What's it all about?
Teddy Boy is a British subculture typified by young men wearing clothes that were partly inspired by the styles worn by dandies in the Edwardian period styles which Savile Row tailors had attempted to re-introduce in Britain after World War II. The subculture started in London in the 1950's, and rapidly spread across the UK. Teddy Boys were the first youth group in England to differentiate themselves as teenagers helping create a youth market. Kids were adamantly pushing against the status quo, embracing a look and attitude that was highly influenced by the new sounds of rock music and American counterculture.
Attire.
Teddy Boy's wore drape jackets, usually in dark shades, which were very useful for concealing weapons and alcohol, sometimes with a velvet trim collar and pocket flaps, and high-waist drainpipe trousers showing their socks. The outfit also included a high-necked loose-collared white shirt a narrow Slim Jim tie and a brocade waist jacket. The clothes were mostly tailor-made which was highly expensive and paid in weekly installments. Teddy Boys also famously wore brothel creepers which were originally worn by soldiers fighting in North Africa in WWII and the thick crepe sole saved their feet from getting burnt. Teddy Boys carried on wearing these army issue shoes out and about to nightspots in London and so the creeper became; the brothel creeper. There is also a theory that the name comes from the creep dance which all self-respecting Teddy Boys perfected. Along with the infamous 'duck arse' hairstyle.
Judies.
Teddy girls wore drape jackets pencil skirts, long plaits, rolled-up jeans, flat shoes, tailored jackets with velvet collars, boater hats, cameo brooches and long, elegant clutch bags. They wore these clothes to show they rejected post-war austerity. They were young working-class women, often from Irish immigrant families who had settled in the poorer districts of London — Walthamstow, Poplar and North Kensington. They would typically leave school at the age of 14 or 15, and work in factories or offices. Teddy Girls spent much of their free time buying or making their trademark clothes. It was a head-turning, fastidious style from the fashion houses, which had launched haute-couture clothing lines recalling the Edwardian era.
Rock n' Roll.
At the same time British audiences were beginning to encounter American rock and roll. For many this was initially through American films, including Blackboard Jungle (1955) and Rock Around the Clock (1955). Both films contained the Bill Haley & His Comets hit "Rock around the Clock" and helped it to top the UK chart in 1955 and again in 1956. It also set off a moral panic as young cinema goers ripped up seats to dance, which helped identify rock and roll with delinquency and led to it being almost banned by TV and radio stations, making it something of an underground youth movement, which was widely adopted by Teddy Boy Culture.
The 2i's Coffee Bar.
Situated at 59 Old Compton Street, in London's Soho district, the 2i's Coffee Bar was the place where the first big Skiffle and British Rock 'n' Roll stars performed and were discovered from 1956 to 1962. This is where many Teddy Boys lurked around, bopping about drinking and listening to live music.
Gangs and Rivals.
Teddy Boys had overly macho overtone forming gangs who sometimes had a common uniform like a particular colour of jacket or socks. For the most part, violence and vandalism was not too serious by modern standards, and exaggerated by the media, but there were instances of serious gang warfare with razors and knives. Some Teddy boys had fascist tendencies and were involved with gangs of youths that attacked the West Indians that emigrated to Britain in the mid Fifties.
Bringing back the Teddy Boys.
Many fashion designers have been influenced by the the Teddy Boy look in the 21st century, as it is the trend before all trends. With its very unique and fierce style. Dolce and Gabbana are mostly responsible for bringing the Teddy Boy back into the
fashionconsciousness. They used velvet collars, winkle pickers coloured socks and even a hint of a duck's arse to recreate the Teddy Boy aesthetic. Phoebe Philo also references the subculture in her Celine Pre-Fall collection. Also paying homage to the original rock ’n roll rebels, designers such as Paul Smith, Nicolas Ghesquiere and Tomas Maier updated the look in more modern fresh cuts and interesting materials.
Teddy Boy photo-shoots.
The Teddy Boy trend is also very common with the medium of fashion magazines as it creates an edgy and eye-catching editorial fashion shoot.
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