1965: David Bowie becomes a Mod

Alongside his new identity as Bowie, he restyled himself in summer 1965 as a Mod. His close contemporary and friend Marc Bolan, another client of Leslie Conn who traced an equally erratic course through the 1960s, had identified himself with the self-styled Modernist movement since his early teens. The term originally identified a working-class elite of fashion-conscious self-stylists, committed to constant innovation and renewal under the sway of designers from Milan and Paris; by 1965 it had become an attitude and style with a dress code as strict as any English boarding school; in this Mod code a misplaced jacket button or trouser hem could signal ignominy.

Doggett, Peter (2012-07-31). The Man Who Sold the World: David Bowie and the 1970s (Kindle Locations 714-719). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.