Retro Clothing Styles

The duffle coat gets its name from the word ‘duffel’, the name for the fabric the coat is made from, a coarse, thick, woollen material. The material comes from a town called Duffel in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, hence the name. After being supplied to the British Royal Navy in the late 19th century, the coats became available in the army surplus stock and quickly became popular with students, as they were both sturdy and durable as well as cheap. The coat has historically been associated with left-wing politics, as exemplified by it being worn by Labour leader Michael Foot. It was also popular among the mod subculture of the 1960’s, and then worn in the 1990’s by members of the famous Britpop band Oasis.

Crombie Coat

The Crombie coat was originally designed by the British brand Crombie, founded in 1805 in Scotland, before it became a hallmark of men’s fashion. The woollen coattypically has a three-quarter length style, with a velvet collar often in a contrasting colour. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Crombie brand expanded due to upholding several military contracts, including the supply of uniforms to the British Army and Air Force. In the 1960’s and 70’s, Crombie-style coats grew in popularity among the mod and skinhead subcultures, becoming a popular alternative to the fishtail parka and trench coat. This coat has been worn by Sir Winston Churchill and The Beatles alike.

Fishtail Parka

The Fishtail Parka was originally created, like many classic items of clothing, for the US Army in Korea, but was soon adopted into the fashion world in the 1960’s, by the Mod subculture in London, where Vespas, tailored suits and fishtail parkas were suddenly all the rage. Alpha Industries is one of the military’s longest running outerwear contractors, and original manufacturer of the classic fishtail parka.

Donkey Jacket

The donkey jacket was made as a medium-length,durable work jacket for men, made from a thick woollen material and with large buttons down the front and leather shoulder panels, meaning it is suitable for outdoor work environments. When it was designed by George Keys for workers on the Manchester Ship Canal, it was named the ‘Donkey jacket’ after the donkey engines (a steam-powered engine) which were used for logging in construction. The donkey jacket is well-recognised for being typical of the British left-wing labourers and trade unionists, as well as being favoured by traditionalist skinheads.

Souvenir Jacket

These jackets can be traced back to WWII, when American troops in Japan had traditional Japanese designs, often including dragons, tigers and cherry blossoms, embroidered on the backs of their jackets as souvenirs to take home with them, explaining the name ‘souvenir jacket’. The jackets are typically waist-length, baseball-inspired and made from a silk-rayon blend – sometimes the material used was the excess silk extracted from military parachutes. Ironically, these jackets were worn by the Japanese youth in the 1960’s as a rebellion against the popularity of an American preppy style which was growing in popularity in Japan, and gained a negative reputation as it represented juvenile delinquency to wider society. In more modern times, the jacket has been worn by many pop-culture icons (such as Ryan Gosling’s character in the film Drive), and been interpreted by high-fashion brands such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton.

Track Jacket

The track jacket is a sporting jacket made from a polyester blend, and typically comes with matching sweatpants as part of a tracksuit.First designed in the 1960’s, they were originally worn by athletes over competition clothing, and taken off before they would compete. They began becoming relevant in fashion in the 1970’s, whenit became acceptable to wear the jacket outside of the gym – at the time, velour became the popular material for these jackets to be made from. In the 80’s and 90’s the track jacket garnered even more mainstream popularity, being worn frequently by the ‘casual’ subculture, associated with football hooliganism, and by famous pop and hip-hop acts (most notably Spice Girl Sport Spice and the rapper Jay Z). In the 2000’s, the velour track jacket became popular again, due to brands such as Juicy Couture.

Harrington Jacket

The Harrington Jacket is a lightweight, waist-length jacket typically made from cotton, polyester, wool or suede, often with a tartan lining. The very first Harrington jackets were made by British company Baracuta in the 1930’s, with Elvis Presley popularising the design in the 1958 film King Creole. The jacket, then known as the ‘Baracuta G9’, got its current name from the character Rodney Harrington in the 1960’s soap opera Peyton Place, who was usually seen adorning the jacket. Celebrities such as Steve McQueen and Frank Sinatra were often photographed wearing the jacket which helped to popularise it further. Its popularity surged in the 1960’s in the UK when it became a staple in the mod and skinhead subcultures, and experienced a resurgence of popularity in the 70’s and 80’s with mod and skinhead revivalists.

MA1 Flight Jacket

The MA1 bomber/flight jacket was developed for the American military in the mid-1950’s. The Air Force needed warmer jackets for pilots, as the new fighter jets could fly at much higher altitudes and in lower temperatures. The MA1 was also developed to be lighter than the preceding fleece-lined leather jackets that were worn by flight personnel, meaning easier access in and out of cockpits. In the 1960’s, the MA1 jacket was popularised in Europe, being exported by companies like Alpha Industries. It became fashionable in the 1970’s among the punk, mod and skinhead subcultures.

70s Cord Jacket

Corduroy, made from rows of twisted cotton fibres, is known as a sturdy fabric for workers’ clothes to be made from, and it dates all the way back to 200 A.D. in Egypt. Finer, more expensive versions of the fabric have been used to make nobility/royalty’s clothes – King Henry VIII wore it during his reign in the 16th century –but mainly it was used as working garments, popular with both farmers and factory workers. It began to be used more and more commonly as a fashion material in the mid-20th century, especially in the 60’s and 70’s, as a symbol of anti-establishment as a neutral, versatile fabric.

Mod Blazer

The blazer was invented in the 19th century in Cambridge university, when the Lady Margaret Boat Club needed a more versatile jacket to row in; not quite a suit jacket, but still suggestive of formality. The original was bright red to represent their team, the colour being inspiration for the name ‘blazer’; a nickname which stuck. Gradually the blazer spread to other sports which benefitted from the wearing of a lightweight jacket, and became particularly associated with the military and the Navy. The blazer then was adopted by the British mod subculture in the 60’s and 70’s, with bands such as The Who sporting in the jacket both on and off-stage.

Ruffle/Poet Shirts

Shirts with features such as the ruffle/frill front and/or full sleeves have been around since the 17th and 18th centuries, mostly worn by aristocrats as an undergarment, or by workmen as a plain shirt. The look is often associated with the Romantics of the 19th century, the poet Lord Byron, and the pseudo-historical costumes used for pirates and swordsmen in 20th and 21st century Hollywood. These shirts regained popularity in the 1960’s in a tailored fashion, which then developed into the 1980’s, when a glam-rock, androgynous look known as ‘New Romantic’ took over, led by acts such as Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet. This type of shirt has been worn by many famous celebrities and television/film characters over the years, notably Austin Powers and Liberace.

Bowling Shirt

These shirts, often two-tone earth colours with stripes or geometric patterns down the front, and made from polyester (or silk if a more expensive version), were originally designed to be worn for bowling – hence the name. Sometimesshirts would be emblazoned with team names on the back, or with small logos or monogram initials on the single left breast pocket. Two-tone bowling shirts are often associated with bar and billiards culture, and with the subcultures of rockabilly, ska, and jump blues music. Charlie Sheen’s character in the TV show Two and a Half Men often wore two-tone bowling shirts.

Tight-fit T-shirt

The t-shirt was made common the 1940’s during WWII, and was generally worn as an undergarment for men, or as sportswear. Marlon Brando wore one in the 1951 film A Streetcar Named Desire, and again in the 1954 film The Wild One, and this pushed the t-shirt even more into the mainstream. James Dean and Elvis Presley also took this look in the 1950’s, setting a trend for the 50’s youth subculture known as ‘greasers’. The tight, plain white t-shirt was often worn with braces, jean cuffs rolled up and workers’ boots, with the signature greased hair.

70s Disco/Psychedelic/Pop Art Shirts

Disco/psychedelic/pop-art shirts were inspired, and worn by, the hippies of the 1960’s and 70’s, whose counter-cultural, anti-capitalist and anti-war ideology reflected the 1950’s Beat Generation as well as certain social movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, such as the Bohemians. Many hippies were responding to the Vietnam war and nuclear bomb threats, preaching peace, love and unity. Psychedelic prints are reflective of the effects of taking hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD, DMT and magic mushrooms, where the taker would often hallucinate and develop a distorted sense of reality. The most famous proponents of the hippie movement include Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin and Stevie Nicks.

Western Cowboy Shirt

The cowboy shirt is a part of a traditional Western ensemble, derived from the 19th century American West, or ‘Wild West’. It is characterised by having a contrasting, stylised yoke (a shaped pattern piece, usually fitting around the neck and shoulders), usually with floral designs and decorated with piping, and is usually constructed with denim or tartan fabric with long sleeves, and with snap buttons. In the 1950’s these shirts were worn by stars of western cowboy films, such as Roy Rogers and Clayton Moore in Lone Ranger. They are commonly worn with suede fringe jackets and cowboy hats, and are often associated with rockabilly and country-style music.

Hawaiian/Aloha Shirt

Although it is disputed as to exactly who invented the Hawaiian ‘Aloha’ shirt, it’s clear that the shirt came about in the 1920’s, and the various patterns used were heavily influenced by Japanese kimono print; for example, prints of bamboo, flowers and geometric shapes over a white background.The mainstream appreciation and tropical designs were due to Chinese-Hawaiian businessman Ellery Chun, who copyrighted the term “aloha shirts”, and then WWII veteran Alfred Shaheen, who hired local artists to do Japanese, Chinese, and Hawaiian designs for the aloha shirts he sold in his shop in Honolulu. The shirts became popular among off-duty naval servicemen, as an alternative to their usual drab uniforms, and holiday-goers alike.

Mod Polo Shirt

Although the exact origin of the polo shirt is unknown, you can date it back to the 19th century, whenBritish soldiers in Manipur, India set up the first polo club, after witnessing the horseback sport and wanting to try it for themselves. As the climate was so warm, the usual shirts worn to play were adjusted to be short-sleeved, and having the collar attached to the main shirt so that it would not flap in the wind while galloping. In 1862, the sport was introduced into England, along with this early version of the polo shirt. The polo shirt was then re-adapted in the 1920’s by the French tennis player Jean Rene Lacoste, who used pique cotton for breathability, a change which stuck. The polo shirt became immensely popular in 1950’s America, and again in 1960’s Britain among the mod subculture, where polo shirts with clean-cut, geometric designs were all the rage, courtesy of iconic mod brands such as Brutus and Gabicci. Its sporty influence, along with its adoption by designer brands such as Ralph Lauren, also meant that the polo shirt had a place with the 80’s casuals.

Brothel Creepers

A version of this style became popular with World War II soldiers in North Africa, who wore suede shoes with crepe rubber soles. The crepe soles may have been why the shoes were given the name ‘creeper’, and the ‘brothel’ part of the name comes from the rubber sole, meaning that American servicemen could visit brothels without being heard. Creepers were firstly adopted by the teddy boys of the 50’s, but soon enough they had spread to many of the other youth subcultures, such as the rockabillies, bikers and rockers.

Sta-Press Trousers

The term ‘Sta-Press’ originally comes from the phrase ‘stay-pressed’, coined by Levi Strauss & Co in 1964, and used to promote their brand of wrinkle-resistant trousers that didn’t need ironing out of the dryer, always featuring front and back creases which were the fashion at the time. These trousers were a core aspect of every British mod, skinhead, and rudeboy’s wardrobe in the 1960’s. Later in the 20th century, brands such as Lee, Wrangler and Merc created their own versions of Sta-Press trousers.

Tracksuit Bottoms/Sweatpants

Usually as part of a set, called a ‘tracksuit’, tracksuit bottoms originated as sportswear, and are typically made from a polyester blend. First designed in the 1960’s, they were originally worn by athletes over competition clothing. They began becoming relevant in fashion in the 1970’s, when it became acceptable to wear a tracksuit outside of the gym – at the time, velour became the popular material for tracksuits to be made from. In the 80’s and 90’s the tracksuit garnered even more mainstream popularity, being worn frequently by the ‘casual’ subculture, associated with football hooliganism, and by famous pop and hip-hop acts (most notably Spice Girl Sport Spice and the rapper Jay Z). In the 2000’s, the velour tracksuit became popular again, due to brands such as Juicy Couture.

Skinny Jeans

Before skinny jeans entered mainstream pop-culture, there were only tapered, skinny-fit trousers. Although worn in several different styles before the 20th century, they became a real wardrobe staple in the 1950’s, often linked with country and rock ‘n’ roll singers. Elvis Presley famously wore a pair of drainpipe jeans while performing, which at the time was considered ‘shocking’, and began the association of skinny jeans with the ‘bad boy’ image. Skinny jeans became even more popular in the 60’s and 70’s with the mod, teddy boy and glam rock subcultures, and were worn by musicians such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. The look of skinny jeans and dark clothing starkly contrasted the colourful, practical look of the hippies, who wore flared/bell-bottomed jeans. Metal bands in the 80’s and 90’s were also big fans of the skinny-jeans look, but they were generally phased out during this era due to the rising popularity of baggy jeans worn by grunge and R&B/hip-hop artists.Their popularity grew back drastically from around 2006 onwards, and they are still worn by many people today.

Bell-Bottoms/Flare Jeans

Like so many other classic clothing items, bell-bottom, or flared, jeans originated from the U.S. Navy, being worn by sailors in the 19th century, before there was a standardised uniform. The trousers/jeans truly became fashionable for both men and women in the 1960’s and 70’s, as part of the hippie and disco movements. They were often worn with clogs or Chelsea boots, and typically had a circumference of 18 inches at the bottom of each leg opening. Musicians Sonny and Cher helped popularise the jeans in the 1970’s, as they often wore them on their TV show, and the circumference of the leg openings became fashionably wider and wider, with it becoming cool to wear them with platform heels to keep the pants’ hems off the ground. Flares went out of fashion in the 1980’s and 90’s as skinny jeans and baggy jeans became the fashionable item. However, they came back somewhat in the late 90’s as ‘boot-cut’ jeans, which, although similar to the typical bell-bottoms, had smaller flares.

Mini Skirt

Before the 1960’s ‘miniskirt’ came to be, short skirts for women mainly existed in a practical fashion, for sports such as figure skating, tennis, and cheerleading. The famous introduction of the mini skirt into mainstream fashionable society is most often linked to fashion designer and pioneer Mary Quant (who claimed that she named the skirt after her favourite make of car), although the French designer André Courràges also claimed to be the designer who invented the skirt. The skirt came along at the same time as the sexual revolution in Great Britain, being sold in the hub of ‘Swinging London’. There was, of course, a backlash to it, with media claiming it was ‘provocative’, but Mary Quant insisted it was not, as the skirt was intended to be worn with thick colourful tights, meaning that women would not be showing extra skin. The miniskirt survived in immense popularity throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, and is considered one of the most iconic and trailblazing items of British design.

1940’s Tea Dresses & Blouses

Tea dresses in the 1940’s were practical for the every-day errands a woman would have to run. They went down to just below the knee, and were loose-fitting; they were shorter than the dresses and skirts of the past due to the rationing of fabric brought on by the war. The necklines were high, and could be either square, heart, or v-shaped. They always had squared shoulders and a cinched-in bodice, to accentuate the ‘hourglass’ shape of a woman’s figure. In the early 40’s, the fabric was drab, only coming in shades of grey, blue or brown. However, later in the decade the fabrics available were brighter and more interesting, and often the dresses had adornments such as bows and pockets.

1950’s Dresses

The shape of 1950’s dresses had been seen before in women’s fashion throughout history; in the Victorian era, women also wore dresses with a corset and cinched-in waist, and flared skirt with a petticoat underneath. When this shape came back into style in the 50’s, it was a stark contrast to the shapelessflapper dresses that dominated the 20’s, and the exaggerated femininity and glamour was a far cry from the drab, conservative tea dresses of the 30’s and 40’s. This new wave of elegant style was a response to a blossoming consumerism in western society, which was newly recovered from World War II.

Duffle Coat