Take a long jacket with a velvet collar, some drainpipe trousers, a narrow tie, a duck’s arse quiff as the tall hairstyle was called and a pair of brothel creepers thick-soled suede shoe
Trang 11 Identity: the
foundations
of British culture
2 Literature
and philosophy
3 Art, architecture and design
4 Performing arts
5 Cinema, photography and fashion
6 Media and communications
7 Food and drink 8 Living culture:
the state of modern Britain
Make do and mend In wartime Britain pillowcases became shorts or
blouses, and leather soles were replaced with cork Siren Suits and Kangaroo Coats could be zipped in a hurry, their roomy pockets quickly filled with essentials on the way to the air raid shelter In 1941 the
government introduced Utility Clothing, taking charge of production and outlawing anything too fancy – pockets and turn-ups were both restricted
in an effort to save material The CC41 label attached to the
mass-produced designs gained an ironic, collectable fame
Teddy Boys Take a long jacket with a velvet collar, some drainpipe
trousers, a narrow tie, a duck’s arse quiff (as the tall hairstyle was called) and a pair of brothel creepers (thick-soled suede shoes) and you’ve got the first real uniform of youth rebellion Teddy boys emerged in the 1950s and kickstarted the fashion revolution of the following decade with its mods, rockers and hippies As for the name, it derives from a taste for Edwardian (‘Teddy’) jackets
Biba, Mary Quant and the miniskirt Despite the egalitarian mien of the
early 1960s, designer fashion remained restricted to the wealthy Biba changed all that in 1964 It was a London fashion boutique that sold the latest European looks at a fraction of designer prices The Biba brand became hugely successful, and other, similar ventures followed, including Miss Selfridge, a groovy spin-off from the Oxford Street department store Meanwhile Mary Quant lopped inches off hemlines, introducing every British girl to the miniskirt (even while it was actually invented by André Courrèges) Quant herself became a fashion icon, sporting a sharp Vidal Sassoon ‘five-point’ haircut Trousers began to flare late in the decade
1970s The most vibrant decade of recent British fashion had an anything
goes feel Early on, hippies popularised kaftans, Macramé bags and Afghan coats The flares of the late 1960s widened out to bell-bottom proportions before high-waisted straight trousers and platform soles stepped into view It was only a short leap to the lycra trousers and stretch sequin tube tops of disco Even blokes got involved, suddenly
(and briefly) comfortable with outrageous sideburns and tightly crotched trousers By the end of the decade, punk was reining in the flare,
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