It was a fashion craze that was commonplace in a seaside town during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Flamboyant fishermen would step out on to the streets of Lowestoft dressed distinctively in specially tailored, vibrant suits.
As they returned home after weeks at sea, hundreds of men would spend their hard-earned cash on the suits, which came in every colour, pattern and design.
At the height of the fashion, more and more fishermen in the town would try to outshine each other - with creative and colourful suits taking centre stage.
Sartorial flair and bold colours featured alongside the specific style and cut of the outfits made by tailors as the flamboyant suits and the fashion craze illuminated the town's nightlife.
Suits in colours ranging from tartan to lime green and vivid yellow to bright red were spotted on the streets - and soon the trend had spread to young trawlermen at fishing ports in Hull, Grimsby and Fleetwood.
The unique and distinctive suits that developed in Lowestoft earned the fashionable fishermen the nickname of the Dockside Dandies.
Decades later it sparked the 'Dockside Dandies' arts project - and now tales of the popular bygone fashion trend have been brought back to life.
Back in 2007/8, Peter Wylie - a London-based artist contacted the Lowestoft Journal - seeking to find out more on the Dockside Dandies fashion craze.
It sparked a wave of articles and interest - as former wearers and tailors of the flamboyant suits subsequently spoke with Mr Wylie.
Mr Wylie, who was born in 1956 on Whapload Road on part of the former Beach Village, grew up in a Lowestoft fishing family.
He spent years researching the history of the suits worn by the fishermen, and after gaining Arts Council funding, he organised a Dockside Dandies exhibition in July 2010 as the arts project highlighted the men who wore the brightly coloured suits.
Detailing the history of Lowestoft and its fisherfolk, a limited-edition book called The Dockside Dandies of Lowestoft - by Mr Wylie - has now been launched.
On Saturday, Mr Wylie signed copies of the new book aboard the Mincarlo -Lowestoft's historic trawler museum based in the harbour.
He said: "It tells the story of the fashion and sartorial flair of the young fishermen in town during the early 1960’s.
"This story has featured in exhibitions, talks, commissioned articles, national radio and television, during the past decade or so.
"The Lowestoft Journal is thanked several times in various parts of the book, and I acknowledge that without the paper's support from almost day one of the project, the story would not have had its reach and success that it has achieved."
With the book featuring coloured covers - Dutch Cheese, Pea Green, Pink Pink and Powder Blue - it is "intentionally recreating the selection of colour that the young fishermen made in Lawrence Green tailor's shop, located once on the High Street, as they flicked through the swatch books of coloured fabrics."
On Sunday, June 23, as part of the First Light Festival, the Dockside Dandies of Lowestoft will be discussed as Mr Wylie talks to Wayne Hemingway MBE - the prominent English designer and co-founder of Red or Dead - about the book and the research.
Mr Wylie said: "In many ways, the book launch forms a conclusion of sorts to all this.
"At the heart of this book is the story in their own words, a transcription of over 20 hours of interviews.
"Photographs collected during the research illustrate this period of ‘uncovered’ or ‘unreported’ history."
Email Mr Wylie via eastofwylie@yahoo.com for details of reserving a copy of the book.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel