What fashion innovation can Britain confidently claim as their own?

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abfgern_@reddit

Weren't we the first army to stop wearing ridiculous bright uniforms in the late 1800s, so I'm claiming anything camo

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SaxonChemist@reddit

The French were still wearing blue at the outbreak of WWI - they thought élan was important in war 😖

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Cardigans, wellingtons and Balaclavas and that was from just one war… also a lot of the 60s fashions and the whole punk movement. To be honest, anything much older is hard to give a specific location to - kilts were apparently Persian, trousers were Chinese, but the rest…

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SaxonChemist@reddit

Wellington was the Peninsular War & the Battle of Waterloo (1815), not the Crimean War

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mynaneisjustguy@reddit

Not same war

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malkebulan@reddit

Pink jeans with a lemon coloured sweater, worn over the shoulders. Finish the outfit with a pair of deck shoes.

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SuburbanBushwacker@reddit

really? i always think of new england “Nantucket Pinks”

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malkebulan@reddit

It seems like the USA, France & Italy can claim to be the originators. Not sure what I was thinking.

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smarmy_the_blade@reddit

Pantalooons!

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riscos3@reddit

Wearing shorts and t-shirts at airports no matter what the temp. is or what time of year it is.

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SuburbanBushwacker@reddit

also see shorts paired with a puffa jacket

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vertigo90@reddit

Also Newcastle

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Lonosholder@reddit

Canadians entering the conversation 🤣

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Mammoth-Squirrel2931@reddit

and the Aussies / Kiwis

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SuburbanBushwacker@reddit

the raglan sleeve, the trench coat, the tie,

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TurnLooseTheKitties@reddit

Y- Fronts

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antiquemule@reddit

Doc Martins as not just work boots. As I remember it, the Man United skinheads adopted the steel capped model for kicking the shit out of other fans around 1969-70 and it went from there.

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Sea_Fuel_2138@reddit

Docs are originally German as I was led to believe.

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antiquemule@reddit

That's news to me

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Busy_Mortgage4556@reddit

They used to polish the metal steel toe caps.

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wildOldcheesecake@reddit

Not what it once was. A shame.

I still buy doc martens because I like the styles. But Solovair is what you want these days

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CptDobby@reddit

My first pair of Solovairs only lasted six months, the sole on the right boot split in two places. I'm sure it was just a manufacturing fault and they did send a replacement pair out but it's put me off buying from them again.

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smidgit@reddit

Go for some Solovairs - original doc marten factory in Nottingham! I’ve got a few pairs. They’re a bit pricey but I’ve worn one pair of boots at least 5 times a week for a year and there’s absolutely no sign of wear or tear on them. And they didnt require breaking in.

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presterjohn7171@reddit

I've still got a couple of pairs of Doc's. The shoe versions. They must be 10 years old now. They have still not broken in! 😂

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Spank86@reddit

I remember in the 80s only specific shops would sell doctor martens, they were still more or less workmans boots, a year or so later and you could get them in Clarkes. Then the red ones came out, and it was the beginning of the end.

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Frenchymemez@reddit

I still find Doc's have good durability. I bought a pair like 8 years ago that are still absolutely fine. Granted I polish them regularly, and only wear them maybe a third of the year, but they survived a motorcycle crash with no issues.

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Spdoink@reddit

The ever-present Deerstalker hat.

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debrisaway@reddit (OP)

Isn't that Yank?

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Spdoink@reddit

Scottish.

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Sea_Fuel_2138@reddit

Vivienne Westwood I would say.

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VodkaMargarine@reddit

Putting your tie around your head when you get drunk at a wedding.

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Creative_Bank3852@reddit

Using a hanky with a knot in each corner as an impromptu sunhat 🫡

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Poddster@reddit

Koreans and Japanese alcoholics do that too. I wonder who invented it?

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Acrobatic-Pudding-87@reddit

Tucking you school tie inside your shirt so only the knot shows and/or wearing your school tie with the thin end facing out.

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mulberrybushes@reddit

Is Scotland included? Shetland sweaters, tartans...

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Ancient-Thought5492@reddit

Harris tweed!

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nasted@reddit

And arran knit jumpers!

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finch-fletchley@reddit

Aran jumpers originated from the Aran Islands, in Ireland

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nasted@reddit

lol - I thought they were Scottish isles!

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stealthykins@reddit

Aran vs Arran

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nasted@reddit

So my geography is good - but my knitting knowledge isn’t. Quite harsh downvoting for knitting.

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stealthykins@reddit

The downvotes aren’t me. (I used to have the same misconception until I wondered why the knit type only had a single ‘r’).

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Current-Wasabi9975@reddit

Same, thought it was Arran too!

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wtf_amirite@reddit

Unfortunately yes, we’re still included 🤣🤣 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

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Gusdor@reddit

Leaving the union good. Leaving the EU bad.

Sometimes I'm embarrassed to be Scottish....

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Current-Wasabi9975@reddit

And Paisley pattern

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Mammoth-Squirrel2931@reddit

The punk look as we think of it in our minds eye was contrived and popularised in the uk by Vivienne Westwood as first worn by the Sex Pistols.

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Frenchymemez@reddit

We can also probably thank Siouxie Sioux and Robert Smith for the Gothic look. Even if you don't want to consider those two as inspiration, the style is heavily inspired by Elizabethan and Victorian style anyway.

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Mammoth-Squirrel2931@reddit

Definitely!

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Cathcart1138@reddit

Almost all of it. Seriously. Apart from maybe denim workwear.

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IndependentOpinion44@reddit

Denim probably was invented in Britain. The “Serge De Nimes” thing may have just been british fabric merchants giving their product a fancy name.

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Efficient-County2382@reddit

And it had a terrible reputation, my grandfather's generation (born 1921) wouldn't have been seen dead in denim, was considered very rough.

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jlangue@reddit

De Nimes from the City of Nîmes, France .

Jeans aka genes from the region of Genoa, Italy - Gênes in French.

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Correct_Yesterday111@reddit

That would would be the indigo dyed dungri from the Indian subcontinent, the birthplace of cotton wear.

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60svintage@reddit

Evening suit, not Tuxedo. Evening suit came first, the tuxedo name came from a chap bringing a suit from the UK to Tuxedo and wearing it.

Bowler hat - definitely British.

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britishink@reddit

The Tuxedo Club is why Americans call them tuxedos.

In 1886 a member was invited to dinner with the Prince of Wales and asked what should he wear. He was sent to the princes tailor and fitted for a dinner jacket, wore it when back in America and the club members had the same style made.

Interestingly the original tuxedos were midnight blue with black satin cowl lapels.

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debrisaway@reddit (OP)

So which country gets the credit?

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britishink@reddit

England

It's a dinner jacket...

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britishink@reddit

Bondage trousers, pixie boots,stay presst, any GenXer will know

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Ok-Fondant2536@reddit

Trench coat
Duffle coat
Peacoat
Three-piece suit
Tweed jacket / Norfolk jacket
Dinner jacket (Tuxedo)
Bowler hat
Top hat
Flat cap
Brogues
Chelsea boots
Oxford shoes
Cricket whites
Rugby shirt
Kilt (Scottish)
Barbour jacket

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Jon_talbot56@reddit

polo neck? ties? Oxford bags? frock coats? anything punk? bell bottoms? cummerbund? Fairisle? Tartan? Paisley? Argyle patterning? Wellingtons? Fisherman’s smocks? Brogues are Irish. The holes were to let water out when walking across bogs.

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Ok-Fondant2536@reddit

Well, no. The polo neck was invented in france by the Lacoste guy. Ties were invented in Croatia. Cummerbunds are from India. Tartan came from the chinese people. Paisley is a traditional pattern from India as well.

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britishink@reddit

I think they mean polar neck, a very high and doubled over turtle neck (in the USA)...

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Jon_talbot56@reddit

That’s why l put the question marks. But l think there are five million Scots who will disagree with you about tartan. I know Paisley originated in Persia and India but it was the Paisley mills who turned it into something global

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prustage@reddit

The mini skirt largely invented and promoted by Mary Quant.

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snapper1971@reddit

Promoted by, sure. Definitely not invented by her. That honour belongs to the people of Crete in antiquity.

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stealthykins@reddit

The Vinča culture would like a word…

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JaquieF@reddit

Again, historical not fashion.

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stealthykins@reddit

Sorry, it was more a dig at the Cretan claim, rather than denying Quant’s invention. I should have been more verbose.

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JaquieF@reddit

Ah. I see that now. I shouldn't have been so quick to comment

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Tsarinya@reddit

You’re confusing archaeological precedent from fashion invention. They wore short skirts yes but they were part of a specific ancient culture, not connected to modern fashion history. The mini skirt as we know it is a fashion choice linked to youth, sexual liberation and the advent of mass production.

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gohugatree@reddit

With that argument surely cave men with a fur wrap got their first? The question was fashion not historical dress…

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MayContainRawNuts@reddit

A) We dont know as no dress has survived to be examined.

B) the images we do have are open for interpretation

Are the images of just a skirt, the ends of a shirt style undergarment? Is it part of a legs covering undergarment as a skirt that short will not provide modesty protection.

More than likely the design depicted is a kit rather than a skirt. To be clear a kilt is a long piece of cloth, wrapped around and held in place with a belt, while a skirt is a looped tube of cloth, stepped into.

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BocaSeniorsWsM@reddit

Oxford Bags

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weedywet@reddit

Harris tweed.

White collar and cuff dress shirts.

Arran knit jumpers

Chelsea boots.

Possibly the mini skirt.

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Drewski811@reddit

The mini skirt.

Oxford shoes

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snapper1971@reddit

The mini skirt

Crete sometime in the 2nd millennium BCE.

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elementarydrw@reddit

Can't seem to find anything about ancient Crete peoples rocking mini-skirts... You really wanna die on that hill?

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debrisaway@reddit (OP)

😆

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foxssocks@reddit

Scouse brows.

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mediadavid@reddit

New York might claim it, but punk fashion was provably invented in London

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mcbeef89@reddit

Richard Hell is due significant credit tbf

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grubbygromit@reddit

Settle it like punks and have a fight.

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debrisaway@reddit (OP)

Yanks would disagree

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mediadavid@reddit

In this case yanks are wrong. Punk music arguably started in New York, but punk fashion definitely started in London with Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood.

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grubbygromit@reddit

Trousers or wellington boots. I know trousers were around for centuries but the question is about fashion

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Objective_Ticket@reddit

The Macintosh.

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Alecmalloy@reddit

Harrington Jackets? Didn't baracuta invent them? Also, football shirts as casual fashion was pioneered by Leicester-based Admiral with their shirt designs but also the jackets and scarves and stuff. There's a documentary about it, but basically the woman who designed the kits wasn't into football, so just designed shirts more like casual wear, so you got the big collars and the diamonds on sleeves and stuff. It's really cool!

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LordBrixton@reddit

Bowler hats, top hats, trilby hats. And that's just the hats.

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wtf_amirite@reddit

Derby hats

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Birdman_of_Upminster@reddit

Isn't that the American term for a bowler?

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QOTAPOTA@reddit

Flat cap?

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RHS1959@reddit

Cardigans and Raglan sleeves were both invented by eponymous British army officers

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RakasSoun@reddit

Balaclava as well? Another Crimean link?

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TarcFalastur@reddit

And Wellington boots. Not Crimean, but 19th century military.

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RHS1959@reddit

Right, I forgot that one

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No-Decision1581@reddit

Dunno about either but a decent tune none the less

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Joanna1604@reddit

Queen Victoria was responsible for popularising the white wedding dress. People before wore their best dress regardless of colour.

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hallerz87@reddit

Men's formal wear e.g. business suits, black tie, white tie.

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nasted@reddit

The puffball skirt was Vivienne Westwood, I believe. And it’s stood the test of time immensely well.

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wtf_amirite@reddit

The knotted hankie worn rakishly on the head.

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AfraidOstrich9539@reddit

Firecracker up the arse? But that is more of an English thing rather than British.

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Jagermeister_UK@reddit

Black Tie

Doc Martens

Mini skirt

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Acrobatic-Pudding-87@reddit

Surely the suit?

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Jon_talbot56@reddit

Charles II to be exact- wore the first three piece suit

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VisenyaRose@reddit

Beau Brummell pioneered the suit as it came to be

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debrisaway@reddit (OP)

Italian?

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mozart84@reddit

patched elbows on jackets

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havingmares@reddit

Capri pants were invented by a British designer I believe, whilst on holiday.

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dinobug77@reddit

Were they in Capri?

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FlorianTheLynx@reddit

They were on a driving holiday in a Ford Capri.

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havingmares@reddit

Apparently not, and I've just checked and though popularised by Bunny Roger, looks like they were actually invented by a German.

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jlangue@reddit

Deeley boppers.

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Gauntlets28@reddit

Arguably, the modern tailored suit was Beau Brummel's doing. The shift towards more muted colours, the more tailored fit, etc. So probably that.

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Jon_talbot56@reddit

Nah. Charles II

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echojive@reddit

Mods: Buttoning the top button definitely

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CuriousThylacine@reddit

Mini skirts

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Tsarinya@reddit

Raincoats, tweed, tartan, trench coat, mini skirt, dinner jacket, cardigans

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drPmakes@reddit

Mary quant popularised the mini skirt and hot pants

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Popular_Speed5838@reddit

It was a massive scandal in Australia when Twiggy (British 60’s supermodel) wore a nun skirt to the Melbourne cup. No one knew what to think apparently, she likely would have been arrested for public indecency if she wasn’t a specially invited guest.

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BeerElf@reddit

I know Joanna Lumley was hissed at in Paris for a just-above-the-knee Mini Skirt.

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Leagueofcatassasins@reddit

Jean shrimpton nto twiggy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_shift_dress_of_Jean_Shrimpton

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Popular_Speed5838@reddit

Yeah, your link shows a picture and it’s barely above the knees. It was damned near pornography in Australia at the time though.

She was pretty.

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Leagueofcatassasins@reddit

Yeah, I would just call it an above the knees dress and not mini. And it’s not like the 1960s didn’t have short minis! i think that’s why she didn’t realize herself that it would cause a scandal because in trendy circles in the uk that wouldn’t have been considered skirt but for the Melbourne cup it was.

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jonathananeurysm@reddit

Hmmm. Similar question was asked yesterday. If this is AI data scraping it's not gonna work cos we're all too sarcastic.

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jock_fae_leith@reddit

Turn ups on suit trousers
Waistcoat bottom button undone

both Edward VII

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Delicious_Link6703@reddit

Gabardine fabric ( unless this is covered by Burberry).

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PixelTeapot@reddit

Dammit, only after clicking the headline do I find the set I have to confidently quote that the rest of the world 'avoided and ridiculed' is apparently not wanted here......

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suspicious-donut88@reddit

The trench coat was created and adapted by Burberry, a company started in Basingstoke, during WW1

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Glittering_Sky4612@reddit

Mini skirt

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Bespoke_Panther@reddit

Donkey jacket

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SirJedKingsdown@reddit

'Black Tie' outfits exist because of Queen Victoria's mourning period.

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TacetAbbadon@reddit

Pretty much all men's formal wear. Also the styling and colour choices being more restrained.

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Cosmic-Hippos@reddit

The Mini skirt , bless Mary Quant

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EconomicsPotential84@reddit

The Suit. If you look at the regency period dress, it's very much a proto suit. This was further simplified and became even more noticeable in the Victorian era with the frock coat and later morning coat. Later in the 19th century, you had the lounge suit, which was for informal events. It's pretty much a modern suit.

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