Dress like a 2 Tone Ska fan
Today, what is thought of as ska fashion probably emanates from the 1979 ska revival lead by the 2 Tone record label and bands like The Specials and Madness. The fans of this music style became known as Rude boys and Rude girls, named after the Jamaican street gangsters of the 1960s that were known for their eloquent sense of style. The fashion sense was a cross between mod and skinhead, with a penchant for borrowing from teddy boy accessories.
Steps
- Wear the correct shoes and keep them polished. Get loafers, brogues or Doc Martens eight-hole boots or Gibsons; plain black, oxblood or cherry red. Girls' variations of the above are winkle pickers with heels or monkey boots.
- Get a Harrington jacket with tartan (plaid) lining. For the winter you may want a plain v-neck jumper (sweater in the US). Coats are three-button dress jackets, with the bottom button undone; black, white, gray or any combination of those three colors.
- Acquire the proper type of shirts; button-down Ben Sherman block colours or check patterns.
- Acquire fitted straight leg trousers or jeans - short at the cuff to show off pristine white socks. Girls can wear tight short skirts and tights - checked black and white - or 1960s black ski pants.
- Acquire the proper accessories: Pork-pie hat with really shallow brim or a Trilby hat; Wraparound shades or Wayfarers; Braces, thin and red, black or white.
- Wear your hair short. For boys a short crop or flat-top. For girls, a 1960s-style bob, similar to Barbara Feldman in Get Smart.
Tips
- Wear your Fred Perry polo buttoned up to the neck.
- Black and white look great together, especially in a check pattern.
- Listen to 2 Tone bands like The Specials, Madness, The Beat, The Selector and Bad Manners, as well as the 1960s ska artists who influence them, like Prince Buster and other artists on the Trojan Records label.
- Learn to skank (a type of dance associated with 2 Tone ska).
- Ties are skinny, early 1960s style.
- Suits are three-button 1960s style; slim fit.
- T-shirts and badges are usually related to music or politics.
Related Articles
Sources and Citations
- The 2-Tone Book for Rude Boys, Omnibus Press 1981
- Mods by Richard Barnes, Eel Pie Publishing 1979
- Skinhead by Nick Knight, Omnibus Press 1982
- Subculture; The Meaning of Style by Dick Hebdige, 1979
