the gloves but for me they are just on the right side of acceptable without being too ostentatious. What do you think?

I don’t need to wear gloves very often and I already have brown leather and burgundy peccary gloves so these black ones will round out all my needs thanks to my brother.

Coat – Hickey-Freeman

Pocket Square – Saks Fifth Avenue

Scarf – Luke Eyres (via eBay)

Gloves – Fredrick Shepherd

Rod’s Togs – Ben Sherman Button-Through

I wrote about acquiring a couple of button-through polo-collared cardigans from the Ben Sherman outlet when I was back home in 2021 but don’t think I posted pics wearing them.

Anyway the temperatures have dipped low enough recently that wearing this sort of layer is appropriate. I’m not sure if there’s an established etiquette regarding which – if any – buttons to leave open (top and bottom of placket), and while I usually dislike seeing people wearing visible T-shirts under open-necked shirts, in this case I think it looks OK but I welcome any opinions on this.

Sunglasses – Jacques Marie Mage Last Frontier Rawlins

Polo Cardigan – Ben Sherman

T-shirt – generic

Jeans – Uniqlo

Desert Boots – Clark’s Originals in navy suede

Rod’s Togs – Indian Summer

Winters in my part of Florida are usually warm but any time from November to February there may be a few scattered days when it can get cold. I’ve never seen snow or sleet but occasional frost. On a trip to Key West a few years ago we were told that Key West is the only place in the contiguous United States that has never reported a freeze. On the other hand there’s an equal chance that you get scattered hot days too. Luckily last weekend was one of those as we were invited out on our neighbours’ boat for a cruise down the Hillsborough River and dinner at Ulele’s, so time to break out some summer threads:

Sunglasses – Jacques Marie Mage X Black Optical

Polo – Fred Perry

Strides – Levi’s 501

Trainers – adidas Gazelle

Rod’s Togs – Black And Blue

There was a time when black was a default colour in my wardrobe but I have very few black items these days. There was also a time when I’d be wearing jeans a lot more frequently than I do now, so this outfit is a rarity for me on two counts but it worked OK at the weekend doing family activities.

I was browsing through Brickell during a recent work trip to Miami. This is an outdoor mall with a lot of upscale shops. In the window of the Kiton shop they had a mannequin dressed in blue leather trainers. I’ve always been an admirer of the adidas Stan Smith model which has been co-opted by countless other brands who now make identically shaped shoes and charge exorbitant prices. I liked the look of the blue version so went into hunting mode and tracked down this adidas model named ‘Court Vantage’ for a fraction of the price of the Kiton version.

Sunglasses – Jacques Marie Mage Herbie in cobalt

Polo – Fred Perry

Strides – Levi’s 501 Selvedge

Shoes – adidas Court Vantage

Rod’s Togs – Jury Duty

For another depressing data point for those plotting the demise of classic menswear , I recently had a three-hour layover at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson airport (ATL) supposedly the busiest airport in the world. After grabbing a sandwich I spent the rest of my time people watching. This was a Tuesday afternoon when you’d expect to see plenty of business travellers along with holiday makers. In that time I didn’t see a single suit, nor a single tie. A handful of blazers / sports jackets was the most formal clothing on display.

Today I had to do jury duty – the first time since I became a citizen in 2007. There was a vague, slightly portentous dress code instruction along with the directions – “no shorts” or something. Once again from a room full of hundreds of people I was the only one in a tie. Anyone who has seen the TV show ‘Bull’ will know that there’s a lot that goes into jury selection, but after the voir dire session I was not picked. Whether my attire went into that decision at all I neither know nor care. I did my duty by reporting and was glad to go home early!

Sunglasses – Ray Ban Wayfarers in metallic teal with mirror lenses

Blazer – Suitsupply navy hopsack

Shirt – Nordstrom

Tie – Chipps raw silk

Pocket Square – The Tie Bar madras

Strides – Howard Yount tropical wool

Socks – Uniqlo

Loafers – Blackstock and Webber burgundy pebble grain

Rod’s Togs – The Prince Of Wales Check Blazer

I can’t deny an affection for Prince Of Wales patterned fabric. I have suits in grey, sky blue and cobalt blue variations, a jacket in tan and sta-pressts in grey.

I’ve been searching for a long time for the perfect odd jacket without luck. I even got a few swatches of cloth samples expecting to have to go bespoke but still couldn’t find what I was looking for – bright medium blue with a light blue overcheck, and contrast enough that it doesn’t resolve into a solid blue from three paces. Then I came across this one from Suitsupply which came close enough for me to get it. It’s in very lightweight wool and partially lined so it works very well in my environment.

Sunglasses – Jacques Marie Mage ‘Herbie’ in cobalt

Jacket – Suitsupply

Shirt – pique popover from Suitsupply

Pocket square – eBay!

Strides – J. Crew Thompson

Chelsea boots – Arthur Knight

Rod’s Togs – The Navy Linen Suit

It’s been a long time since I wore this suit. It’s been superseded in my choices I suppose by linen or linen-blend suits I own in brighter colours such as tobacco brown, cobalt blue and sky blue.

A navy linen suit may seem a strange choice in this day and age. Perhaps in the long-gone days of daily business-formal wear a navy linen suit allowed a man to comply with the conservative conventions while achieving some comfort from the heat during the dog days of summer. As business dress codes have become more casual, navy suits of any fabric may these days seem archaic in all but the most conservative professions.

This one is made of heavy Irish linen and is lined in the front quarters and with a ‘butterfly lining across the shoulders. It seems counter-intuitive but I have read that heavy Irish linen is alleged to wear cooler than it’s lighter Italian counterpart but I couldn’t be sure of that. It does appear to be less susceptible to wrinkles.

The suit is cut a little more generously than most of my wool suits which is welcome in Florida during the dog days of summer.

I wore it today with a raw silk tie which has a curious dry and rough texture, and coordinating green and blue pocket square, cuff links and socks.

Sunglasses – Jacques Marie Mage Last Frontier Rawlins in black

Shirt – T. M. Lewin raw silk

Tie – Land’s End

Pocket Square – Saks

Cufflinks – Tyrwhitt

Socks – The Tie Bar

Shoes – Allen-Edmonds Players in navy suede

Rod’s Togs – The Sacco Jacket

Many years ago I snapped up a cornflour blue linen jacket via eBay made by Pal Zileri. It’s perfect for heading out to dinner in the summer when there’s a chance there’s a chill indoors due to the air conditioning doing it’s job too well. It’s a three-button – naturally – with patch pockets and it’s so deconstructed it’s more like a cardigan or over-shirt than a jacket. I usually wear it with white or cream linen strides and a linen shirt or polo.

Last year I read in The Rake about Sacco jackets. The lightweight fabric and bright colours immediately attracted me. The article may have slipped off The Rake archive now but here is a link to Sacco’s website:

https://saccoitaly.com/?v=7516fd43adaa

You can see the available colours range from more demure black, charcoal, navy and grey through the adventurous brown and green to the much more lively red, pink, and aqua.

It may a blessing that these weren’t available a few years ago as I could easily have jumped on several colours. As it is, along with the Pal Zileri jacket above, I already own light jackets (cotton, linen and mixed) in a similar spectrum to the Sacco options – tan, purple, green, blue, indigo-blue etc. – but I still really liked the look of these.

So through a mixture of procrastination and indecision over the range of options, I filed the thought of getting a Sacco jacket away in the back of my mind for several months.

Every once in a while I’d check out the options again and seemed to be honing in on the aqua colour.

More recently I took a look and noticed that several colours and sizes were either out of stock or had limited availability so I was stirred out of my indecision and made a move. I ordered the aqua in my size and soon after I received a personal email from company owner Alex to discuss size options and make an informed decision on which size was likely to fit best. This was a very nice personal touch which is all too rare these days, especially in the largely impersonal world of online retail. I was very saddened when Alex told me that he’s closing down the company. No details as to why, they surely received a boost in public image by being featured in The Rake, and the quality of the jacket intersects with the price in such a way that certainly wouldn’t appear to be off-putting.

Anyway the jacket was shipped promptly and I love it! It has to be the lightest wool jacket I’ve ever worn or even handled and the breezy hopsack texture means it doesn’t wear any warmer than my linen jackets mentioned above.

I had a couple of adjustments made. The third button and button hole were added of course:

Until recently I have had all the vents closed on all my jackets as I like the look of unbroken (and hopefully unruffled) fabric from collar to hem and I really dislike the look of poorly tailored vents either gaping open at the hips or lying ruffled and flapping around the rear as noted here, but on a handful of recent acquisitions I’ve left the side vents open and I do appreciate having the increased movement room that vents provide. For this one I compromised and had the vents shortened to around five inches. The hope is that this will avoid the above problems and maintain some amount of flexibility when sitting or moving around.

The jacket is nicely shaped and completely deconstructed with no lining, padding, wadding or canvas, so it resembles to some degree the Pal Zileri jacket above and will fill a similar role in my wardrobe. The rounded ‘brandy glass’ shape of the patch pockets wouldn’t have been my own choice but I suppose adds a touch of that Italian Riviera flair. Despite no canvassing I love how the lapels roll over the (customised) top button and I hope that with age and wearing that roll will be maintained.

The aqua colour is perfect for summer evenings. I got some equally breezy sand coloured hopsack wool strides from Sid Mashburn via Mr. Porter, and added shoes and belt in similar aqua.

The shades and hat band I already owned.

So the thrill of having a new online purchase work out very well was tempered somewhat by the sad news of Sacco ending its business. I wish Alex good luck for his future endeavours and hope he comes up with something equally attractive before long. Anyone interested in purchasing a Sacco jacket will need to move quickly before they’re all gone!

Rod’s Togs – The Royal Blue Prince Of Wales Suit

We Mods are nothing if not perfectionists. There are days when no matter how well put-together we might feel when we step out the door, something is just not quite right. A particular colour or pattern didn’t combine as well as expected. Or the fit of something just isn’t right. A day is spent tugging at a jacket sleeve or feeling slightly uneasy that a jacket is pulling and creasing.

And then there are times when we are calm and relaxed throughout the day because everything – colours, patterns, fit – comes together perfectly. On those days we are a little more relaxed and at ease, a little more confident with a spring in the step because you know you achieved your aim.

This was one of those days. This is by no means the first time I’ve featured this suit on the blog but being one of my favourite suits in certainly my favorite blue with all accessories in place, I always get that extra boost when wearing it.

Close up on lapis accessories …

… and my current favorite sunglasses – in cobalt blue of course …

Sunglasses – Jacques Marie Mage ‘Herbie’

Suit – Suitsupply Prince of Wales in wool- linen

Shirt – Tyrwhitt

Tie – Shibumi

Pocket Square – No name

Socks – Uniqlo

Shoes – Ralph Lauren Polo in snuff suede

Watch / Rolex Submariner

Cuff links – O’Connell

Lapis ring and lapis bracelet – eBay!

Rod’s Togs – The Open Neck Shirt

Style is constantly evolving. The pace can vary from ‘fast fashion’ – items that are made to last one season – to the ponderous adjustments of classic menswear that can show small changes over the decades.

I often say that it’s unfortunate that the general public are locked into the view that Mod style consists of cheap two-tone suits, jam shoes and parkas. Those of us who may have been guilty of that look in the days of our callow youth during the late seventies revival but remained dedicated to Mod-influenced gear have certainly modified – and hopefully improved – our personal style since those days.

In the early days of this blog I mentioned that I didn’t like button-down collared shirts and that I didn’t like open necked shirts. The first may have been my reaction to the ubiquity of pale blue OCBD shirts, worn without any hint of stylish awareness, by office drones throughout the US. The second might have seeped into my psyche by osmosis from my Dad. As a career officer in the RAF, it may have been a result of his military background that he very rarely left the house without shirt and tie, and even for a casual event such as a road trip with the family he would probably wear a knitted polo, or a crew necked sweater over a collared shirt.

I’ve often thought that an open necked shirt – besides showing the missed opportunity of picking out a tie to complement the outfit – looks a bit ‘unfinished’ and I never liked the way a semi spread collar can collapse in on itself if the material is not stiff enough to hold up, or if the second button is placed too low. George Clooney is one of the better-dressed celebrities out there but he is egregiously guilty of this crime!

Nevertheless it’s impossible to stand in the way of the inexorable shift to more casual gear in almost every environment these days, and I have to admit that this evolution has had some effect on me. I’m still in collar-and-tie whenever I’m on a job site at work but for travel I will sometimes succumb to going tie-less. To that end I have acquired a few button-down collared shirts and popovers, as the buttoned collar helps it to stand up inside a jacket collar and avoid the aforementioned collapse. I have a couple of semi spread collar shirts that can work OK too in this regard, as shown below worn for travel on a recent work trip to Miami:

Sunglasses – Jacques Marie Mage Herbie in cobalt

Blazer – Brooks Brothers in dusty navy cotton

Shirt – Tyrwhitt

Pocket square – eBay!

Strides – Levi’s 511 Sta pressts

Chelsea boots – Arthur Knight