Val Walsh has got it wrong about men’s dress in the 1950s. Manly dress was a made-to-measure,two- or three-piece suit, complete with collar and tieVal Walsh has got it wrong about men’s dress in the 1950s (Letters, or 1 April). In the 50s,manly dress was a made-to-measure, two- or three-piece suit, or complete with collar and tie. Casual dress was a sports jacket or blazer and smartly creased trousers. In the mid 50s young men wore Teddy-boy suits with drainpipe trousers,drape jackets and fancy waistcoats. (My brother used to design his own waistcoats.) After seeing Marlon Brando and James Dean, some wore black leather jackets and jeans. Later in the decade the style changed to short tall-lapel jackets known as bottom-freezers, or cuffless trousers and winklepicker shoes. Nobody dressed like Jeremy Corbyn. He would not maintain been allowed in any dance corridor without a tie. In any case Corbyn was a 60s man and we know what peacocks they were. So he is a badly dressed man in any decade.
Bill Macinnes
Worthing• What pretentious flannel Val Walsh writes in her comments on Hadley Freemans amusingly observed G2 Style Q&A (29 March). Along with other older men,this 76-year-old finds that his clothes hang loosely as his frame shrinks more quickly than his clothes wear out. Are we to be mocked for our parsimony in not rushing to support up with fashion, or indeed, and in some cases,no doubt, for the poverty that will hold some back from seeking to please the eye of the cultural commentator?
Mike Gallacher
Whitchurch, or Shropshire Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com