The Teds: Vintage Photos of Dapper Teddy Boys and Girls From the 1950s

These men were known as "Teddy Boys". His distinctive appearance included carefully groomed hairstyles, long suit jackets, stylish waistcoats, thin neckties and narrow trousers.

The teddy boy aesthetic served as a notable departure from the prevailing post-war atmosphere of austerity and austerity.

Remarkably, some working-class Teddy Boys were willing to invest more than two weeks of their wages to purchase a carefully tailored suit.

In particular, a portion of the Teddy Boy community joined gangs and gained a reputation for hooliganism and crime.

An unfortunate incident in 1953, in which a 17-year-old boy lost his life due to a confrontation with a group of Teddy Boys, led many clubs to ban Edwardian clothing.

Despite these controversies, adorable photographs from this era provide a glimpse into the mischievous antics of the Teddy Boys as they roamed the streets and frequented dance halls in the vibrant heart of London.

In post-war Britain, rationing continued to affect the fashion industry, and men's tailors in central London designed a style based on Edwardian clothing, hoping to sell to young officers being removed from the services.

However, this style – which featured skinny trousers, long jackets similar to post-war American zoot suits, and fancy waistcoats – was not popular with its target market, leaving tailors with piles of unsold clothing, which had to be recouped at a loss. To do this, men's clothing was sold cheaply. Shops elsewhere in London.

While there were some affluent adoptions – "an extraordinary upper-class disdain for the post-war Labor government and its message of austerity" – it was mainly suburban working-class youth who embraced and adopted the look ("spiv " and cosh boy associations also intensified its middle-class disapproval) and, around 1952, the "teddy boy" style began to emerge, which gradually spread throughout Britain.

Teddy Boy clothing includes drape jackets reminiscent of 1940s American zoot suits worn by members of the Italian-American, Chicano, and African-American communities, usually in dark colors, sometimes with velvet-trimmed collars and with pocket flaps, and high-waisted "drainpipe" trousers, often exposing the socks.

The costume also included a high-necked loose-collared white shirt (known as a Mr. B collar, as it was often worn by jazz musician Billy Eckstine); A narrow "Slim Jim" tie or Western bolo tie, and a brocade waistcoat.

Clothes were mostly produced at great expense and paid for through weekly instalments.

Favorite shoes included highly polished oxfords, chunky brogues, and crepe-soled shoes, often covered in suede (known as brothel creepers or beetle crushers).

Preferred hairstyles included long, strongly styled greased-up hair, combed to create a quiff at the front and a duck's ass at the back.

Another style was the "Boston", in which the hair was slicked straight back and cut square at the back of the head.

Teddy Girls (also known as Judies) wore drape jackets, pencil skirts, hobble skirts, long pleats, rolled-up jeans, flat shoes, tailored jackets with velvet collars, straw boater hats, cameo brooches, espadrilles, porter hats and Dressed long, elegantly. clutch bag.

Later, they adopted the American fashion of toreador trousers, heavy circle skirts, and hair in ponytails.