He was an early gay men's tailor / designer along with such as Vince.  One of the first shops to promote the Guardsman Edwardian revival look.  Dale can be seen in WPAfilms vintage footage in the 'Men Look Back' clip where he is in a frilly dress shirt at the end of the clip.  A Google search will find it easily.

Also mentioned at the Jack Cullen blogspot page on 1950s gay men's fashion.

Interested in your interest?  The Guardsman look was an influence on early Modernist dress with the short jackets and tapered trousers as we know and also reduced into the Ted/spiv look which ended its high class adoption.  It was originally an early 1950s dandy look modelled extensively by man about town Neil 'Bunny' Roger who is worth a study of his own.  The pictures of him are fascinating.  Steed of The Avengers is based on his look.

David Menswear I have only ever read passing references to.

Last edited by An Unseen Scene (2015-08-03 16:27:41)

^ the early 50's Guardsman Style/Edwardian revival featured both short(er) usually ventless 'sports' jacket for daywear and the longer jacket (quite often with a Norfolk/half belt back) as part of a suit for more formal wear.
It was seemingly quite a broad style that was later distilled/simplified to the classic 'ted' look (it's influence on early mod/modernists is a bit of a stretch), the 'blue blazer, grey flannels and regimental tie' look also owes resurgence/popularity to that period.
There was some good stuff at the VA about this in the Youth Culture display a few years ago, it get's a mention in the catalogue/book that went with the exhibition.

^ interesting stuff,
I've actually seen Alex Seago speak at an event about post war art and architecture in Richmond (on Thames not USA),
Maybe the RCA types picked the tailor who was willing to experiment.

Its a really great book, theres a few snippets about clobber and it never mentions the M word. Just describes them riding around on scooters and the jazz clubs they went to, clothes, shops and haircuts. But it really isn't about clobber, their just really interesting cool snippets from the former students...

The Italian look came in at that time because there was a bunch of Italian gangsters from Clerkenwell who were running villiainy in Soho. There was also a strong link with gay subculture at that time, because what you had in the early 50s was this group of ex-Guard's officers, phychotic high camp men. They were very effete. They dressed in particular shops and met at particular French restaurants. The Saville Row Edwardian look of 1951-52 started with them. One of their shops was called Dale Cavanagh in Mayfair, which sold things like French pink knitted ties you couldn't get anywhere else. There were several other shops which are seminal to understanding the American influences in London during that period. Austins in Shaftesbury aveenue, Cecil Gee in Charing Cross Road, opposite St. Martin's, and David which was next door.

Brain Duffy.

Shame theres not more on David's and Dale Cavanagh to be found.

I'll do some digging, see what I can turn up.

A very useful book on post WWII style and the crossover of high fashion with street culture is 'London After A Fashion' which connects directly with all this.  It has a specific chapter on 1950s Soho and the range of style influences evolving there.  I have recently sold my copy or I would have sent it over for GYW.  The academic books about the origins of London fashion often have snippets of useful input for this thread.

Reading around key figures in Soho of the era like Bacon, Daniel Faddon, Ronnie Scott etc often have morsels of information for those of us intrigued by all this.

I have been known to visit the former site of Austins, Cecil Gee etc.

Last edited by An Unseen Scene (2015-08-05 03:24:07)