Uniforms...........l ove `em or hate `em?!

I loved my school uniform - very proud of it. I then regained as a Physio, so again uniform. I enjoy wearing it and am proud of that too! However, in my training days the rules were very strict and you know what, none of us minded at all!

My school was not strict about uniform except on special occasions like prizegivings. When I went to Brownies and Guides I loved being in uniform and was strict with myself about polishing badges and so forth. When the management of the FE college where I worked breathed the words 'dress code', there was instant uproar and it was never broached again. In my first job, in a traditionally minded semi-independent school, we all wore black academic gowns which covered a multitude of sartorial sins.

There were severe penalties for not wearing my grammar school uniform in its entirety - there were winter and summer hats and woe betide any of us caught not wearing a hat going to or from school.
As a waitress I wore black with a white apron, but my mother also wore cuffs and a pretty white hat and collar until the sixties when first the hat went and then the collar and cuffs.
As a social worker I usually wore something smart, but had suits in black and grey for court appearances - usually worn with a brightly coloured blouse.
I currently have a female work colleague who mostly just wears jeans (she very occasionally wears trousers) and a shirt. I have never seen her wear anything else, not even when we meet socially. She wears different scarves/jackets/cardigans - mostly in muted colours and I can't now imagine her in a dress or a skirt.

Thanks for the laughs ......along with the common sense in your posting MawBroon,and yes very sad to see our Nurses using the Costa Coffee shop........and such like whilst still in their uniform.
One instance where standards have dropped though the Scrubs are far from elegant they certainly cater well for the numerous duties a Nurse is called upon within the hours of her shift.
After some early nursing at a small local Hospital I chose to train in a in a large General Hospital in Swansea where the Matron truly saw that we each stuck to her very stringent rules. Not quite a Your majesty but you certainly knew your place............and ranking ........when leaving her office after a dressing down!!!
Those were the days nevertheless and amongst the happiest for me.
Hope others feel the same.

Not a “vicarious” stupid iPad, a vicar !

Oh I interpreted this differently at first sight and was thinking I do like a man in uniform
I am also very appreciative of a nice bit of tailoring such as James Norton’s suits in McMafia!
I do think a uniform should do at least two things
Identify what job a person does. If you need a vicarious, he/she should look like one - with a dog collar, not some hippy mufti
A uniform should be a practical work garment and provide protection where necessary. I agree about nurses and can’t quite understand how theatre scrubs are OK to be worn during a break at the hospital Costa Coffee or going home. What was all that about germs in the past?
I also remember one entire antenatal session in 1973 being devoted to identifying the different “ranks” of nurses by the shade of blue of the uniform, the colour of the stockings/tights, the frilliness or otherwiseof the hats and the aprons and of course how to address them from student nurse (Westminster Hospital School ) to Matron.
(Nurse/Staff/Sister/Matron or possibly Your Majesty!)
But they always looked immaculate even at the end of their shift or arriving on the ward before 8.
Where did you train Panache?

Of course callgirl1 there are always those few that sadly "slip the net" and quite obviously your story is a case in point.

Re the remarks about school uniform being a great leveller, it`s not always the case. I was at grammar school, but my grandma, who I lived with, couldn`t afford to keep buying me new stuff, whereas another girl in my form was the daughter of a local factory owner, and had all new every few weeks.

A good valid point SueDoku,and of course you are very right.
However I speak personally from witnessing the very nurses taking care of me on a Hospital ward, dashing out... fully admitting quite openly they are heading off to do their weekly shop...........often using the town `bus in doing so.
But as always in life there are two sides to every story.,and I fully appreciate your views.

DD is a nurse, and has always worn tunics and trousers - easy to fling into the washer as soon as she comes home (space is at such a premium in most hospitals nowadays that the idea of having rooms for changing in isn't tenable). Now that most nurses work 12 hr shifts (+ their commute) having to starch and iron the old uniform would really be pushing it..!
However, her colleagues who are Community Nurses have no option but to wear their uniforms outside work, as they are travelling from patient to patient all day - so if you see a nurse in uniform in the street, bear in mind that s/he may just be going about their working day...

It occurred to me that the clothes we wear for sports are a kind of uniform. I really don't like my golf clothes I always feel quite masculine or at best a dumpy middle aged matron from the 1950s. Recent ladies golf clothes have got better with more feminine colours but the prices are horrendous. For club events the club sweater is red (not my colour) and can only be bought from the club (£45) and a white polo shirt with a green and gold logo (£35). Ghastly though it all is when they are several of us together as for a friendly match (8 ladies) I do enjoy feeling part of a team and we do look smart - in a golfy kind of way.

I certainly am enjoying reading and hearing all about your various uniforms over the years and indeed some stand out as particularly smart and enviable,whilst others I can understand why you sometimes chose to bin `em!!!
Times are a changing and don`t we know it.
For instance the High School I once attended in my strict bottle green uniform nowadays has slipped so badly you would not easily recognise three quarters of the children still schooling there.
There is obviously no strict code so almost anything goes and sadly it does!!
To see a group walking out of scbool in the afternoon makes you want to run and hide!
I think the main point of uniforms is to level out the entire class,making no distinction between the rich and poor which is certainly a good thing.
With uniforms so cheap to buy nowadays what a shame it is not respected and strictly adhered to as it was in my day and age for instance.

Same again with the smart Nurses uniform as I knew and wore,however I wholeheartedly agree that it was far from practical in the duties we were oft called on to carry out,so although "Scrubs" are far less attractive both this change and the wearing of tunics/trousers as opposed to the now old fashioned white apron etc is a step in the right direction.It serves the purpose and this has to be the over riding factor.

We yet need though to firmly address this issue of wearing these uniforms out on the street and in our Supermarkets,that surely is a recipe for disaster and just sloppy in my opinion.

Carry on with your colourful collection of views ..........I am certainly enjoying reading!!

Uniforms are useful as it means just throwing on the same thing every day (so easy) and, particularly with school uniforms, they're a great leveller. No designer stuff outdoing other designer stuff.

However, at one job I had as a shared job receptionist it did get a bit silly when we were the only ones wearing the uniform, when we were never on duty at the same time. It had started with all those coming to the front desk wearing it, but then cuts back meant only us two who actually sat on the front desk had it. A uniform with only one person wearing it is hardly a uniform. And it was that tatty Alexander Workwear static filled horrible stuff that looses it's shape after a few washes!

Apart from my School uniform at Grammar School, not at primary school, the only "uniform" I wore was a rather shapeless aqua coloured overall for the 14 years that I worked in a factory canteen. The so called hats were horrible, triangular pieces of the same material and colour as the overalls, put on like a headscarf but tied round the back. Some of the men called us the singing nuns! In later years they allowed us to wear tabards in summer, still the same material though.

When I did my training at GOSH we had to wear the most ridiculous hats which served no purpose whatsoever. We put a piece of cardboard in them and bashed the sides in. I had to go and see the Matron one day because I had been reported for not wearing it. This was history repeating itself because my Mum had a similar disregard for her Nurses hat in the 1950s as a Naval Nurse. I was once suspended for three days in another hospital for improper wearing of uniform. ( again no hat) !

Regarding nurses uniforms, every Hospital I've been in nurses, HCAs, Physios etc have all worn a uniform of either dress or tunic & trousers. Consultants & Anaesthetists on the Wards wear scrubs.

Only uniform I wore after leaving School was when I worked as a Waitress, black or white blouse/top & black skirt with a bib apron back in the early 70s

I hated my school uniform and threw my panama hat into the river on the last day.
Now, of course, I wish I'd kept it as a memento

I loved wearing uniforms growing up and into my adult life! Always made me feel accepted and part of a team. Primary school - lovely royal blue. Secondary school - teal pinafore over turquoise blouse. Brownie, Guide, Ranger, Scout, Sea Ranger, Leader..... I wore all those uniforms over the years too! Then I had a navy skirt and jacket as a building society clerk, Soo handy rather than think of what to wear each day...... Also had sweatshirt with badges as a team uniform for a club I was involved with. Now I work in a GP practice but can’t persuade everyone else to agree a “uniform”for ourselves ..... I’d be happy to wear scrubs!!

The last time I wore a uniform for work was back in the 1980s, when I worked for M & S. I really liked the uniform; it was a very smart tailored dress and contrasting tailored jacket. I remember feeling really good in that. And then they changed it to a shapeless, dour shift dress. Never worn a uniform since and it's a constant aggravation as to what to wear for work now.

White coat in the coroners office, dark suit in court, brightest most garish clothes during time off. Now in retirement just subtle and comfortable garb.

Having a uniform for certain work is essential. Firstly it provides evidence of the occupation; secondly it helps to find a person in that occupation; thirdly it provides some protection when ones own clothes could be damaged; and it is part of a civilised society, evidence of a level of accepted roles and responsibilities.

The only uniform I've worn was my Secondary school uniform (burgandy and pale blue), it was very tailored and I always felt smart in it. I think it evoked a feeling of unity within the school as well. Only downside was if you got up to mischief while in uniform everyone knew which school you went to and reported you!

A big Hello to all those nurses who remember the white cap and apron uniforms. I was not a nurse, but my Mum was, between 1930 and 1949, in the East End of London. She often spoke of singing carols through the wards at Christmas with their capes turned inside out to show the red linings and carrying candle lanterns. She always volunteered to be on duty over Christmas because there was such a wonderful atmosphere on the wards. Nurses were always recognised by their uniforms outside of the hospitals and respected, however rough or poor the area. I have some lovely photos of Mum in uniform and with some of the babies she delivered. I also have her pin watch, badge and cape. I would have loved to inherit her beautiful silver belt buckle but I think she sold it when in need of money. I think she would be disappointed now by the styles of uniforms worn by nurses today. But I guess times change.....

I loved my nurse uniform and felt quite ‘proud’ of what it represented. The hospital then changed to white overalls and plastic pinnies and I thought we looked less than professional. However, when I changed careers and had to think about what I was going to wear each day, I’d have welcomed the scruffy overalls!

Working as an exam invigilator I can really see how important school uniform is. Without it the "have nots" would be very obvious and for teenagers it would be a disaster to have that happen.

I think it's great that it's so cheap these days.

I never wore my uniform outside the hospital. In fact I didn't know anyone who did . We weren't allowed jewellry only wedding rings and we wore plastic aprons when attending patients and gloves a lot of the time I personally wouldn't want to wear my uniform outside .