The British Teddy Boys are a subculture formed by 50s rock ‘n roll dandies in long jackets and creepers. They were the first youth group in England to differentiate themselves as teenagers, helping create a youth market.
But parallel to this, there was a whole subculture of Teddy Girls (also knows as Judies).
They dressed much like their male counterparts, sporting short hair, pants, sharply cut suit jackets and flat shoes. 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 - 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.
Get some inspiration with these Ken Russell's pictures. In 1955, this photographer created a series called The Last of the Teddy Girls, which featured photographs taken against the war-torn backdrop of London’s East End.
These quiet portraits -a direct contrast to Russell’s later bombastic directorial style (Women in Love, The Devils, The Boyfriend and The Who’s rock opera Tommy)- are an unexpected and exceptional historical record of cool.
"They document both the attitude and innocence of 1950′s youth and are an embodiment of the rebellious nature that Russell possessed throughout his life."
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| Don't forget to pair all of it with the proper attitude! |
