Around the middle point of Franc Roddam’s seminal British film, Quadrophenia, the Brighton setting erupts into violence. In a battle between mods and rockers, the usually peaceful seaside town becomes a war zone for these opposing groups, all set to the backdrop of The Who’s hits. Whilst mods and rockers disagreed for a number of reasons, the physical manifestation of why they were different presented itself in the way they looked, the way they dressed. The mods wore clean cut outfits – tailored suits, short trousers and had short, clipped hair, whilst the rockers wore a uniform of leather jackets and rode motorbikes. And this is why the fashion in Quadrophenia has become so important – after music, it forms the basis of the film – image.
The film centres around the experiences of Jimmy Cooper as he lives through the year of 1964. Working an unfulfilling job in the mail room of an advertising firm in London, Jimmy becomes embroiled with some local mods, his only desire in life to make enough money to keep his scooter running. After a drug fuelled weekend the group goes down to Brighton to celebrate the bank holiday. But they get a little more than they bargain form as they encounter the Brighton riots of 1964 as the rockers go head to head with the mods in all out conflict. It is a scene of great power – Roddam never quite losing the sense of cultural nostalgia, even amongst the scenes of great devastation.
The best thing about the costumes in Quadrophenia is their distinct Britishness – the influences of 1960s London are unmistakable in the clothing. From the parkas – that have become the most recognisable mod symbol of the film – to the tailored suits (often endearingly ill fitting) and trilbies, Roddam captures the feeling of an era. It is as nostalgic as it is authentic – even now, it transports us back to a very particular cultural moment. But what emerges even more than this is that for these people clothing truly was a way of life. It was more than just a fashion statement – it was an identity, a way to fit it. To be a true mod meant letting it take over your life – from music to the way you got around, girls to clothing.
As with most things in fashion, everything comes back around. From 1990s Brit pop bands who brought back the parka, to its current reinvention, the mods introduced clothing that soon became part of the British vocabulary. Polo neck jumpers have come back around, so too have slightly cropped trousers, and in most high street stores you are hard pushed to find a tailored trouser that isn’t tapered. Double breasted suits are also reappearing – so too are penny loafers, monkey jackets and creepers. Recently, Liam Gallagher’s clothing label, Pretty Green recreated Jimmy’s parka jacket to celebrate the reissue of The Who’s Quadrophenia. 
What all this proves is that when a film is iconic enough, and when it captures a moment in history, it will retain cultural currency for decades. Quadrophenia was responsible for popularising the mod movement and creating the image that we all now hold in our minds of the period. And that is why it is so influential, and why it is one of TSK’s top film picks.