Working-class fashion in the mid-1950s consisted of drape jackets and tight drainpipe trousers. Hairstyles for boys (and some girls) were variations of the "Tony Curtis" with a DA at the back. Males might wear a bushy forelock or a Brylcreamed "elephants trunk" which pointed to the front. The "south bank" combined a crew-cut brush on top with the obligatory sideburns and swept-back hair at the sides. Shoes were customarily sued with thick crepe soles. By the end of the 1950s drape jackets gave way to Italian bum-freezers and crepe sole shoes were supplanted by pointed winkle-pickers.
With a few coins in my pocket I took Pat on a Fairground ride or two and walked her home. She wore a felt Robin Hood hat with a feather which was fashionable for both sexes in North London in 1959-1960. My mate Gordon wore one to cover the bald patch he got when his fluffy quiff was torn from his scalp by the machine he was using at the factory. Pat wore a short white plastic coat and matching high heels, with a tightish knee-length skirt. To the best of my ability my own clothes emulated Teddy Boy fashions. I favored the Mississippi gambler look and wore a bootlace tie.
