The Mod look
Written by Joe Bodia
Tags: 60s | fashion trends | geometric | Mod
Though less block print and more girlish silhouette, there is definitely a buzz around town promising Singapore's own retro run of mod fashion.
The biggest mod splash in this new trend has to be the retro dress. Alice + Olivia out of New York (right) is carrying a lovely grey dress with white trim. With its classic look, rounded collar and big midriff bow, it smacks of retro mod.
French Connection wins the mod race with a Jackie O-channeling jacket: black wool with wide sleeves boasting a two and a half-inch fold, and three oversized plastic buttons that stop at the waist to ensure a perfect A-line cut.
Also at French Connection was a snazzy ensemble piece in metallic silver, the jacket is a three-quarter-sleeve cropped number with matching covered buttons, while the skirt falls straight down to hit the thigh about six inches above the knee; guess there's no being shy when you're sporting metallic silver.
And trust runway knock-off specialists Mango to latch onto a trend and go all out with it. Exhibit A: a viscose polyamide (space suit material) white T-shirt dress with contrasting black and white racer-stripe stretch belt. Exhibit B: a jersey V-neck shirt, cinched with a low-slung elasticized waist, in sharp triangular patterns of black, white, and yellow.
Dockers (right) has a pretty long sleeve shirt dress in black and white stripes that could have walked off the pages of Sixties Vogue.
Meanwhile, Benetton's spring campaign featured a model in over-sized blue plastic shades wearing mod-inspired, brightly colored clothes and brandishing a peace sign.
Another model sports a scoop neck black and white striped sweater with huge black shades. Most of the pieces are just arriving they do have one fitted, three-quarter-sleeve mini wool jacket with a floppy turtleneck serving as a teaser for mod clothes to come.
With all those geometric prints and space age materials, it's hard to believe that mod in its purest sense was meant to be minimalist.
My favorite mod-inspired piece on offer is Sisley's black wool sweater dress, which just barely covers the posterior and looks great when paired with black or white tights.
With its drooping wide, cowl turtleneck, slightly off kilter fit, and sexy white pinstripes running up either side of the sweater and along the inside of the sleeves, the only thing minimalist about this piece is its hemline.
If you travel the UK or the Middle East, it's high street / designer collaborations a-go-go for you! Hot on the heels of Giles Deacon for New Look, comes Gil Carvalho and Olivia Morriss for Faith.
Gil Carvalho (shoes, top) is perhaps best known for his conceptual, couture shoes but he has interpreted elements of his ready-to-wear collection for his collaboration with Faith. The exaggerated platforms give the very lady like shoes almost cartoon like proportions. Before you hop on the plane, check out thier selections at www.faith.co.uk.