Teds' have found their way!

 The origins of the Teddy Boys go back to the late 1940's when Seville Row Tailor's attempted to revive the styles of the reign of King Edward VII, 1901-1910, known as the Edwardian era, into men's fashions. The Teddy Boy fashion of the fifties has its origins in what was an upper class reaction to the austerity imposed by the socialist government in the years following the World War II. For teenagers 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 than £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 newspapers were devoid of color and clearly life for many could be exceedingly down beat.​​

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 that period. This was the Edwardian Brigade, the drape coat fraternity, branded Teddy Boys by the media around the latter part of 1953.They were the villains of the time, taking over from the spivs and cosh boys.

It is believed that the style actually started out in London as a discreet post war Saville Row revival, based on Edwardian aristocracy, but was appropriated by now the 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 somber,  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″ 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.

Teddy girls (also known as Judies) wore drape jackets, pencil skirts, hobble skirts, long plaits, rolled-up jeans, flat shoes, tailored jackets with velvet collars, straw boater hats, cameo brooches, espadrilles, coolie hats and long, elegant clutch bags. Later they adopted the American fashions of toreador pants, voluminous circle skirts, and hair in ponytails.​Their choice of clothes wasn't only for aesthetic effect: these girls were collectively rejecting post-war austerity. They were young working-class women, often from Irish immigrant families who had settled in the poorer districts of London — Waltham tow, 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. 

Today, the Edwardian image and lifestyle is very much alive and kicking. The uniform is practically unchanged, the haircuts, 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 favorite records. The only difference is that the aggressiveness of their predecessors as all but gone, the fighting in 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.!!!!