Teddy Boy waistcoat
Unknown maker · mid 1950s
Photo: © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Teddy boy
Young British men made Edwardian references their own through long jackets, narrow trousers and sculpted hair. Street style helped shift fashion’s authority toward youth.
Long tailored jackets with velvet collarsNarrow trousersGreased quiffs
Teddy boys on a corner, Southam Street
Unknown maker · 6 May 1956 (photograph)
Photo: Photograph by Roger Mayne; image courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Street-style photograph
About Teddy boy
Teddy boy style emerged in Britain in the early 1950s when young working-class men adapted the New Edwardian tailoring associated with Savile Row. Long jackets, velvet collars, narrow trousers and carefully shaped quiffs gave the look its recognizable character. These young men used distinctive clothes and accessories to express a shared identity, making youth culture an increasingly visible force in fashion. Roger Mayne’s photographs document the style on London streets, beyond the world of couture salons.
Explore the designers
- Unknown makerView garment · mid 1950s
Clothing without a recorded attribution