New Edwardians

(Teds). English youth movement, with a strong focus on clothing and fashion. It began in the early 1950s, as a popular revival of the opulent Edwardian period (1901-1910), with an additional touch of American Western inspiration. The members of the movement were known as Teddy Boys. The unisex look was based on knee-length riding coats (black, bright mauve, red, yellow or green), with padded shoulders and narrow waists, buttoned up high with velvet revers. They were very similar to the famous American “zootsuits.” They were worn with precious embroidered waistcoats, frilly shirts, and fastened at the neck with strings or thin ties, cowboy style. Their pants were straight and tight, and so referred to as “drainpipes,” and they were sometimes highlighted with a band of silk along the sides. Hair was normally worn long, swept back in a high quiff, with exaggerated sideburns. Though the luxurious, rich, and sophisticated Edwardian period lasted less than a decade (it came to an end with the death of Edward VII in 1910), this fashion went on for little longer. However, it represented a post-war period of carefree youth, amusement and a return to pleasure, almost an attempt to rediscover the lost madness of that English aristocracy. Although limited, the New Edwardians movement had its importance, above all in men’s fashions and the development of street style.