Love Clothing: The Mods

Ben Sherman - Clean, Crisp Men's Style

Ben Sherman clothing has long been associated with clean, crisp men’s style – and the British brand’s spring/summer 2012 collection is no different.

The company was set up in the 60s and, as a result, elements of classic mod styling have always been retained in its designs. And, as we’ve come to expect over the years, plaid features prominently in the Brighton-based firm’s new collection. The styles in the Ben Sherman look book make heavy use of chino cloth, which has seen a rise in popularity in recent years to rival denim at the top of the men’s fashion tree. For when the sun comes out, Ben Sherman’s early 2012 collection came with an assortment of stylish shorts. Like last year, tailored shorts will feature prominently, allowing any stylish man to smarten up his casual summer wear.

For those who like to push fashion boundaries, the new line also features patterned shorts. Although they can verge on the over-colourful side of things, patterned shorts work brilliantly with simple, block colour Ben Sherman shirts.

The mod gentleman label Ben Sherman are back with a new Spring look book for 12. The collection contains all you could ever really want for Spring with slim fit chinos in colours such as tan, and pastel blues, double breasted trench coats in navies, as well as colourful button up shirts to go under the structured blazers in the collection. It was in the 1960s when this style of jacket gained its nickname: Actor Ryan O’Neal regularly wore the jacket in soap opera ‘Peyton Place’ – the name of his character; Rodney Harrington.

In the 1960s the jacket became fashionable in the UK among mods and skinheads, who often wore the Harrington with Fred Perry or Ben Sherman shirts. Other notable labels turning out Harrington Jackets include; Fred Perry, Merc London, Ben Sherman and Lonsdale.

Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Steve McQueen all wore Harrington Jackets and in 2007 Baracuta released three special edition G9 jackets, with quotes from each star embroidered on the lining.

Here is something the team from Ben Sherman had to say.

“Moving on from AU11′s theme of an Englishman in New York, our SS12 collection has been inspired by the journey from Brighton to Tokyo. Combining classic British design with Japanese sensibility for style and innovation, we’ve produced a collection that fuses east and west to see wardrobe favourites reworked and restyled in original and unexpected fabrications.”

The Ben Sherman Team

The Mod look from Love Clothing