I’m not sure when I first met Teri England – she’s one of those people you see loads on rallies before you actually say hello! We have many mutual friends so I think I had my first proper chat when she made me a dress a few years ago. Teri is a master seamstress and mainly makes mod and vintage style clothing, including wedding dresses. Her business also sells gorgeous vintage finds which she sells online and on stalls at events and rallies.
I was keen to hear how she first became a mod and got her first scooter because I know she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty. She’s currently restoring a Lui and I bet it’ll be gorgeous when she’s finished.
So grab a cuppa and settle down to read Teri England’s first rally story!
Name : Teri England
How did you first get into scooters?
My love of scooters first came around 1980-81 when I lived in my home town of Worthing. I was one of the younger annoying kids, too young to be cool, and several older siblings of my friends were into the scene and scooters were often ridden around by the older ones.
My first couple of boyfriends were skinheads. Our family moved house around 1982 so I left my friendship groups behind along with the mod/casual/skin scene.
It wasn’t until I met my now husband that we realised we had this in common. He’d previously ridden motorbikes but had always admired the scooters he’d seen around. We made it our family thing with two small children to get involved in the local Portsmouth scene in 2000.
What was your first scooter rally?
Modrapheniacs Rally at Sandford in 2003. My favourite rally was a toss up between this and Camber Sands just for the atmosphere.
How did you get there?
Sadly it was on 4 wheels instead of two, with tiny kids in tow and no reliable childcare to be had so we took them on rallies with us. They grew up in the scene and still love the music and memories we had as a family.
What job were you doing at the time?
I was working in the NHS for a team of GPs and so excited to be going. We didn’t have much money but the thrill of being there made up for it. We took turns to go out in the evenings until the children were old enough to hang out in the arcade.
Where did you stay when you were there?
My husband was already at Modra with the boys but the park had double booked their accommodation. Late on the Friday night they were upgraded to a brand new posh large lodge. They took a vote and invited me and the kids down to stay with them on the proviso that I make a cake!! Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake to be precise.
[ALI: WHAT ON EARTH IS A CHOCOLATE MAYONNAISE CAKE?!]Two guys gave up their chalet beds for us and Shane slept on the floor 😊
Were you in a club at the time?
Armitage Shanks Scooter Club was our first club, a group of friends from the early days, we have also been members of Pegasus SC and now members (when we can) of Area 51 SC.
Do you have any memories of the rally itself?
Because Sandford had double booked the accommodation and upgraded our group, they were given a brand new large lodge, which hadn’t been completely finished and safely signed off.
The lodge was quite high off the ground, without the usual wooden fencing/railings around the decking area. On Sunday evening the guys had rather a raucous party resulting in a 6ft plus heavy-set friend falling through an open patio door, off the decking area, 6 ft down and seriously breaking his leg.
Not funny for him but it was just like a scene from a Carry On film. Subsequently he almost died from a blood clot whilst attending a Pompey match at Fratton Park. We can laugh about it now but what a way to end a rally!
Do you remember what your favourite rally anthem of that period was? What type of music were you into?
Paul Weller, The Jam and Bob Marley were obvious choices from my teen years but the usual rally anthems were right up there, for me there was and still is nothing like a full bouncing buzzing dancefloor at a rally.
What was your favourite custom scooter of that era?
For me it has to be Trafalgar (Damon Vaughan), a real classic custom. As a maker myself I really appreciate the skill and craft. The engraving and sheer workmanship is a thing of true beauty.
Do you have a scooter now? What do you ride?
I have two scooters, a 1972 Vespa 90 and 1968 Lambretta Lui 50cl. Although both sadly haven’t been ridden recently, I intend to make more of an effort to get riding again. The Lui is currently being restored by my own fair hands, under the guidance of my husband.
I have always wanted to learn how to fix and repair my scooters and Shane is pretty handy when it comes to Lambretta engines. He rebuilt his workhorse P200E engine 6 times!
What do scooters mean to you now?
I love the scooter scene, the smell of two-stroke, the friends we’ve made along the way, and the great memories of the rallies which no longer exist. Each different rally has special memories I couldn’t have had anywhere else in any other scene. We’ve lost a few dear friends along the way which is tough, but they live on in our hearts and memories.
Tell us more about your fantastic vintage clothing business
I loved seeing, and was slightly envious of, a lot of the vintage-dressed ladies in their amazing outfits. I could see that it made a difference to how they felt, and to me it seemed to give them confidence. Many more people seemed to wear vintage back then and I really looked forward to attending the traders’ markets at the rallies to find 60s stuff for myself.
Being vertically challenged (short 😉) I found it hard to get the fit right with a vintage dress so I started making my own clothes in 2004/5. I was approached by several ladies who’d seen me out at a do and commented on my outfit, saying that “you should sell them”.
I made my first dress for a friend in 2006, which is where Teri England Attire (TEA) really began. I remember her wearing it on a scooter do in Portsmouth. I only really envisaged TEA being a hobby but sourcing vintage mod fashion overtook my tailor-made designs. I still massively love hand tailoring outfits for clients, and making something you will never see on anyone else gives me a huge buzz.
My wedding service has been awesome and is growing year on year. Here we are almost 18 years later and it’s been my full time job since 2021. I’m really hoping to make it to 21 years which would be amazing in these difficult times.
I even made my own vintage style wedding dress, which was absolutely perfect for our big day.
I always say that there is a small army of family and friends behind TEA, willing me to succeed and keep going with it. I couldn’t manage operating without my hubby for all the lifting and shifting he does, without moaning (out of earshot maybe lol), my son for the technical/computer/website stuff, my daughter for modelling in the early days and for my other regular models who just jump at the chance of another photoshoot. Love and thank you all xx
Where can people find your clothes or get in touch?
My website is terienglandattire.co.uk which includes clothing and accessories available in my shop as well as examples of my own clothing ranges.
You can follow me on Facebook or Instagram to see more of my vintage finds and bespoke tailoring.