Men in Black

These two blokes are supposed to be mobsters, but they look more like undertakers to me in their black suits. I imagine that's because whenever I saw mobsters in person or in photos, their clothes tended to be flashy.

Before we left the UK when I was twelve, I walked to and from school every day past a louche club owned and frequented by mobsters. Some would always be loitering outside the door. They were always kind to schoolchildren passing by and gave sweets to us on the last day of school before Christmas holiday.

Some of their suits were incredibly gaudy, particularly the older men. I remember one in particular who sometimes wore this shimmering forest green striped number with a solid-black velvet waistcoat. He always had a pastel shirt and matching satin necktie with a boutonniere dyed the same color.

The originals for these photos are massive and total one hundred in number. To download the complete set in a free zipped folder, be sure to click here.