Ska - Two Tone Clothing and Fancy Dress Costumes

Ah, yes! Who can forget the Ska and Mod Revival of the late 70s and early 80s?

Record labels such as 2 Tone, Stiff Records and Go Feet provided us with some amazing music from band's such as The Specials, Madness, The Selecter and the The Beat - remember Mirror In The Bathroom?

2 Tone music was influenced by ska and Jamaican Reggae, and fans were known as Rude Boys and Rude Girls. Men's clothes were a combination of mod, skinhead and gangster fashions, with highly polished shoes or boots, fitted drainpipe/straight leg trousers (or jeans) which were cut short to show off their dazzling white socks. Also popular were button down shirts, polo T-shirts, braces, skinny ties, Harrington bomber jackets, overcoats, pork pie or trilby hats and wayfarer or wraparound shades. Footwear included loafers, brogues and Dr. Marten boots.

Ladies wore tight pencil skirts with tights (plain or chequered), or a rockabilly swing dress (often with white socks and high heels). Pencil skirts were usually worn above the knee, although longer styles were sometimes worn. Dogtooth and check styles were popular pattern designs. Monkey boots, Doc Marten boots or winkle pickers were popular footwear choices.

Ska - 2 Tone Music - The Best Of The Specials

Ska Two Tone Instant Costume Set with Braces and Hat. Ideal for groups, Stag Do Classic Retro Black and White Mod/Ska Checkerboard Cardigan. S to 3XL Men's Gingham Retro Ska Mod Short Sleeve Shirt, S to XXL British Made Classic Harrington Jacket with Tartan Lining. Excellent Value, Sizes XS to 5XL Rude Boy Mens Polo T Shirt, High Quality, S to XXL Adult Pork Pie Hat. 100% Cotton - 5 Sizes Made in England Men's Black and White 2 Tone Check Socks - Pack of 2 Pairs Blue Banana Checkered Braces (Black/White)2 Tone / Ska Chequered Raglan Baseball Tee for men,NEW

Available in sizes X-small to 5x X-Large in black, burgundy, navy, beige, bottle green and red. Features the classic tartan lining. Ideal for both Mod and Two Tone dress-up and a bargain price!

These can be worn on their own or under a Harrington jacket for a late 70s Mod influenced/Ska look. Wear with straight leg trousers and braces. You may also want to add a porkpie or trilby hat.

There is a large range of 2 Tone/Ska polo shirts at Amazon UK with prices starting at £14.99. Also look out for Lambretta Polo shirts and Fred Perry Polo shirts. Whilst very authentic, Fred Perry polos are pretty expensive, so you may prefer to go for the previous two options. Trojan Records also have a fantastic range of polo shirts and other mod/ska/reggae clothing items.

For a full-on Mod look, wear with braces, drainpipe jeans with turn-ups and Dr Marten boots. Shaving your head is optional!

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This stylish, high quality jacket is available in grey and white or black and white and is available for sizes from X-small to 3XL

2 Tone and Ska T-shirts for Men

2 Tone and Ska T-shirts for Ladies

We now have two sections bursting with a wide range of T-shirts, baseball shirts and mod revival T-shirt ideas for both men and women. There are lots of unique designs from top suppliers and prices start at under £10 including delivery.

Madness T-shirts

A short sleeve, long T-shirt dress (black or white) made from 100% cotton. Shaped to fit and ideal for summer festivals and parties.

Womens Black and White Dogtooth Print Midi Pencil Skirt for Ska dress-up - Sizes from 8 to 22 Low Cost Houndstooth Plaid Skirt for Women. Ideal for mod or ska style Blue Tweed Overcheck Fitted Skirt for 1960S/80s Mod Skin Ska Skinbryd, UK 14 - 32 2 Tone / Ska Revival Chequered Mini Skirt. XXS to 2XL 2 Tone Chequered Sleeveless Top for Ladies

Polka Dot Mod Shirt. Men's Classic Vintage Design Black on White Polka Dot Mod Shirt Men's Classic Gingham Button Down Short Sleeve Shirt Jack Jones Button Down Plaid Shirt

These are just perfect for creating a Madness/2 Tone costume. A classic slim fit available in sizes 30 to 42 inch waist. If you're in your 50s, like me, you'll probably need to allow room for that beer belly!

The classic 70s leather Mod boot by Grafters. Available in black or wine.

The slip-on loafer with a tassle is a British classic and there is a wide range of loafers available. If you want something low-cost, then you will like this pair of faux leather brogues (tan or black) by Sergio Italia. Just make sure you keep them highly-polished!

Mens Cardew Brogues, Tan or Black, Sizes 7 to 11.London Brogues Gatsby. Many other colours available. Sizes UK 7 to 12 Men's Classic Brown Brogues

For an authentic mod-influenced look, opt for Doc Martens originals in oxblood colour. However, cherry red is acceptable. For true authenticity, 10 eye or even 14 eye boots should be worn. However, these are difficult to find these days and 8-eye are perfectly acceptable. You can buy the non-originals at a cheaper price. A low-cost alternative is to opt for monkey boots

You may remember Robert De Niro wearing a Pork Pie Hat in the 1973 movie Mean Streets. The hat became a popular choice with Ska and 2 Tone bands, and you can buy them in a wide range of styles including tweed and faux leather.

Low cost Black Pork Pie Hat, ideal for fancy dress Adults Unisex Classic Tweed Pork Pie Hat in Grey, Small/Medium Hawkins Porkpie Trilby Hat - Dark Grey Tweed - 57 to 59cm Cracked Distressed Leather Look Pork Pie Hat Breathable Mesh Pork Pie Hat for Summer. 2-6 pcs

Pack of 2 Pairs Mens Two Tone Check Socks Mens Black & White Check Chequered SKA Polyester Skinny Neck Tie Pack of 2 Ska socks by Sock Steady Mens Piano Keyboard Neck Tie Ska Porkpie Hat Classic Black (Various Sizes Small - XL) (Large)Relco Narrow 1 inch Black/White Check Braces/Suspenders Skin Mod Retro Ska 2 Tone / Ska Chequered Pattern Socks Men Embossed Black Wallet - SKA Theme Ska Tote / Shoulder Bag. Environmentally Friendly and Re-Usable Ska Dancers Laptop Messenger Bag Ska Duffle / College / Rucksack / Beach Bag 6 x Ska and 2 Tone Button Badges Black Lens Wayfarer Style Sunglasses - Unisex Shades UV400 (Black)Ska Cufflinks in chrome presentation box Ska Sealed Tobacco Tin with rolle-ups - collector's gift 2 Tone Chequered Tote Shopping Bag. Choice of sizesNEW Too Much Too Old Funny Ska Metal Sign Madness Keyring Gift. Double-sided.Handmade Madness Ska Cufflinks Ska Rude Boy Dancer Mug. 91 five star ratings from customers.Rude Boy / Rude Girl Coffee Mug 2 Tone Ska Chequered Classic Coffee MugNEW 2 Tone / Ska Chequered Drinks Coasters Set of 4NEW Madness A3 Poster 2 Tone Chequered Throw CushionNEW

You'll find a wide range of stylish messenger bags available at the Ripped Ink Clothing Co. store on Amazon. We found around 40 designs with prices between £17.99 and £18.99, although these are subject to change, of course.