Men’s Fashion Part 2 – Teddy Boys

Previous Parts Of This Post
Men’s Fashion Part 1 Introduction

As the 1940s became the 1950s, the hopes for a better life, now that peace had returned, began to bear fruit.

In Britain and Europe the horror of the war was receding as bombsites were cleared and redevelopment began. Full employment had been a reality since 1948 and pockets, whilst not overflowing, were at last beginning to fill.

Young adults, teenagers, now with money in their pockets, wanted to break the mould of being simply younger versions of their parents and create their own identity in the new world being born around them. Overshadowed by the aftermath of war yet tempted by the glitter, hope, music and emerging commercialism of America they began to look for an identity they could adopt and call their own.

Teddy Boys
Immediately after the war, in a reaction to the rise of American clothing trends, an upper-class section of society instructed their tailors to dress them in the manner of their Edwardian Grandfathers. Out went the new American casual, gaudy styles with their multitude of colours and designs, these men worn traditional, long, black, frock-coat influenced jackets, slim, straight, pin-striped trousers with full waistcoat (in the same dark material) along with a full-fitting white shirt (with full tails) and ‘Guard’s Style’ tie. (In a modified form this style of dress would become, with rolled newspaper and umbrella, the quintessential Englishman known and recognised thoughout the world.)

Searching for their identity, in the early 1950s, working class boys began to emulate this style of dress and the first real teenage style was born along with the first teenage movement when the press began to refer to these boys, when they made trouble, as Teddy (from Edwardian) Boys.

The movement began in London but, before long, Teds soon began to appear on street corners all over the UK. Suits were still the normal wear for work and leisure alike and tailors began to make clothes for this group. The jacket, Teds called it a drape, was still very Edwardian, long (often to the ends of fingertips), straight and traditionally English. Suit trousers were narrowed further (Teds called them ‘drainpipes’) and a waistcoat in the same material (often with a watch chain) was worn. Bareheaded, the hair was greased into a quiff while shoes tended to be heavy-duty lace-ups, usually black with a crepe sole (called ‘brothel creepers’). Shirts were still white, collar-attached with a full tail and a conservative and often dark coloured tie. Ties had got narrower (they were called ‘slim jims’) and, as time went on, they eventually became ‘bootlace’ ties – a version of the bolo tie.

So, this was the basic look but, despite what people would now have you believe, this was not a uniform and the suit could be replaced with light trousers with a dark jacket or, as increasingly happened in the later 50s, a light jacket with dark trousers rather than a suit. In addition, shoes and ties were often personal choice as was a waistcoat which could often be a fancy one. All styles are fluid and, along the way, jackets began to acquire wider lapels and more pockets (particularly two breast pockets) and various types of additional trim like the famous velvet collar and pocket trims. However, the silhouette was the same: a blocky, rectangular body shape from the long jacket, slim legs which appear shorter below, with noticeable shoes.

Have a look at the links below and study the clothing shown in this excellent website. At this time, the early 1950s, the Teddy Boy image was forming and would become, as the 1960s began, the style of dress that we now associate with this first group of teenagers. I want to look in more detail at this style in the next article.

Incidentally, if you get the chance to look and touch any of these clothes you will see that they were, compared to modern suits, extremely well-made. The material is good quality and the suits well stitched. They were also warm and very comfortable to wear and, compared to a modern suit, feel heavier and more ‘solid’, the pockets, for example, appear better made and more substantial.

Links
Teddy Boy History
Teddy Boy contemporary pics 1
Teddy Boy contemporary pics 2
Teddy Boy contemporary pics 3 (and interesting article)
Teddy Boy contemporary pics 4
Teddy Boy contemporary pics 1
Teddy Boy Clothes close up 1
Teddy Boy Clothes close up 2
Bing Search – Teddy Boy images