A short review of these very stylish Orange, Yes ORANGE cord shoes.
The shoes are part of the DJ range of shoes, This one is the Rawlings. The shoes comes in 3 colours Green, Purple and the one in review here Orange.
I have worn some green ones 4 -5 times now to various events. The shoe has been very comfortable. The style hugs the foot and is not for a very wide foot. What i was surprised about was the sole, it felt hard to touch and thought it may not prove good to wear. I was wrong on this, the hard sole made it slip very nicely around Mod Club The Alley Club dance floor recently.
The suede upper has nice cord effect and if i am honest i thought would be more expensive shoe. Certainly i think it would sit well with some more high level shoe makers. But this is where i think DJ have done us good again, good looking shoe at a great value.
One thing that has been debated is what colours will go with the Orange. We think this
Dark Blue suit
Black Suit with another spot of orange somewhere
White jeans and very light green or orange short.
Yes dark blue demin
and possibly a dark brown suit
I welcome peoples thoughts on this. Below are some pictures of Mr Darrin Clarke wearing his recently. I think Darrin got it right, the suit looks nice with the shoes and notice the hanky in the pocket of the jacket. Also notice his very lovely wife with orange on as well.
Thought it would be fun to do a Photo only(ish) blog. Below are some people who I feel best represent cool shoes, each is an icon in many ways, but when i think of them i think, yep “smart dresser” and always good shoes !
Finding pictures, with shoes in, was hard work for some, as we see them in films or videos for only a second !
I make no apologies ! this is my list! , and a very incomplete, but it will do as a start !
Enjoy Andy
Suggs
I think smart dressing and cool shoes may have started here for me. Suggs was always stood out for me in his brogues and loafers. And i suppose because of the nutty dance you had to look at the feet!
Paul Weller
Weller of course he had to be in the list. Weller was my hero for so long, musically he inspired so many of us and i love the fact he is out there still playing with new sounds. Style wise he cant be bet most of the time. Shoes wise he is normally a mile ahead of everyone ! except perhaps the next set of pictures.
The Small Faces
Yes all of them ! There are literally 1000’s of pictures online of Marriott Lane, Mac and Jones. and in them they are always look brilliant including the shoes. The first picture here is my favourite picture of them.
Liam Gallagher
Liam enters the list because although i am bigger Blur fan, Liam is the archetypal rock star . He is one of the guys who can pull of anything and look cool in it. I am not so sure about the recent ‘Pretty Green’ range , i always think thats someone behind him ! but whether you like it or not Him, Neol and Damien all gave the MOD scene a big bloody kick in the 90’s
James Brown
James Brown is one the best dancers ever, anyone who has ever seen him slide across the floor will know that. But if you are going to slide across the floor like that, you are not going to be wearing rubbish shoes when the whole crowd is looking !
James Bond
Yes all of them ! James bond always looks cool, and whether it be Connery Moore, Morgan or Craig ( i know there are others) they always look their best! Possibly not strictly MOD! but cool anyways.
Michael Caine
Yep another actor. In the famous picture below with the Shooter from Get carter look at those cuff links !!!! Again bit of mare trying to find a picture of him full length, but in the Italian job, Get Carter, Icpress file and countless others inc the Eagle Has Landed Caine looks ace.
and a button down shirt !!!!
George Harrison
My favourite Beatle. Since i think 6 years old i have wanted to be George in the Beatles. Why you ask ? when i was younger it was the guitar, and as i have got older he seemed like the cool one. John and Paul may have wrote some of the best songs ever, but George wrote two of the Beatles most beautiful tunes. ‘While my guitar gently weeps’ and ‘Something’. He was no slouch either as these pictures prove.
I dont think there is a summary or conclusion really. Just an excuse to look at cool people in cool gear. I hope some of you agree and welcome hot debate at who i may have missed out !
Video Review of the NEW Weavers from Delicious Junction
Apart from loafers, the weaver is one of the shoes we get asked about a lot. Mainly I believe because they are so hard to find. Until recently DNA Groove have been the only people making them since Hudsons.
So Delicious Junction have filled that gap, which is good, and also as a bonus not at the top end of the price range. DJ shoes all under £100 which makes them very good value.
This style comes in 2 colours, Black and Bordo. If you have ever seen a pair of the Vandellas, this is very similar to them, but obviously in Weaver style. The shape of the sole and feel of the shoe is very similar to the Vandella.
The weaver effect is embossed and not a true ‘Weaver’ but for the money these are spot on. What i do like about the black ones is that these could be worn daily to the office.
The bordo has i believe has a very similar leather as the Rudeboy , so that Two Tone effect of Black and Bordo. Look at the pictures below for closer inspection.
DJ are doing full page adverts for these in Scootering so i assume they also think they are going to sell well.
In terms of wearing it is very comfortable shoe and fits snuggly. The sizing is good on these, so go for your normal size.
2 eyelet derby lace shoe with an embossed matt leather upper and a hard wearing smooth outsole.
Construction: Embossed leather upper – Leather lining – Other materials sole
Colour: Black matt smooth leather
Sizes available: 5.5-12
Video review of the Dark Brown Vandellas Cords from Delicious Junction
This is the Delicious Junction Vandella shoe. It comes on 3 colours Dark Brown, Tan & Bordo. The bordo colour to me is like a red wine colour, not quite a purple. All 3 colours have matching (or very near) leather to supplement the Suede.
This is a definite going out shoe for a few reasons. Suede is not an everyday wear, well not in the UK, or anywhere else it rains alot. Personally i think the Bordo would look really good with a dark blue suit. The dark brown as reviewed here is a very nice colour, i am not convinced with dark jeans, but perhaps of an outfit like a suede jacket ?
George Harrison in some cord shoes.
The shoe style reminds of mid 60’s Beatles. In particular George Harrison. He has some really nice clothes around 65 – 67. His shoes also very natty. I thought he was wearing something like these in the Paperback Writer video.
In terms of wearing it is very comfortable shoe and fits snuggly. The sizing is good on these, so go for your normal size. The suede is going to stretch after a few wears. The base of the shoe is very similar to the Delicious Junction Weaver.
It has 2 Eyelet tie lace, Construction: Leather upper – Leather/ textile lining – Rubber sole, Sizes available: 6-12.
Video review of the New Terry Rawlings Shoe from Delicious Junction
Very close to these fellas i reckon ?
These are very cool shoes, distinctly remind us of Steve Marriott & Small Faces era 1966.
They fit very well and are comfortable straight out of the box. There is limited stock on these so if you are interested i would buy sooner rather than later.
In terms of sizing, the 8 was snug on my feet, i am an 8, on one foot and 8.5 on my right, and they fitted well. If you are a very wide foot, it may be best to go up a size, but remember this suede so it is going to stretch.
The shoe is made up of both suede and leather. It has 4 hole eyelites and comes in Sizes: 6-12. The construction is very good and it feels like a sturdy shoe.
For more information please watch the video review here
Before we even start, I am one of those people that has watched this film far too many times, and in the 80’s could recite every word without the aid of the film itself. Was I obsessed ? o yeh twenty times over!
The film itself has been talked about 100’s of times, and I am doing this article because Warren at ‘we are the mods‘ did a recent show about it, and to be a little light hearted just before Christmas 2012.
So for first time in over 10 years I watched the film. As I began to watch one thing dawned on me! The film is really dark, not in the subject matter, but that most of it is shot at night. Also the print that has been used for the DVD is not the sharpest. Eddie Piller has mentioned that there are very few sharp prints of the film. Meaning that even if you can see the feet, the quality lets down the tell tale signs of the shoes.
I think the ACE Face would have better shoes.
The opening sequence with Jimmy going to what we are led to believe is the Goldhawk Club, appears to be wearing Desert Boots, and these boots seem to stay on his feet for most of the movie.
Throughout the film Jimmy seems to have several outfits, from casual to a tailored suit. I like most of the outfits he wears, but I must admit I thought there would be more diversification on the feet. In fact, I thought there would be more shoe types from the main characters, the only time we see something that’s different is on Sting’s feet.
Sting’s grey or gray shoes I think nearly look the part. The buckle is cool, but I think the film’s designer was actually trying for a smarter loafer, in a flash colour to match the suit he wears. Sting’s suit does look that little more flash as you would expect as he is meant to be the ‘Ace Face’, but personally the shoes need to be better!
So what other shoes can we see?, well not a lot to be honest.
As I watched I thought there would be loads in the fight sequences. There are lots to be seen but no real what I call out and out mod shoes.
In the opening Brighton sequence the camera pans along the scooters, lots of cool scooters and loads of people. In the crowd you can see the Northern Scooter clubs that took
How many trilbys ?
part in the filming. I maybe wrong but i believe that they Olympics Scooter club and also the people that run Armando scooters in the 80’s were in the film, but i am not 100% on this.
The style of the Northern Scooter Mods I can see, is Parka, Jeans and on the feet, Doc Martens and Adidas Trainers. Certainly there have been pictures in “Scootering” of the clubs involved in the film, the makers tried to disguise the Lambretta Gp orientated look to make them look like LI’s etc.The producers must have also been dishing out the hats, how many trilbys! But why not the feet as well?
Are these Cherry Reds ?There are loads of red socks in the fight sequence!
There is one guy in the riot sequence in a Black Harrington, and he has Cherry Red DM’s on. Another thing you do see a lot of is ‘Red Socks’. There is a guy coming out of the water, he is standing next to Nasty Nick from Eastenders. The amount of sock on show could seriously take an eye out!
I must mention a continuity bit here. For us UK people Nasty Nick can be seen wearing a light blue Polo shirt for the beach fight, but once he is in the lanes running around he has magically found his Parka.
I have read some other blogs saying the style of the clothes in the film is a little lacking in ‘Style‘. I wonder if the mods saying this have pondered whether the reason we think of the 60’s MODS being so much smarter, is because we have only seen pictures of MODS dressed up for the weekend. Meaning in the going out parts of the film, such as the Brighton sequences, Jimmy, Spider, Chalky etc are all wearing suits. But we also see the cast midweek and at work. And with the best respect even the toppest MOD dresses down sometimes. In the Documentary “British Style Genius” a MOD from that time suggest that the original mods had jobs that allowed for wearing of decent clothes. But I always think of Jimmy is being ‘Run of the Mill Mod‘ not a top face.
How did she run in them heels ?Stepth in Suede Loafers, blink and you will miss them in the film
Anyway this is meant to be about the shoes !
Steph for most of the film lives in little white heeled shoes. How she runs around in heels even little ones is beyond me. She wears these in nearly every scene apart from one. When she arrives at Brighton on her feet are smart pair of suede loafers!The rest of the film the women seem to be in one inch high heels, and flats worn with Ski Pants.
These seems to be the closest to jimmys http://www.robertcoleshoes.com/amblers-desert-87002-boots.html
The Desert Boots that the male cast live in, don’t look that good to me either. They seem to be the heavier boot style, with brass eyelets. I have had some of these boots myself and they did last ages, but they are not overly smart.
Dave does seem to have smarter Clarks looking ones in the Brighton bits. Chalky and Jimmy though, let the side down.
Another technical point is that because Jimmy is the central character we dont see the whole of him much in the film. When Jimmy is in shot he is up close,for obvious reasons but the director is trying to help us see what he is thinking. Towards the end of the film as Jimmy is starting to reflect we see more of him.
Now I am saving the best for last.
Jimmy and Stepth actually looking smart, the shoes as well. Thanks to Carlos to drawing attention to this picture and outfit.
We see Jimmy in a decent Boating Blazer early on in the film, and some of his outfits are cool, but on his feet are a pair of loafers.
On the right here is a still from the filming where the shoes can be clearly seen. They look good to me and no doubt influenced lots of guys in the 80’s to wear them.
I am not sure if they are Bass Weejuns? They look like they are Bass Weejun Larkins, as they are quite narrow and the lip is rounded . Other makes traditionally are a wider foot.To be fair the wardrobe department may have just got some smart shoes from a local shop. These days Loake have Georgetown which looks very similar. The Bass Weejun in the UK is getting harder to get, stock seems to be very limited in any shops.
I think Jimmys Loafers are Bass Weejuns Larkins
At the time I loved this film so much, for many reasons that lots of us loved it for. As I have got older I would draw different bits from it. In my scooter days i would happily watch just the scooters. I have only seen the film once on the big screen, in the 90’s, when I was going through my raving days, then I loved the dancing all night etc sequences.
Now I look at the film differently again. In my 40’s I can see lots of the fashions are a very late 70’s take on the 60′s, but the overriding feeling to me now is what a great film about youth and all that it entails, take away the clothes (and perhaps the scooters) and it becomes timeless.
From a shoe perspective not as much to say as I thought there would be. But I really did enjoy taking the time out to watch the film again. If you have the time over Christmas try to watch the film, as i think you will get more from it than you might think at the moment. And I hope you find some little gems just like I did.
Have a good Christmas and Happy New Year Andy @ Modshoes
Where do you start with Soul Shoes! There is a big enough argument to what is Soul, which possibly needs defining before you could define a soul shoe. So I suppose going to stick with what I have seen through my time and what have been told.
So looking around the recent soul dos I have been to, there is not a clear winner, particularly in the modern northern soul circles, there is a smattering of moddy types, smattering of lads with Oxford bags and what you might call just normal looking people. So on the shoes it varies like mad.
At the most recent northern do I went to here in Peterborough I counted 40% tassel loafers, 20% brogues and the rest was made up of comfortable flat shoe. I was genuinely surprised by that figure and didn’t go thinking that I would see that many.
So Soul shoe types, this is we’re I am stuck, being to young to have been a soul boy in the 70’s let alone the 60’s. What I can see though is in the early seventies, it stands to reason that tassel loafers would be popular as would brogues, because the shoes a fashion item at the time. Other styles which popular at the time include, Solatio , a monster of a shoe, which has strips of leather sown together. Mainly in brown, but also in black and two tone styles. The shoe is currently being remade by Ikon shoes.
Is he really throwing himself around the floor with heavy leather soled shoes? Cool pic
Other shoes which can be seen on the northern soul scene included standard looking Oxford shoes. I am again assuming a good solid shoe, with a leather sole. And as we know a leather sole glides around the floor and makes obvious sense to wear.
This neatly brings on to Bowling shoes. Bowling shoes can be seen in several pictures in the 60’s being worn by mods.
Classic Bowling Shoe Style.
The Bowling shoe works on the dance floor, it is very light and comes in a multitude of colours, which means your eyes are drawn to. Being light means you can dance for much longer, obvious I know and also why karate shoes became popular. The point being though both shoes are rubbish to walk in. Bowling shoes have a soft sole and step in a puddle and you are instantly socked!
Moving into the 80’s soul changed from the fast paced Northern Soul into the more disco orientated style. The tassel loafer morphed into a lighter shoe, with a very thin sole. Moccasins became very popular and the casual looked prevelled. The shift again with the rave generation and into Brit pop of the 90’s. The smart shoe got left behind in kickers and timberland boots. Britpop seemed obsessed with Addidas trainers. But this has nothing to do with soul!
Has the smart shoe has made a return though. With the present recession taking a hold in the UK there is a desire have smart shoe, that’s going to last a while and look classic meaning ideally it won’t go out of fashion, it may look dated, but still stylish. Decent pair of Levi’s, a Ben Sherman shirt and some decent shoes you are not going to look out of place at any Soul Do. Whether this be 60’s soul, 70’s or 80’s. I conclude in the next paragraph with ………
So the classic soul shoe, I am going to go for a classic tassel loafer, with a proper leather sole, and if needed a leather heal,as well. Its a classic going out shoe, not something you would were in the office.
Disagree then say so below, and ideally send some pics to prove it.
There are many different types of Brogues. The pair above perhaps are the classic look. The above pair are called ‘Wingtails’ in America.
The Brogue has a long history before getting to MOD. Many companies in the UK still produce handmade Brogues: Loake, Earl Barton, Chencery to name a few. Loake make an old style look called the Chester. At the time of writing these have become fashionable with boy bands like JLS.
In terms of 60’s MODS I saw this on the Modgeneration website.
Adrian Stern
In the 60’s I bought mine from Saxones and complemented them with fringed things that covered the laces. Back in those days good shoes lasted for anything up to 20 years if you looked after them and especially put them in trees to dry after use. The leather used for the uppers was dyed of course but only waxed and one never used polish on them, only wax. The wax hasn’t been made for I don’t know how long and the company went out of business as all shoe leather now has a plastic coating instead of wax which means they will crack well before 15 years have gone – I think after 8 or so.
Churches dropped their beautiful round last for much more pointy ones around 68 or 70 I think and the other British companies followed suit so real round toes probably don’t exist today.
I now have arthritis in a big toe and can’t wear good leather shoes anymore – except for my loafers – made by Barkers and they really are the originals and the best – if you examine the way the top is attached all the other brands join them edge to edge but Barkers are folded over – which means hand-stitched!
The later two tone style that Marriot wears on the ‘Colour Me Pop’ show are more late 60’s, and have an air of Dandiness about them. I like the look on Marriott.
I think Weller had some in The Style Council, and Madness have been known to wear them.
The Skins and Suedeheads adopted the Brogue for themsleves and today the shoe is still seen widely on the Northern Soul Scene.
I like them a lot, always have, they are a really good hard wearing shoe that, if you look after, last ages. I’m not sure if this happened all over the UK or was regional, but at our school we would add Blakeys which would cause the shoe to make a clicking noise as you walked around. This was done mainly to wind up the teachers.
Not just a Skinhead look, this brogue colour with jeans is very popular in the UK at the moment.The make of these is Mario Bruni. Very nice but not for the faint hearted.
I wonder if every real MOD that’s ever been has owned a pair of Desert Boots. I have lots of pairs, all slightly different. There are lots of pictures of MODS in Desert Boots.
The comfortable boot can be seen in the MODS book and has survived all the MOD revivals and still is a player. Fred Perry’s recent boots are very much a play on the style.
One thing that has been debated is what colours will go with the Orange. We think this
As I watched I thought there would be loads in the fight sequences. There are lots to be seen but no real what I call out and out mod shoes.
So Soul shoe types, this is we’re I am stuck, being to young to have been a soul boy in the 70’s let alone the 60’s. What I can see though is in the early seventies, it stands to reason that tassel loafers would be popular as would brogues, because the shoes a fashion item at the time. Other styles which popular at the time include, Solatio , a monster of a shoe, which has strips of leather sown together. Mainly in brown, but also in black and two tone styles. The shoe is currently being remade by Ikon shoes.
Moving into the 80’s soul changed from the fast paced Northern Soul into the more disco orientated style. The tassel loafer morphed into a lighter shoe, with a very thin sole. Moccasins became very popular and the casual looked prevelled. The shift again with the rave generation and into Brit pop of the 90’s. The smart shoe got left behind in kickers and timberland boots. Britpop seemed obsessed with Addidas trainers. But this has nothing to do with soul!
