Just before the Swinging Sixties came the mods. In the '50s, 'modernists' were a group of slick kids who listened to modern jazz but by the '60s the movement was more focused around European style (think French and Italian suiting and polo shirts), Lambrettas, and soul, ska and R&B. My favourite thing about the mods is that their sartorial outlook was, in the words of The Who's manager Peter Meaden, "clean living under difficult circumstances". This meant looking as sharp and sophisticated as you could within your means. Thanks to the mods, tailored suits, embellished scooters and clean haircuts were no longer just for the wealthy. They were considered effeminate by their rivals, the 'rockers', because of their preening and attention to detail, but I'm a sucker for a man who puts care (and flare) into his style. By the mid '60s, the mod style had gone from working class subculture to mass market, and Carnaby Street became more of a tourist attraction than genuine hang-out.