Teddy boys were really a 1950s British phenomenon but they persisted until the early 60s and I remember them hanging around in doorways when I was a kid. So what were they and why?
The 1950s was an affluent era compared to the one before it and money was filtering down the economical rungs into the pockets of teenagers as jobs were plentiful and pay reasonable.
Teenage men were anxious to find a way to express themselves and create a look for people to recognise who and what they were and the easiest way to do this was through clothing. But how do you create a new style?
In reality it’s easy, you look back into the past and use an old style which you then customise to make your own. Looking back at Edwardian styles, someone realised that the, so called, drape jacket with its velvet collar was a good choice so they lengthened and adapted existing ones. Then they paired them with tight trousers and narrow ties to create the classic Teddy Boy look.
Men have always enjoyed showing their fashion sense and their sense of belonging and the style quickly caught on. Teds, as they were known, were a frequent sight on street corners, as I mention above, and also, sadly, in the cells of police stations. Young men were no different then and got into trouble just the same but the newspapers of the day found teddy boys an easy target for blame and so they began to get a bad name for violence. It is also true to say that this period was, in general, a much more violent time.
Looking like a Teddy Boy
It’s a style that is very distinctive with the long jacket and tight trousers. I think this gives men a very regal look, because it bulks out the body making them appear larger than they really are. Add to that thick crepe soled shoes, a white shirt (there were few coloured shirts at the time) and finish it with a narrow ‘bootlace’ or one of those neat American ‘Sheriff’ ties and you have a good looking man. As I mentioned this is also a very distinctive look which, in my opinion, looks good.
Hair was important, as it is in all fashions, and much experimentation went on to comb hair back, pile it full of oil or Brylcream and then make it stand up on the head in a quiff or slowly fall forward in the centre. There are numerous photos in the links below if you are unsure what I mean. The style of the back of the head was to square the hair off in what was known as a DA.
This is the popular image but for most men at the time, of course, it was a fashion partly adopted. For a better idea have a look at the photo here. The boy dancing in the foreground is wearing much of the clothing mentioned above however he has on ordinary ‘work type’ shoes and his trousers are not nearly narrow enough. Despite what fashion tells you, however, this was more the way that Teddy Boys looked at that time.
But, to complete this section, have a look on Ebay at the clothing now on offer. I have done the search for you and the link to Ebay UK for Teddy Boy in the clothing category is here.
Bing’s long search also excels and again I have done the search and it is here and well worth a look.
Yahoo, too, will bring some nice images and the link to Yahoo is here.
Most of the images from the links above are highly stylised versions but it’s fun and it’s what people now think of when you mention Teddy Boy. In particular, notice the men’s hair styles. Men in those days (and that includes me) spent hours trying to get their hair to look like that!
Amazon UK
Dairy Of A Teddy Boy (see the review at the bottom of the page)
Diary of a Teddy Boy : A Memoir of the Long Sixties
The Teds, by Chris Steele-Perkins which, again, looks well worth a read.
For fun, there is a great Teddy Boy costume, too!
MENS TEDDY BOY JACKET RED FANCY DRESS COSTUMES 50s -MEDIUM
And a Teddy Boy wig:
Teddy Girls
First off, I’m not sure that they were ever called ‘Teddy Girls’ but the dress for girls who associated with Teds was very 1950s. You needed a circular shirt, probably made of one of the new man-made fabrics like terylene, that flared out at the waist with, underneath, a petticoat to help the flare.
Later, the wider skirts disappeared and became narrower to show off the hips as the skirts in the photo above of the dance will show. Note, too, that the girl on the right is wearing stockings as would all of the other girls have been.
For the top, the best choice was a scoop neck blouse or cardigan and often with a scarf tied at the neck for colour and movement. Makeup was fairly ordinary and quite minimal, none of the excesses that were to come in the next decade! Shoes were sturdy compared with today and heels not that high but perfect for an evening of dancing. Again, the image of the dance above will show some shoes.
Hair was generally long and tied into that all purpose and simple pony tail or else cut short and worn in a neat style close to the head.
I have to say, looking back to write this article, that it was a great style and created a very memorable and instantly recognisable look, at least for men. Teddy boy and 50s fashion in general enjoyed a bit of revival recently which bodes well for the future and this is my hot tip for the next big fashion statement.
Link to the heading photo by ‘brizzle born and bred’
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