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THE GREAT BRITISH TEDDY BOY

Teddy boy history and culture

This new south London working-class style had actually derived from an upper-class ‘Edwardian Dandy’ look that had started to be worn by young guardsmen, around Mayfair and St James in the late forties. Young dandies such as Bunny Roger (who also invented Capri pants whilst on holiday there in 1949, as you do) were seen around Piccadilly proudly showing off their svelte figures by wearing long and fitted jackets with generous shoulders and mean waists with half-collars and turned-back cuffs of velvet.The neo-Edwardian look was completed with tighter tapered trousers and ornate embroidered waistcoats which echoed the Edwardian syle of fifty years previously. It was meant to be, and was, an antitheses of the commonplace, drab, shapeless and austere demob suit.

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.

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.

Brief history of the British Teddy Boy

The original British Teddy Boy was typified by young men who wore clothes inspired by the styles of the Edwardian period, which Saville Row tailors had tried to re-introduce after World War II. Originally known as ‘Cosh Boys’, the name Teddy Boy came about after a 1953 Daily Express newspaper headline shortened Edward to Teddy and coined the term Teddy Boy (also known as Ted). The Teddy Boy style started in London in the early 1950s and rapidly spread across the UK, and then became strongly associated with American ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll music. It should be noted however, that Teddy Boys were around before Rock ‘n’ Roll music became popular in Britain and are and were a totally British phenomenon as opposed to the other styles worn in countries such as the United States. Although there had been youth groups with their own dress codes called “Scuttlers” in 19th century Manchester and Liverpool, Teddy Boys were the first youth group in England to differentiate themselves as teenagers, helping create a youth market.

The Teddy Boy style and trend arose as income increased after the Second World War. Traditionally, Teddy Boy clothing has been typified with long Drape Jackets, usually in dark shades, generally with a black velvet collar and pocket flaps; high-waist “drainpipe” trousers, often exposing the socks. The predominant favoured footwear was highly polished oxford shoes, chunky brogues, and crepe-soled shoes, often suede (known as brothel creepers). A high-necked loose collar on a white shirt (known as a Mr B. collar because it was often worn by jazz musician Billy Eckstine) was complimented by a narrow Slim Jim tie or Maverick tie and a brocade silk patterned waistcoat. These clothes were mostly tailor-made at great expense and paid for through weekly instalments. Preferred hairstyles included long, strongly-moulded greased-up hair with a quiff at the front and the side combed back to form a duck’s arse at the rear. Another style was the Boston, in which the hair was greased straight back and cut square across at the nape.

During the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, there was the so-called Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival where the Teddy Boy style re-emerged widely throughout the UK. During the 1970s, Rockabilly music enjoyed a renewed period of popularity and saw a resurgence of interest in the Teddy Boy style; the look was taken up by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren through their shop ‘Let it Rock’ on London’s Kings Road. The 1970’s generation of Teds adopted many aspects of the 1950s style but with a large glam rock influence, including louder colours for drape jackets, brothel creepers and socks. Additionally, rather than use grease to style hair, the 1970’s Teds were more likely to use hairspray..Fashion designers such as Katherine Hamnet started bringing out designs in lurex drapes and this took a lot away from the original Teds. There were tartan, yellow and orange fluorescent drapes which would never have been worn by the original Teddy Boys. Commercial Bands such as Mud, and Showaddywaddy in the Seventies had given such a bad and distorted image of the real Teddy Boys, that the general public interpreted these incorrect styles as being how Teddy boys should look. Actually a lot of Teds stopped going out to regular clubs because there were so many people dressed in such gaudy colours. The history of music in England as portrayed by the media needs to be re-written because they have largely got it wrong about the Teds – their style of dress etc. A magazine in 1982 called, “Fashion In The Fifties” got it wrong too. They wrote, “Teddy Boys in their skin-tight drainpipe trousers and winkle-picker shoes”. When winkle-pickers first came out, were more of an Italian look and nothing to do with the Teddy Boy style. The media also got it wrong in Dennis Potter’s. “Lipstick On Your Collar,” because although it was good and nicely produced, they had a bloke in an orange drape on a scooter! How far away can you get form an original 1950’s teddy Boy than that!

Another problem as far as the Teddy Boys of the 1970’s were concerned, was the move by many to adopt the 1950’s American styles and as a result groups such as ‘Rockabillies’ and ‘Hep Cats’ emerged. A number of people who had been Teddy Boys left the ranks of the Teds during this period and started wearing clothes worn by American 1950′s teenagers. These styles were not to be found in the original British 1950’s youth and music culture. There was considerable friction between the Teds and these groups as well as with Punk Rockers which had emerged during this period. The rift between Teds and these spin off groups has now been largely resolved and members of all groups now quite happily co-exist and can be found together at many rockin’ venues and events.

During the 1970’s, there were Teddy Boy groups in most main towns and cities throughout the country. Many of the Teddy Boys & Girls who are members of the Edwardian Teddy Boy Association originate from this period along with a few original Teddy Boys from the 1950’s. This was a great period for the Teddy Boy movement and many new bands emerged notably Crazy Cavan & the Rhythm Rockers who created the distinctive Crazy Rhythm sound. Crazy Cavan & the Rhythm Rockers became the Teddy Boy band of the 1970’s and 1980’s and have remained so till this day with songs such as Teddy Boy Boogie and Wildest Cat in Town. Other notable bands who emerged were Sandy Ford’s Flying Saucers and The Riot Rockers.During this period the original Teddy Boy style had been somewhat lost. In the early 1990’s, it was felt amongst many Teddy Boys that a return to the original styles of the 1950’s was far from overdue and as such there has been a move amongst mainstream Teddy boys in the UK to return the original 1950′s style and image. In general this has now been achieved and most Teddy Boys and Girls are wearing a far more authentic form of 1950′s Edwardian Teddy Boy form of dress.