Benn Watts’ “Teddy Boys” Gallery
British photographer, Benn Watts, has been relative in the fashion industry since the early 90’s. His stellar work has graced the pages of every fashion magazine from Vogue to GQ.
Today, we present some original works featured on the Photographers Limited Editions (link below) site. One of the striking galleries was the “Teddy Boys” collection of black and white profile photographs. The subjects all possess strong and intense facial expressions while also demonstrating an incredible fashion sense.
The British Teddy Boy subculture is typified by young men wearing clothes inspired by the styles of the Edwardian period. The subculture started in London in the 1950’s and rapidly spread across the UK, soon becoming strongly associated with American rock and roll music of the period.
Teddy Boy clothing consisted of: long drape jackets, usually in dark shades, sometimes with velvet trim collar and pocket flaps; high-waist “drainpipe” trousers, often showing brightly coloured socks. Favoured footwear were chunky brogues, large crepe-soled shoes, often suede (known as brothel creepers). Plus a high-necked loose collar on a white shirt (known as a Mr. B. collar because it was often worn by jazz musician Billy Eckstine); a narrow ‘Slim Jim’ tie, and a brocade waistcoat. These clothes were mostly tailor-made at great expense and paid for through many weekly installments. Preferred hairstyles included long, strongly-moulded greased-up hair with a quiff at the front and the side hair combed back to form a Duck’s Arse at the rear of the head. Another hairstyle was the Boston, in which the hair was greased straight back and cut square across at the nape.
See more images after the jump.
