Trousers
ca. 1954 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
These trousers and the shirt (T.673-1995) were worn and given by John Hardy. They were exhibited in the V&A's Streetstyle exhibition of 1994 as a gay man's outfit worn in the mid-1950s. The donor worked in the shop 'Vince', and was a photographic model for its mail-order catalogue before becoming a successful full-time model.
Opened in Newburgh Street in 1954 by Bill Green, 'Vince' was the first men's boutique opened in the Carnaby Street area. The distinctive merchandise was influenced by continental European styling and often ahead of its time. The clothes were designed to enhance a muscular or athletic male body, with closely fitting trousers and short-sleeved shirts. This attracted a certain type of clientele, which the actor John Gielgud described as "Chelsea homosexuals, artists and theatricals, and muscle boys" (Nik Cohn, Today There Are No Gentlemen, London, 1971).
Opened in Newburgh Street in 1954 by Bill Green, 'Vince' was the first men's boutique opened in the Carnaby Street area. The distinctive merchandise was influenced by continental European styling and often ahead of its time. The clothes were designed to enhance a muscular or athletic male body, with closely fitting trousers and short-sleeved shirts. This attracted a certain type of clientele, which the actor John Gielgud described as "Chelsea homosexuals, artists and theatricals, and muscle boys" (Nik Cohn, Today There Are No Gentlemen, London, 1971).
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Denim |
| Brief description | Jeans, grey striped cotton, Vince, Great Britain, ca. 1954 |
| Physical description | Grey striped cotton jeans. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Credit line | Given by John Hardy |
| Object history | Registered File number 1994/966, Streetstyle exhibition 1994-1995, in the exhibition it was part of an outfit called 'Gay Style UK mid-1950s' (includes the shirt T.673-1995). Worn by John Hardy. |
| Summary | These trousers and the shirt (T.673-1995) were worn and given by John Hardy. They were exhibited in the V&A's Streetstyle exhibition of 1994 as a gay man's outfit worn in the mid-1950s. The donor worked in the shop 'Vince', and was a photographic model for its mail-order catalogue before becoming a successful full-time model. Opened in Newburgh Street in 1954 by Bill Green, 'Vince' was the first men's boutique opened in the Carnaby Street area. The distinctive merchandise was influenced by continental European styling and often ahead of its time. The clothes were designed to enhance a muscular or athletic male body, with closely fitting trousers and short-sleeved shirts. This attracted a certain type of clientele, which the actor John Gielgud described as "Chelsea homosexuals, artists and theatricals, and muscle boys" (Nik Cohn, Today There Are No Gentlemen, London, 1971). |
| Bibliographic reference | Surfers, Soulies, Skinheads & Skaters : Subcultural Style from the Forties to the Nineties
Described in the exhibition publication, part of "Gay style UK mid-1950s" outfit. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.465-1994 |
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| Record created | August 5, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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