I'd like to add a bit more meat to the bones of this thread as I'm fascinated that there was another group influenced by American tailoring and music (Jazz & R&B) before the Modernists of London Town.... There were just a handful of original Modernists in London and it is now crossing my mind that there may of been just one or two of the Cunard Yanks to visit London, friends or otherwise, and that their clothing style, American cut suits/shirts/ties, influenced one or two of the London boys... you know the story after that..... now that would be a turn up... that Modernism originated in Liverpool!!


I found this piece and from it you can tell a little bit of the wonder of these Brits seeing a 'technicolour' America when coming from a post war 'B&W' Britain.


An adventure:-

"In the late 40’s and early 50’s Liverpool was a city still scarred by the war. Like most other towns and cities in the UK, South Castle St., Lord Street, Church Street and most of the city centre scenes of rubble and devastation. Everywhere, seemed dark, the city shrouded in dust and shades of grey. Food was still on ration, and all luxuries in short supply, if any at all.

Then magic, you sailed with Cunard to New York. A wonderland of lights, shops bursting at the seams with all the goodies you couldn’t get at home. We were like kids in a candy shop, we were kids in the biggest candy shop in the world!

Broadway at night, remember at home everything shut down at 10.30. Pubs, dances, cinemas. New York at night, you felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Going from a black and grey world into one of Technicolour. At least that’s how I felt to me.

We worked, by God we worked 10 or 12 hours a day, bar stocks, scrub out, oh yes we also waited on tables. But we had our rewards. Remember all the things we brought back. Things you couldn’t get at home.

For mum, there were the store boxes tinned and packet foods we bought in New York and helped of course by a friendly butcher, baker, fruit man and storekeeper. Anyone
Else bring “Aunty Jemina! Pancake mixture across?

But then first things first, the gear, American suits, fingertip drapes, at home, black brown, grey blue. Here every colour and shade in the rainbow, stripes, checks, herringbone if it wasn’t in New York it didn’t exist.

Shirts, I remember pressing my nose against Harry Cotler’s window, full of just shirts, every shade of blue, pink, yellow, grey, red, oh yes and white one’s too. Tie City, 1000’s of tie’s, cuff links.

With our mohair suits, pin-tab or Mr B shirts, remember them, Slim Jim ties,
Ox blood moccasins, Thom McCann’s of course, we thought we looked like Sinatra or Curtis, okay so we could dream, but dressed up in Yankee gear we where halfway there.

I know we were peacocks and posers, but it was great wasn’t it?, and the girls loved it, and after all, that’s what it was all about. And we never forgot the ladies. Nylon stockings with all the fancy designs on them, pagoda umbrellas, gorgeous colours, perfumes, watches, you name it, we brought it home for the girl or girls of our dreams.

You know, I reckon Merchant Seamen were the only men in the world that knew their wives or girlfriends dress sizes, if it’s 3000 miles to the shop, you had better be right.
And the other things too, the dinette sets. Those gleaming chrome and plastic Giant vibrator tables and chairs. Table and bed linen, tea and dinner services.

Then we found the Salvation Army thrift store, second hand furniture and Giant vibrator appliances, washing machines, fridges, freezers and dishwashers. With a little help from the ships electrician, a step down to convert the current, and welcome to the 20th century.

Little three up and three down terrace houses without baths and outside toilets had household appliances, the middle class didn’t have.

So that’s how we were, Tony Curtis D.A., midnight blue mohair suit, crisp laundered shirt, knitted tie with a Windsor knot and shoes you could see your face in, a few pounds in your pocket, you were king of the dance halls.

Boy where we ever that young then as time moved on into the late 50’s all the things we used to get became obtainable back home.

Too bad.

But it was great while it lasted."

This page has 'The Big Wheels' contribution.

Posts 131 & 133


http://filmnoirbuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=907&p=6

Last edited by The Style Council (2007-07-11 09:12:13)

You know, I think this might be relevant. In the 1980s every girl I had dated had seen a movie that no one else had seen. Ir was a Masterpiece directed by John Shlessinger(?), the apprentice to David Lean. All about the American Invasion of England in 1942-D-Day.It was titled "YANKS" all the girls commented on Richard Gere's posterior and I can only speculate about their opinions of mine. But it is an undiscovered classic, about the American invasion of England, I'm not sure what it means for clothes, but it may be the best movie you never saw.  and it stands the test of time. and maybe it says somthing about american culture taking over the mother country. but I recommend it highly. tom

Good thread. As for NY ( street or working class ) influence on British subculture ( Soulboys in this case ) I once mentioned Italian style as seen in

http://imdb.com/title/tt0070379/

to Bomber. He meant to reply a serious post but that one got lost somehow when submitting. We discussed this via PM later and unfortunately the subject was dropped. Fascinating all this stuff going back and forth......