Suit
late 1960s (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This Tonik suit by Haff Tailors Ltd (UK) formed part of an outfit worn by Gaz Mayall and displayed in the exhibition Streetstyle, From Sidewalk to Catwalk, 1940 to Tomorrow held at the V&A in 1994-5. The complete outfit consisted of a red felt hat; the Tonik suit; a cotton shirt by National Sports Shirts (Jamaica); a cotton string vest; nylon socks (USA); leather loafers; nylon underpants; elastic braces and a silk handkerchief. It reflected a style of ‘Rude Boy’ dress worn by some British men in the 1960s.
Rude Boy culture originated in the ghettos of Kingston, coinciding with the popular rise of rocksteady music, dancehall celebrations and sound system dances. Young, urban and frequently unemployed, Rude Boys drew inspiration for their cool and smart style – sharp suits, thin ties and pork-pie or Trilby hats – from American gangster movies. Increased emigration in the 1960s saw Rude Boy style and music, ska and rocksteady, first influencing UK skinhead culture, then, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the music and fans of the Two Tone ska revival.
“The Jamaicans were famous for their loud hats and their individually tailored and extravagant mixture of garments. In Britain in the 1970s we picked up on this 1960s style but stuck to more low-key, off-the-peg versions. The suit is original 1960s but I wore it in 1978 with as much gold as we could afford and we used gold cigarette paper on our teeth as a cap” (Gaz Mayall).
Rude Boy culture originated in the ghettos of Kingston, coinciding with the popular rise of rocksteady music, dancehall celebrations and sound system dances. Young, urban and frequently unemployed, Rude Boys drew inspiration for their cool and smart style – sharp suits, thin ties and pork-pie or Trilby hats – from American gangster movies. Increased emigration in the 1960s saw Rude Boy style and music, ska and rocksteady, first influencing UK skinhead culture, then, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the music and fans of the Two Tone ska revival.
“The Jamaicans were famous for their loud hats and their individually tailored and extravagant mixture of garments. In Britain in the 1970s we picked up on this 1960s style but stuck to more low-key, off-the-peg versions. The suit is original 1960s but I wore it in 1978 with as much gold as we could afford and we used gold cigarette paper on our teeth as a cap” (Gaz Mayall).
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | wool |
| Brief description | Suit: jacket and trousers, Tonik, Haff Tailors Ltd., Great Britain, late 1960s |
| Physical description | Tonik suit: shot single-breasted jacket and creased trousers. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Registered File number 1995/306, Streetstyle exhibition 1994-1995, in the exhibition it was part of an outfit called 'Rude Boy UK 1960s' (includes the trilby hat T.320-1995, the shirt T.321-1995, the vest T.322-1995, the handkerchief T.323-1995, the socks T.324-1995, the shoes T.325-1995, the underpants T.326-1995 and the braces T.327-1995). Part of a 'Rude Boy' outfit (T.318 to 327-1995). Worn by Gaz Mayall. |
| Historical context | 'Red felt hat; Tonik suit, Haff Tailors Ltd, UK; cotton shirt, National Sports Shirts, Jamaica; cotton string vest, nylon socks USA; leather loafers; nylon underpants; elastic braces; silk handkerchief. “The Jamaicans were famous for their loud hats and their individually tailored and extravagant mixture of garments. In Britain in the 1970s we picked up on this 1960s style but stuck to more low-key, off-the-peg versions. The suit is original 1960s but I wore it in 1978 with as much gold as we could afford and we used gold cigarette paper on our teeth as a cap” (Gaz Mayall). Worn by Gaz Mayall.' The son of influential blues-rock musician John Mayall, Gaz Mayall performed his debut concert as a member of the Trojans on December 23, 1986. After releasing his debut album on his own Ala Ska label in 1987, he built a still-growing following in Japan, where he has toured several times. Mayall continues to hold court at his London nightclub, Gaz's Rockin' Blues Club. |
| Summary | This Tonik suit by Haff Tailors Ltd (UK) formed part of an outfit worn by Gaz Mayall and displayed in the exhibition Streetstyle, From Sidewalk to Catwalk, 1940 to Tomorrow held at the V&A in 1994-5. The complete outfit consisted of a red felt hat; the Tonik suit; a cotton shirt by National Sports Shirts (Jamaica); a cotton string vest; nylon socks (USA); leather loafers; nylon underpants; elastic braces and a silk handkerchief. It reflected a style of ‘Rude Boy’ dress worn by some British men in the 1960s. Rude Boy culture originated in the ghettos of Kingston, coinciding with the popular rise of rocksteady music, dancehall celebrations and sound system dances. Young, urban and frequently unemployed, Rude Boys drew inspiration for their cool and smart style – sharp suits, thin ties and pork-pie or Trilby hats – from American gangster movies. Increased emigration in the 1960s saw Rude Boy style and music, ska and rocksteady, first influencing UK skinhead culture, then, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the music and fans of the Two Tone ska revival. “The Jamaicans were famous for their loud hats and their individually tailored and extravagant mixture of garments. In Britain in the 1970s we picked up on this 1960s style but stuck to more low-key, off-the-peg versions. The suit is original 1960s but I wore it in 1978 with as much gold as we could afford and we used gold cigarette paper on our teeth as a cap” (Gaz Mayall). |
| Bibliographic reference | Surfers, Soulies, Skinheads & Skaters : Subcultural Style from the Forties to the Nineties
Described in the exhibition publication, part of an outfit called 'Rude Boy UK 1960s'. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.318, 319-1995 |
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| Record created | May 30, 2007 |
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