Each town has it's own unique local sartorial history. Here I explore some aspects of the sartorial history of Lowestoft, the small seaside town where I live.
Sir Michael Caine...
One of Britain’s most iconic individuals - Sir Michael Caine CBE started his career initially in the fishing town of Lowestoft where he was in repertory.
He moved to Lowestoft when he was 21 years of age. Whilst in rep, he met the lead actress Patricia Haines at the Arcadia Theatre (now the East Coast Cinema in London Road South).
He had appeared in nine plays, during his time at the Arcadia Theatre with the Jackson Stanley's Standard Players and they were married on the 3rd of April 1954 at Lothingland Register Office in Lowestoft before moving on to London.
Photograph is provided by Gill Hindes the current owner of the old Lothingland Register Office in Lowestoft.
He has in the past described the first nine years of his career as "really, really brutal" as well as "more like purgatory than paradise". Thankfully he persevered to become one of the country’s greatest actors.
His career has lasted over 60 years, where he has appeared in more than 130 films during his career. It was here whilst in repertory he learned a lot of the skills that he would later rely on in his more successful role as an International Film star.
Besides being one of the world’s best actors, he is without doubt one of the most influential individuals when it comes to men's fashion and attire. In his younger days, he mixed with and was friends with fashion designers, fashion photographers and world class hairdressers.
I’m not going to list all of the films he’s featured in, but this is more of a list of films I have personally watched several times and love. Michael Caine made his breakthrough in the 1960s with starring roles in Zulu.
The Ipcress File released in 1965, where he plays the character Harry Palmer in a great film. In 1966 we find Michael Caine plays the part of Harry Palmer again in the film Funeral in Berlin. In both films he made wearing a raincoat very cool and synonymise with the character.
He also played the charismatic Alfie, my personal favourite The Italian Job and the iconic Battle of Britain. In the 1970s he starred in Get Carter, another favourite of mine in which Sir Michael played the character of Peachy, a long side his friend Sir Sean Connery in the man who would be King, he played the character of Colonel Steiner in The Eagle has Landed and A Bridge too Far. In the 1980s, he had success with Educating Rita and Hannah and her sisters. In 1987 he played the British spy John Preston in The Fourth Protocol. He played the role of a scoundrel in the comedy film Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Steve Martin in 1988.
In 1990s he played the role Ebenezer Scrooge in the Muppets version of a Christmas Carol. He was awarded his second Golden Globe for the film little voice. He was appointed a CBE in the 1992.
In 2000 he received a BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award. He also played another comedic role with Sandra Bullock in 2000 - Miss Congeniality and he was knighted as Sir Maurice Micklewhite CBE by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.
In 2002 he played Austin Powers father in the film Gold Member and in 2003 played a lovely role in the film Secondhand Lions.
In 2005-2012 he gained worldwide popularity for his portrayal of Alfred in The Dark Knight Trilogy. In 2013 he also appeared in the heist thriller film Now You See Me, he played in the action comedy film Kingsman: The Secret Service in 2014 and the crime film King of Thieves based upon the Hatton Garden robbery in 2018.
Sir Michael Caine has been nominated six times for an Oscar, winning his first Academy Award for the 1986 film called Hannah and her sisters.
In 2008, he was awarded the prize for his Outstanding Contribution to Showbusiness at the Variety Club Awards.
He has written several books and one of my favourites is Blowing the Bloody Doors Off And Other Lessons in Life, it maybe a long title, but it is a great read and very fitting, in which he exposes his life and experiences throughout his long and prestigious acting career. He is without doubt an icon of British fashion.
The Lowestoft Bally Shoe Factory...
The Swiss shoe company Bally was founded in 1851. The Bally shoe factory in the little fishing town of Lowestoft became an employer of over 300 people.
Believe it or not, the first person to step on the moon, wore space boots made by the Swiss shoe company Bally.
Bally established a factory in Norwich, employing a large number of people over several sites within the Norwich area. Despite this, demand for Bally shoes became so high that expansion became necessary and a factory in Lowestoft was opened in the mid-1950s. The factory resided in several locations within the town before eventually moving into new premises in 1960, built by a local building firm R.G. Carter Ltd.
The factory in Lowestoft made high-end, quality shoes and was the first of the Bally factories to make synthetic shoes. These were in high demand as suppliers wanted a cheaper shoe as an alternative to the more expensive traditionally made shoes.
Both the Lowestoft and Norwich factories fostered a family culture where most people worked for a considerable number of years. They prided themselves on their craftsmanship in producing top quality shoes.
The expertise that existed in the factory was exceptional, from the machinists, those hanging up the wooden lasts, the staff in the clicking department, to the supervisors, foremen and the factory managers over the years. All proudly contributing to the finished products.
Many local people who worked at the factory recount how they loved working there and the camaraderie and friendships created in those glorious days still endure today.
The workers had access to the factory shop, where they could buy shoes at a discount price and regularly took advantage of this facility. Locals could also purchase shoes from the factory shop and people recall buying top-class shoes at a reasonable price from here. The shop also sold ladies handbags made by Bally.
The new designs of shoes were made in a man's size 8 initially, and the factory shop often had lots of these in stock. The factory shop was particularly busy at sale time, and, after the closure of the Lowestoft factory, sales at the Norwich factory were still popular. There are pairs of Bally shoes still being worn around Lowestoft today that were purchased at one of these sales, albeit them being repaired a couple of times by now!
I found this particularly fascinating because many years ago I bought a pair of Oxblood Bally Leather Tasselled Loafers and they were the most comfortable shoes I have had for a long time.
I wore them frequently for work and had them re-soled a couple of times, yet they kept their shape. After 14 years of wear, I donated them to a charity shop with many years of life left in them.
Sadly, the factories in Norwich and Lowestoft have long closed their doors. The Lowestoft Factory eventually closed in 1997. Bally remains, still without doubt a top end manufacturer of shoes.
I'd like to take the opportunity to give my warm thanks to all those who provided me with information and support towards the production of this article.
The Dockside Dandies...
In the early sixties in the fishing town of Lowestoft, a group of local fishermen working on the trawlers would on return to port, get dressed up to go out on the town.
They invested in brightly coloured suits, made by local tailors in pinks, reds, bright blues, lime greens, yellows, and tartans, to stand out amongst their peers, traditionally wearing the grey, black or dark blue coloured suits of the day.
It became a competition to outdo each other's outfits, and the local ladies became drawn to the lads in their flamboyant suits, and the lads earned the name of the Dock Side Dandies.
