I never noticed...

 

As much as I have watched Yellow Submarine and looked at photos from the Beatles cameo at the end of the film, I never noticed that Ringo is wearing the pinstriped stage suit from the 1966 tour.  

Suiting the Beatles and the Stones (1966)

 

Suiting the Beatles and Stones

No writer listed

The Runcorn Guardian

June 2, 1966

    "All four Beatles have changed so much in three years."

    "Mick Jagger is very funny about his shirts."

     "I've been responsible for some of the most outrageous clothes seen this century."

     Those were among the revealing comments passed at the London workshop of Alfred Maron, Duggie Millings, and Philip Stevens. Between them, they satisfied the suit-and-shirt whims of many of the show-business elites, including the Walker Brothers, Roger Moore, and PJ Proby.

     The next fashion surprise could be the kitchen towel look, unless designer Paul McCartney comes up with something first! Chelsea boutiques may capture Britain's dedicated followers of fashion, but it is Soho's alleyway tailors whose styles tempt the stars. These dressers of the show business elite, including Duggie Millings, who makes suits for the Beatles, Tom Jones, and Chris Andrews,  Alfred Maron, who serves Roger Moore and the Shadows. And Philip Stevens, whose shirts are worn by the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and PJ Proby.

     "It all started with Adam", joked Duggie Millings. "I was making suits for Adam Faith when the Beatles asked him if he knew a tailor. That was when they had just started, and I have been making their clothes ever since. I have made all their stage suits for them, 12 different designs over the past three years.

    "They no longer come in for fittings as we have all their measurements, though John sometimes calls if he's putting on a bit of weight." Often Duggie drives to the Beatles' homes to fit their new suits before the final stitching, and he still charges no more than he did when John, Paul, George, and Rinko called for their first stage suits, the famous Beatle Jackets, early in 1963.

     "I make this a rule", says Duggie. "My prices are the same for everybody. I sell my suits for between £35 and £40, no matter who the customer is. I don't try to push the price up just because I know they can afford to pay more."

     While we were talking, Duggie was finishing a tweed sports jacket for Billy Fury. "He's changed a lot," said Duggie. "Very conservative dresser now, used to be a rocker, but Billy has dropped all that. You'd be surprised how many people's tastes change once they become successful. When Tom Jones came to see us, he only wore those short box jackets. Now his coats are longer. Adam Faith always has black suits now, and Chris Andrews is also very somber. That boy is no mug. He used to be a tailor's cutter himself, so he knows whether a suit is good or not. Chris likes silk suits in the ordinary three-button style, but he's also had a Chesterfield overcoat from us. It cost him £35 10 s.

     "Any time now," exclaimed Duggie, "Paul McCartney will come in with some design for new suits. He designs all the Beatles' stage clothes now."

     Duggie's main rival is pint-sized Alfred Maron, who has his workshop next to the famous Flamingo Club. Maron, just five feet two inches, and well known as a character actor, usually stands at his tailor's bench in a long, badly fitted gray jumper and old slacks. 

    He admitted, "I've been responsible for some of the most outrageous clothes seen this century." His clients include Roger Moore, Acker Bilk, Patty Klaus and Gibson, Hank Marvin of the Shadows, Matt Monroe, and the Koobas. "Remember those flowered pattern trousers, the Koobas wore? Well, that was my idea. Ridiculous, wasn't it? But you wait until you see our next outfit for them: suits made from kitchen towels!

     "And those waistcoats, and bowler hats, Acre Bilk, and his band, like? We started them too. One of our best ideas, I think. 

    "Hank Marvin has been coming to me for years. You see that camel Chesterfield coat there with the yellow silk lining? Well, we've just made that for Hank. That's going to cost him something," joked Maron, who resets many of his customers in the film and television studios when playing one of the old lag roles in which he specializes.

      Above his shop is the workshop where Philip Stevens hand-tailors shirts for many of the top British and American stars. His only big competitor is Esquire of Glasgow. 

    Stevens, a handsome 28-year-old Italian, works in two tiny attic rooms. His wife operates an old treadle sewing machine. His name, hardly known outside the entertainment business, apart from a few famous politicians, draws customers such as the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Tom Jones, the Everly Brothers, PJ Proby, and the Small Faces. 

    "How did I get the Beatles custom?" asked Stevens. "Well, when they went to Duggie Millings for their first suits, he sent them to me for shirts, and they've been coming ever since.

     "Paul and George come here most. Paul likes blue shirts with long, soft button-down collars, but George chops and changes. His favorite is a pink-and-mauve denim with black buttons and a soft button-down collar. 

    "All four Beatles have changed so much in the past three years. They have become much smarter and choose their shirts now to go with their suits. Before they were made to go with jeans. Paul even designs his own shirts and often sends me sketches, and I make them up from that, but I don't see much of John. He always wears those roll-neck jumpers."

     His other clients include the Walker Brothers, who are having shirts made in many different colors with 42-inch sleeves and wide padded shoulders, and PJ Proby, who went to Stevens for his long open-thigh length stage shirts. 

    The Stones go mainly for check shirts, any color, any kind of check. Mick is very funny. He insists that the shoulders of a shirt fit like a well-made jacket, and of course, he's right

Look at George's shirt

 

 I love seeing Beatles wearing famous clothing later in their life.  And here we see George wearing this "tie shirt" in 1973.  This shirt  was well known from the "Mad Day Out" photo shoot in 1968 among other photos during that year.  

The Return of the Purple Shirt

 

Ringo shows us that Paul isn't the only Beatle who can still fit into his old clothes when he appeared in a fancy purple button-down shirt that he famously wore in 1968.   Ringo was seen wearing this purple shirt during the recording of "Hey Jude," specifically, but he wore it during the recording sessions of 1968 -- right around the time he quit the Beatles. 

While it looks a little lighter in the modern photographs, it has been made known that it IS the exact same shirt that Ringo hung onto all of these years.  And I have to say that it looks very nice with the black blazer.  Not one of my favorite Ringo clothing items, but still fun to see all of these years later.  

Only Paul and Ringo still wear clothing that other rock stars would have hanging in a museum somewhere. 

The Wings jacket

 

If you watched the Man on the Run documentary at the theaters over the weekend, and stayed until after the credits, you would have seen this sweet little interview with Paul where the director of the film shows Paul some memorabilia from his Wings days.  One of the items shown was this Wings jacket that Paul wore in concert.  Paul tried it on and it was a tad snug, but it fit him.  After scouring photos of Wings from 1972-1973 for over an hour I spotted one concert photo of Paul wearing the jacket!   I thought you'd like to see it. Anyone know the venue?  

Ringo's Green suit

 

This St. Patrick's Day -- let just take a moment to honor Ringo's green suit! 

John still fighting Immigration

The suit John wore this day.  

 August 30, 1974 

Every documentary I have watched that discusses John's immigration fight, never talks about this court date where he arrived at court with Leon Wildes and without Yoko.   But here he is -- in 1974 -- during the Lost Weekend era still fighting to stay in the United States. 

This is a stick up

 

August 25, 1964 - 

What I notice in these photos is that Ringo is wearing a "vest" (for a lack of a better term) that he will frequently wear in 1967. 

Fashioning The Beatles: a Book Review

 

I have often posted on this site information and thoughts about the Beatles fashions.  The clothing John, Paul, George, and Ringo wore is part of the Beatles story and what made them the band we all love.  I have long thought that a book should be written about the Beatles and their fashion, and finally that has happened.    

Fashioning The Beatles: The Looks that Shook the World by Dierdre Kelly is a well-researched book that takes the reader on a journey through the years of Beatles clothing and the history behind it.  The book is written chronologically, starting with the Teddy Boy look of the Quarry Men Days, going into the leather in Hamburg, the suits that Brian had them wear, and onto the casual denim of Abbey Road and fashion the Beatles wore after the band broke up. 

The one thing that really stands out is that the Beatles were one step ahead of trends when it came to clothing.  As soon as the masses started wearing something the Beatles were wearing, they would change their look.   The Beatles look changes with the music.   This book is really great at laying out the whole evolution of the Beatles and their different looks. 

I really liked reading about the different shops in London where the Beatles bought their clothing:  Hung on You, Granny Takes a Trip, Mr. Fish, Dandy Fashions --- all names I had heard, but to learn the history behind these shops was really interesting.   It is also fascinating to read about how this all led up to the Apple Boutique and the mistakes that were made in that endeavor. 

If you want to learn more about fashion and the Beatles' clothing, this is the book for you! If you are just focused on Beatles music, it would be best to skip this one.

The link below will take you to the Amazon Affiliate page for this book.  Any purchases made through this link will provide a small percentage of the sale to go to Sara.   The money earned through the affiliate link is used to pay for the annual upkeep of the site.  Thank you for your support. 

https://amzn.to/49rGDGU

McBeardy in that yellow sweater

 January 7, 1969

There are a lot of great photos from January 7, 1969, but I decided to focus on photos that show Paul in this particular yellow jumper (sweater -- whatever you wish to call it).   Why?  First of all I wonder if he is wearing those awesome yellow socks on this day.  But mostly because this item of clothing was a Christmas gift to Paul from the girls that would later in 1969 be known as The Apple Scruffs (namely Carole).  Just think how amazing it would be to give Paul McCartney a gift and to see him wearing it.  Now think about seeing him wearing in film footage from 55 years ago!  Therefore, I think this yellow jumper is one of my favorite Paul clothing items. 

I recognize that jacket!

 

I am sure all week you have been reading deep, wonderful thoughts fans around the globe have had about the Now and Then 12-minute documentary and song.    When I am typing this (Wednesday night), I have just watched the little documentary but the song has not been released.  By the time this post is published on the site, we all will have heard the song.

Maybe I will have something amazing to say about it soon, but here is my first thought as I watch the little documentary -- "Hey!  I know that jacket George is wearing.  He wore it at the Billboard Music Awards in 1990!"   Yep -- same jacket!

I am sure no one else has THAT to point out about the Now and Then documentary.  

The Beach Boys in Paris

 

December 16, 1967

Question:  Is John wearing the same coat that he wore on the rooftop in 1969?  The one that he supposedly borrowed from Yoko but I think really belonged to him the entire time?

Notice the Apple Boutique clothing most everyone is wearing.  

Look at the jacket John is wearing

 

Get Back Observations #4: John Lennon's fur coat

 

If you look up information about the clothes The Beatles wore while making the "Get Back" album, you will always read a sentence that says "John was wearing his wife's coat," (even though they weren't married at the time).   Some articles even state that ALL of the Beatles were wearing their wives' coats during the rooftop performance.    

We all know that Ringo was wearing Maureen's red jacket.  Ringo has never denied that.   But was John really wearing Yoko's fur coat?  Where did that information originally come from?   Let's take a little deeper look.

The first time we spot the brown fur coat was May 22, 1968, during the press launch of Apple Tailoring.   As you can see in the photos, the coat appears to fit John very well, and Yoko is carrying her own coat that day. 

On July 24, 1968, John is once again wearing the coat while he, Yoko, and others were shopping at the antique market, including Jenny Boyd's boutique, Juniper.  Yoko is wearing a coat that looks really big on her during this outing.  

A few days later, on July 28, The Beatles took part in their famous photoshoot known as The Mad Day Out.   There were several changes of clothing for the photo shoot, and in some shots, John is once again wearing that fur coat. 

Yoko seems to start wearing a brown fur coat while The Beatles were making the White Album in August 1968.   There are many fan-taken photos from August - October 1969 with Yoko wearing the coat.   In the photographs of Yoko wearing it, John is usually wearing a black jacket or a denim jacket.

 

The most well-known sighting of Yoko wearing a brown fur coat is when John and Yoko were in court on October 19, 1968, after being arrested for marijuana possession.   I have always thought that Yoko looked so small in this coat in the photos from this time.  

On December 11, 1968 John can be seen once again wearing a brown fur coat during the Rock n Roll Circus.   Yoko is also seen wearing what appears to be a new black jacket.  

Then we move on to January 1969 and the Get Back Sessions.    It is obviously cold weather at this time and the one and only coat we see John wearing just about every single day leading up to when he wore it while performing on the roof.    While they were in Twickenham, you will see him walking into the studio wearing it and then he hangs it off the back of his chair. 

So what is going on here?   Did John borrow Yoko's brown fur coat before heading up to the rooftop to perform?   Let's look at the choices.

1.  John and Yoko both wore different brown fur coats.  

This theory is easy to disprove because you have never seen both of them wearing a brown fur coat at the same time.   It is possible, but John and Yoko wore matching clothes frequently, and you would think that they would have both wore the same coat on the same day. 

2.  It was Yoko's coat and she just let John wear it -- all the time (unless she wanted it).   

If you want to believe the entire story that John is wearing Yoko's coat that was borrowed, then this is the only thing that makes sense.  John was first seen wearing it just a few days after he and Yoko got together.   Maybe John saw Yoko's coat and liked it and so, she let him borrow it constantly.   If this is the case, then I start to wonder when does an item stops being one person's possession and a couple's shared possession.

3.  It was John's coat and he just let Yoko wear it -- occasionally.

So this is what I believe.  The coat fits John better than it does Yoko.   John wears it much more than Yoko does.   It is John's winter coat in January 1969.  Being the nice that John could be, he let his lady wear his coat if she was cold or needed a coat.   

4.  They bought the coat together and both of them shared it. 

Regardless of who actually purchased it, it is obvious that they shared it.   That is not unusual for a couple to share clothing, especially jackets or coats.   Perhaps no one thought of it as either his or hers, but theirs.   

Final Thoughts:   So in the end, it does not matter who owned a brown fur coat over 50 years ago.  While the image of John Lennon singing "Don't Let Me Down" on the Apple building is an iconic Beatles image, who owned the coat that he wore is irrelevant.    The bigger picture is that you don't need to believe what everything people on the internet or writers in a book inform you.   Every single thing I have read recently about the rooftop concert has mentioned John borrowing Yoko's coat.  That did not add up to me and so I decided to dig a little deeper and see what I could discover.   Those blanket statements were just wrong.    What else do we read about in Beatles history that doesn't add up?