The Hairstyle - The Bravado

The Suit - The Girls

They Were The Teddy Boys!

For teenagers of today it is probably impossible to imagine living in post war Britain. Rationing was still in force and for the youth of the working population, employment began at fifteen for a forty-eight hour week, to earn less then £4. Clothes for example were conservative and mainly muted, cars were black or dark shades, the likes of sparkling metal flake paint had not yet arrived, unlike now even the newspapers were devoid of colour and clearly life for many could be exceedingly down beat.

The hugely successful ‘Festival Of Britain’ exhibition in 1951, promoted as a ‘tonic for Britain’ and the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, gave something of a lift to the country but did little for the youth of the land. Countless numbers were at a loose end without purpose, they had no role models such as Elvis or James Dean, few aspirations or real identity.

Juvenile crime was escalating and as it is often said the devil makes mischief for idle hands he possibly had a ball inciting the most notorious breed of wild youth that emerged from the period. The was the Edwardian Brigade, the drape coat fraternity, branded Teddy Boys by the media around the latter part of 1953. They were the new villains of the time, taking over from the spivs and the cosh boys.

gain attention. Despite the vicious aspect associated with these dangerous youths, no one can dispute that there is a strange underlying level of sophistication often reflected in their extremely smart and flamboyant attire. Compared to the grunge, skinhead, rap and unshaven look of today the aficionados of the Edwardian style clearly showed their self esteem when strutting around as proud as peacocks.

It is believed that the style actually started out in London as a discreet post war Savile Row revival, based on the Edwardian aristocracy, but was appropriated by the now more affluent working boys of the day. In the beginning their outfit consisted of a high or fingertip length, four-button drape in black or sombre colour, possibly with a velvet collar, sometimes referred to as a ‘coffin coat’. This was first worn over a matching waistcoat, later becoming brocade, prominently displaying a chain of the requisite fob watch. A high collar shirt, black ribbon or ‘Slim Jim tie’, high waisted trousers with 16-inch bottoms with turn-ups and heavy brogue shoes completed the outfit. Chunky rings were also worn and the whole ensemble was finished off with a distinctive haircut in the style of the film actor Tony Curtis, achieved by using copious amounts of brylcreem and water. There were variations of the ‘uniform’ and haircut in different cities throughout the country. Today, the Edwardian image and lifestyle is very much alive and kicking. The uniform is practically unchanged, the haircuts, and the music are still the same. At Rock ‘N’ Roll clubs throughout the land Teddy Boys still strut their stuff on the dance floors, bopping and jiving to their favourite records. The only difference is that the aggressiveness of their predecessors as all but gone, the fighting in the cinemas, and the weapons are but a thing of the past. But one thing is for sure, the great British Teddy Boy is here to stay.

Courtesy of Roger Dicken

HISTORY OF THE TEDDY BOY

The Teddy boy youth culture first emerged in Britain (starting in London, and rapidly spreading across the country) during the early 1950s, and soon after became strongly associated with American rock and roll music of the period. It was typified by young men wearing clothes inspired by those of the Edwardian period, which Savile Row tailors had tried to re-introduce after World War II: "Edward" being shortened to Ted after a Daily Express headline in 1953 first coined the term 'Teddy boy', which stuck. Clothing consisted of long drape jackets, usually in dark shades, sometimes with velvet trim collar and pocket flaps, skin-tight high-waisted 'drainpipe' trousers, chunky brogues and later large crepe-soled shoes, often suede (sometimes nicknamed brothel creepers). A high-necked loose 'Mr B' collar on a white shirt (as worn by jazz musician Billy Eckstine) was set off with a narrow 'Slim Jim' tie and a brocade waistcoat. In the main, these clothes were tailor-made at great expense through many weekly instalments. Preferred hairstyles included long, strongly moulded greased-up hair with a quiff at the front, with the side hair combed back to form a 'DA' (duck's arse) at the rear of the head. Other styles included the Boston, where hair was greased straight back and cut square across at the nape.

'Teddy girls' adopted a style similar to the lads', with drapes complete with pencil skirts, they added their own touches, such as straw boaters, cameo brooches, espadrilles and coolie hats, but later adopted the American fashions of toreador pants and voluminous circle skirts, wearing their hair in ponytails. Film director Ken Russell took a series of photos of such girls in late 1954 and early 1955 around the East End of London, and in Notting Hill.

As with some other youth culture movements, groups of 'Teds' sometimes formed gangs and enjoyed notoriety following violent clashes with rival gangs, seized upon and often exaggerated by the popular press. The most notable was the infamous Notting Hill riot of 1958, in which Teddy Boys were conspicuous within the racist white mobs who roamed the area attacking black people and their property.]. As with most other youth cults, however, most were attracted by the clothes and music rather than violence. The Teddy Boys made it acceptable to care about what one looked like all the time and dress purely for show, instead of just having one's work or school clothes or Sunday best. This trend arose as the disposable income of young people grew during the post-war years. The Teddy Boys were the first youth group in England to differentiate themselves as teenagers, thus helping to create a market solely targeting the new 'teenage' genre.

In the 1960s, many Teddy Boys became 'Rockers'. Conversely, many Rockers passed themselves off as Teddy Boys by throwing on a drape coat to gain entry into a dance hall where leather jackets were banned.

In 1979, British photographer Chris Steele-Perkins published his classic documentary book on Teddy Boy culture, The Teds, which explored the style and values of which defined the phenomenon.

1970s revival
During the 1970s, rockabilly music enjoyed a renewed period of popularity and saw a resurgence of interest in 'Teddy Boy' fashions spearheaded by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, through their shop 'Let it Rock' in London's Kings Road. This new generation of Teds adopted some aspects of the 1950's Teds, but with a large amount of Glam Rock influence, including much louder colours for their drape jackets, brothel creepers and socks. Additionally, rather than using grease to style their Duck's Arse hairstyles, they were more likely to use hairspray. Paradoxically, in the latter part of the 1970s, the new generation of Teds became the arch-enemies of the Westwood and McLaren-inspired punk rockers. On his first solo album McCartney, 1970, Paul McCartney had a song entitled 'Teddy Boy' about his youth in Liverpool as a Teddy Boy with the rest of the youthful 'Beatles'.


Created By Ryan & John Facer