Mod to Suedehead

[bunty]

He must be a Back Scuttler then.

 

[Man-of-Mystery]

Originally Posted by bunty

He must be a Back Scuttle then.

Quit while you're ahead.

 

[Lasttye]

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

Alex, that happens to be almost exactly how we tied our scarves in '67/68/69.

Yes thats right, as a chid i would see our Dads and Granddads, wearing like white silk scarfs, Braces, and often Boots,
Working classes never hardly wore shoes, this was the norm up until after the War, also boots would be past down.
I wore boots as a kid, in the Army, and everyday at work, I only ever wear shoes if i am going out in the evening or weekends

 

[Kingstonian]

Originally Posted by browniecj

The Crombie became popular twice-during the Skinhead years.The first time was about `68,this was when it was about looking around(not too many Outfitters stocked them)as they were expensve.They then came back into vogue in `69,when you could find the cheaper ones.More Shops were catering for the Skinhead Trade.At the end of this Period you had the really cheap and nasty ones come out.The less said about those the better.

A decent overcoat was easier to find in the High Street in the 1960s. Department stores' quality was lot better than today. So a decent wool Crombie style overcoat was readily available.

They were completely different to the sort of eBay tat for skinheads that you see today.

 

[Lasttye]

This is so interesting regarding Victorian gangs, Gangs of up to 500, This could only happen in real communities, even though they had fcuk all, they had Community,
On the Council estates of the 40s50s60s you had community, Once the White working classes moved out to the suburbs and the estates was taken over by immigrants from all over the World, The White working classes was destroyed.
I work in Social housing where 90% of tenants are Asylum seekers/ Refugees. the other 10% are the White and West Indian Underclass. that have been left behind.
The Estates are made up of fragmented Peoples who have nothing in common not even the same language to communicate in.
Here in London its like the White working classes have been exterminated. You just never see them.

 

[Man-of-Mystery]

Originally Posted by Lasttye

Here in London its like the White working classes have been exterminated. You just never see them.

The docks were a big employer, the Ford factory at Dagenham used to be massive, there were big industries all over Britain. All these things meant there were large working class communities.

Our manufacturing industry, our mines, our ports, all shrunk to nothing. You'd be hard pressed to say what working class even means these days.

 

[Alex Roest]

Just found this: London Born by Sidney Day. On pp. 66 -67, Day speaks about teenage fashions in the pre-WWII years. He states “If you was in full fashion the bottom of yer trousers was twenty-four inches circumference and you wore winkle picker shoes [And] We always had a white shirt with a detachable collar. The longer the lapels the more you was in fashion."

 

[Kingstonian]

Originally Posted by Lasttye

Here in London its like the White working classes have been exterminated. You just never see them.

A different subject but an interesting one. People were keen to move out to somewhere more leafy. Those that stayed that owned property found the prices of their homes rocketed. People facing Queens Park, for example. Gentrification. You then had barristers living in Kensal Rise like the man that was murdered a few years ago. Crossing the North Circular used to mean a suburb with avenues.

I have found that South East London folk are more likely to stay in their area. People from North of the river will move all over the shop.

 

[raging_rapid]

Originally Posted by Kingstonian

A decent overcoat was easier to find in the High Street in the 1960s. Department stores' quality was lot better than today. So a decent wool Crombie style overcoat was readily available.

They were completely different to the sort of eBay tat for skinheads that you see today.

Just to let you all know, you can still get good 'genuine quality' type 'Abercrombies' that are affordable (compared to the cost of Abercrombie one's themselves, which, you almost have to mortgage your house for), at Adams of London. The wool quality of these are superb.

What I also find interesting, is that most of the Classic brands (shoes, Abercrombie, etc) have manufacturers, who date back to the 1800s in terms of when their businesses first started.

 

[Brideshead]

Originally Posted by Little Queenie

Hello, nice to have you back. Did you enjoy Rome?
Thanks Queenie. Yes, very much. Hadn't been for over 20 years, and then only for a day. The biggest change was the sheer number of visitors today - mostly Americans and Japanese. The queues for major attractions were pretty long - but you could escape the worst of the crowds.

The style of the city is what stays with you, I think. Not just the style of the locals but the exquisite shape of a coffee cup, a cool marbled courtyard glimpsed through an open door, a painted ceiling in a small church or a fountain by Bernini. There, it's almost taken for granted after a day or two, but you notice the lack of it back in good old Essex

 

[Brideshead]

Originally Posted by raging_rapid

What I also find interesting, is that most of the Classic brands (shoes, Abercrombie, etc) have manufacturers, who date back to the 1800s in terms of when their businesses first started.

And beyond in some cases. You know I have tried before to point to a link between a man today and the past - especially in sartorial terms. We are, whatever our class tied to the past through our clothes.

Living in the late 60s there was a very strong sense that our clothing style reflected that of an earlier era. We had taken a traditional look and given it a twist or two.

 

[Lasttye]

Abercrombie is a American cloths company, Crombie is a British company. No relation.

 

[Batwing]

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

The docks were a big employer, the Ford factory at Dagenham used to be massive, there were big industries all over Britain. All these things meant there were large working class communities.

Our manufacturing industry, our mines, our ports, all shrunk to nothing. You'd be hard pressed to say what working class even means these days.


I use to work at the engine plant at Dagenham. In the canteen you would be met by an East end lady who would ask 'What the f**k do you want?' Of course, it was meant as a term of endearment

The food was good too...

 

[Lasttye]

Originally Posted by Kingstonian

A different subject but an interesting one. People were keen to move out to somewhere more leafy. Those that stayed that owned property found the prices of their homes rocketed. People facing Queens Park, for example. Gentrification. You then had barristers living in Kensal Rise like the man that was murdered a few years ago. Crossing the North Circular used to mean a suburb with avenues. I have found that South East London folk are more likely to stay in their area. People from North of the river will move all over the shop.
Thats interesting regarding South London, I dont go over there much, its a completely different world

I moved over to Notting Hill in 77 it was fairly run down back then, Over the years its become one of the most sort after areas to live, Some of the most rich and famous have moved it, You now have a overspill into Kensal Rise, Middle class moving in, But both areas have many deprived estates, and as you said Kingstonian that poor man got murdered in the back streets of Kensal Rise. These upper and middle class people are oblivious of their surroundings until they come unstuck. A couple of years ago a well known writer wrote a article in the Sunday Times, She put her Son in a well known State school in the area, He was mugged most days, and had her home broken in a couple of times,She became aware that the area was in fact quite a dangerous and violent place. In the end she moved out, If you live on one of these Council estates you are funny enough.. fairly safe, wacky.

 

[Batwing]

Originally Posted by Kingstonian

A decent overcoat was easier to find in the High Street in the 1960s. Department stores' quality was lot better than today. So a decent wool Crombie style overcoat was readily available.

They were completely different to the sort of eBay tat for skinheads that you see today.

I have been looking on eBay for the past month or so with little success.
Like you say, its mostly arse.

It dont help that I seem to be a lot larger that the folks from the 50-60s