| The "mod" movement of the 1960s was not just a | | | | motorcycles rather than colorful Italian scooters. |
| fashion or a type of music, but a lifestyle. Short for | | | | As the mod style grew in popularity, many other |
| "modernist," mod clothing was characterized by very | | | | groups picked it up, sparking the mod movement which |
| bold and bright fashions. The mod movement began in | | | | peaked in the mid 1960s. At its height in popularity, mod |
| Britain, where the mod style was first a subculture | | | | clothing could be seen on supermodels, musicians, and |
| developed by teenagers. Rebelling against stiff and | | | | everyone else, young to old, not just teenagers. |
| formal styles from the 1940s and 1950s that were still | | | | However, because it started as a counterculture |
| being worn by their parents, Britain's teenagers wanted | | | | movement, its popularity led to its downfall, as those |
| a new image and a break from tradition. | | | | who started the trend abandoned it because it had |
| The mod subculture began in the late 1950s as the | | | | become too popular. It was no longer a rebellious |
| "teddy boys," who were influenced by the rock and roll | | | | subculture because too many people were wearing |
| music becoming popular in the United States. These | | | | mod clothing. By about 1967, the mod style was |
| teens created a style based on being hip, sharp | | | | replaced by hippie, bohemian, and psychedelic styles. |
| dressers, with streamlined clothing in solid colors. Their | | | | After its mid 1960s heyday, mod clothing styles were |
| mod clothing could be described as "dandy;" even men | | | | revived several times, most notably in Britain in the late |
| in this style were known for their fashion sense and | | | | 1970s and in the United States in the early 1980s. |
| their immense spending on clothing. The mod style was | | | | Mod clothing is typified by very bright colors, geometric |
| embraced by young men and women who wanted a | | | | and color block prints, and short hemlines seen in mini |
| youth-centric style rather than the "boring" styles worn | | | | skirts or shift dresses. Miniskirts, developed in 1963 and |
| by their parents. | | | | 1964 and growing ever shorter over the next few |
| In Europe, the mod style included not only mod clothing | | | | years, allowed young women following the mod trends |
| but also a lifestyle choice. The mods met at coffee | | | | to push the boundaries of tolerance. Men wore tailored |
| shops and all-night clubs, and rode around on Vespa | | | | suits and button-down shirts with skinny ties. The mod |
| scooters. Mod style is also known for pop music | | | | movement has been described as streamlined, |
| bands such as the Beatles, who helped to popularize | | | | narcissistic, and androgynous. Many styles were |
| mod styles in the United States. The mod lifestyle was | | | | influenced by Italian fashions and pop art. As the mod |
| centered on both fashion and music. Considered an | | | | movement became more commercial, it was seen on |
| urban style, the mods often fought against the rockers, | | | | models, especially Twiggy, helping to spread it further |
| a rougher youth-centric group with roots in rural areas | | | | away from its London origins. |
| of Britain, known for wearing leather and riding | | | | |