An Edwardian Fashion Movement

It was the start of something new, a wind of freedom in the early 1950's in England. Teenage gangs appeared in the East End of London; they were called the Cosh boys. These Cosh boys horrified English society: razor attacks, robberies, fights among gangs and also against law enforcers. 

After the Second World War England woke up with a headache!The Press looked-for a new term to call these gangs with their numbers escalating each day. The word selected was Teddy Boys.It seemed that the 1^st  newspaper that used the name Teddy Boy was the Daily Express on September 23rd 1953. 

The teddy boys in their "uniforms"

The teddy boy uniform was initially copied from the stylish Edwardian gentleman like those under the control of Edward VII (1901-1910) - their 'social superiors'. This fashion trend was tailored, and featured stretched high necked jackets, at times of velvet, or velvet trimmed collar and cuffs, and were ruled in either flowery or intense colors. This was paired with brocade waistcoats, bootlace or slim jim tie, narrow 'drainpipe' pants,a wing-collared top and suede shoes, which were formerly regarded as 'gay men's shoes' or 'nancy boy shoes'. A crucial fashion accessory, along with the cycle chain was the comb.

The Teddygirls adopted American fashions like toreador pants and circle skirts, though they tend to wear low cut tops to make themselves look less prissy.

All teddy boys went to immense lengths to keep their hair in place. Fighting messed up the hair - hence the ever at hand metal comb. The DA was the main style while there were many kinds like 'the bop', 'the Tony Curtis', 'the be-bop', 'the tevee', 'the panama' or the 'back sweep and crest'. It was greased and usually with sideboards.

The new generation of teddy boys

The British pop boom of the 1960s brought with it fresh music and new youth culture.The original Rock and Roll pubs appeared as do Rockers who liked the same tune and rode great British motorcycles. Teds and Rockers went well among each other and the leather motorbike jacket became the standard wear for many Teddyboys and Teddygirls for day-to-day use and for rough pubs. The bike jacket could guard against motorcycle accidents, razor attacks and spilled beer in a way that the drape jacket by no means can. 

The 1970's saw Glam Rock and Rockabilly styled bands in Britain and, while the Teds loathed most of this music, it brought a resurgence of interest in Rock and Roll. Many young people bought second hand wrap jackets, hid holes with badges and became a new generation for Teddyboys and girls.The new generation of Teds developed a tough personality: hair lacquer happened to change grease, the drapes were brighter and, occasionally, the drain-pipes were tighter. Steadily, the new generation were exposed to one of the roots of R'N'R : Rockabilly and Country Music. 

As the time went on, the urban working class association with the 'Teddy Boy' dress spread further and with the commercial hits of movies like 'Rock Around The Clock' and resultant media attention. a person causing nuisance of any kind was blamed on Teddy Boys. Just as all health problems today are held responsible on 'smokers', it became almost fashionable (and it sold papers) to blame any unsocial crime on 'Teddy Boys'. A youth only had to have a Tony Curtis haircut and he was instantly labeled 'a Teddy Boy'.

Mix-n-Match

Playing with styles, mixing and combining different clothes and accessories from different eras and cultures, has been a hugely successful trend since the seventeenth century.

Bloomers

The fun of variety runs through the world of fashion, and you can often express your personality best with a mix of different styles.The taste for mix and match started at the end of the seventeenth century when exotic Chinese silks printed with birds, leaves and flowers were imported in Europe. Bringing together the flamboyance of the Baroque and fabrics with Eastern cuts, the fashion of the time created a cultural fusion between the two worlds. With the French Revolution, exoticism lost its hold – but it returned into fashion with Elizabeth Smith Miller and her “bloomer” movement. In her magazine The Lily, she promoted a new way of dressing, pairing knee-length dresses and belts with wide Oriental trousers and boots.

Teddy Boys

The style was criticized by contemporaries, and Amelia Jenks Bloomer – one of its main exponents – abandoned it in 1853. The idea of combining different cultures was taken up some decades later by Paul Poiret. Influenced by Diaghilev’s ballet, he brought together the Japanese kimono and the shapes of the Greek tunic and the kaftan, combining strong colours like orange, plum and black with the pastel shades of the Belle Époque. Later, in the 20s,Coco Chanel created the idea of “simple luxury” and by mixing basic pieces like cardigans, white sweaters and skirts above the knee, defended a straightforward take on luxury. Thanks to collaborations between artists like Jean Cocteau and Dalí with designers like Elsa Schiaparelli, Surrealism created a way of dressing freely, and in a way that was ironic and fun. After World War II, the Teddy Boys in Britain reinterpreted the American look, rock ‘n’ roll and the Edwardian era. They mixed jackets, velvet shirts, skinny pants, narrow ties and Slim Jim shoes, expressing their opposition to the values of the 50s. In the 70s, punk appeared as an anti-conformist movement that ran against the reigning ideology of the time.

It paired necklaces with ripped clothes, completing the look with shaved heads, Mohicans and piercings. Its main driving-forces were Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, who opened a punk shop in London’s King’s Road. During the 80s, cultural diversity and contact with African and Asian cultures party influenced ways of dressing. According to the work of the sociologist Gilles Lipovetsky, the continual need for reinvention has created sub-cultures in our hyper-modern age which use mix and match to bring individuals together in shared ideologies or lifestyles. One current designer who combines contrasting elements is John Galliano. As German designer Lutz, who is fascinated by blending different styles, said in Fashion Now 2: “I take things that are basic, integral parts of everyday life, and mix  them all together so in turn they stay familiar but at the same time become something completely different.”