Attire
Brylcream, Pomade, Brillantine, Pento, Gomina, … the hairstyling essential
The character in Eddy Mitchell’s 1974 song ‘la Ballade de Billy Brillantine’ was originally to be named ‘Rocky Pento’ (but the makers of Pento refused the use of their trademark. https://bespokeunit.com/articles/grooming/brylcreem-review-british-usa/
American teenage dress codes in the 1950s
Tattoos and earrings
Sideburns
Wide-striped shirts
The wide-striped shirt … the least commented sartorial attribute of teenage boys of the 1950s. They were meant to be more extravagant than ordinary monochrome or patterned shirts but definitely less flash than the typical 1950s two-tone shirt. They are also much better and more befitting of the 50s rock’n’roll style than the ‘Hawaiian shirts’ […]