Do you remember foam backed coats???

Yes! I had a one when I was 15 bought by my mam for me. It was an awful blue and white check and I hated it. I think I “accidentally” lost it at the cinema one night! My mam was straight to the cinema the next day but they couldn’t find it. Well they weren’t looking in the bins around the back were they? Haha that got rid of it! I think my mam even offered to buy me another but gladly I managed to persuade her that I didn’t want another, YUK they were horrible. Probably designed by a man!

I had one of those from C and A in royal blue, too! 'Had forgotten completely about it, but I remember now that it had a stylish front with darts, seaming, pockets and so on, but the back was completely straight and without any shaping or style. Without darts, and with the foam lining, it looked bulky at the back, and my Dad often remarked that it appeared to be two different coats sewn together. With that kind of encouragement it didn't last long. Perhaps just as well with everyone smoking - lucky I didn't turn into a human torch on the bus!!

Yes! I had one in the .late 60s it was a purple midi lengh thought I was the bees knees! I burnt a bloomin great hole in it with my first ever cigarette! My mum went ape! Why did we were foam back ? I remember foam backed carpets too, the backing stuck to the floor causing a huge mess! Happy days!

Maybe you did have one and didn’t realise if you weren’t a picker Grandtante

A foam picker that is !

Yes! I had a blue one that could stand up on its own ?

a collarless navy patterned swing back coat to wear with a pink and navy knitted suit and kitten heels for the P7 day out down the Clyde to Rothesay by steamer .I would have been 11

I remember getting mine from C and A,
I was about 10 and it was collarless and advertised as a Beatle coat.I loved it as I had a crush on Paul McCartney.

Rosina mine was C&A royal blue also. Bought by mum and I loathed it. Stuck out in all the wrong places and it was ages before I grew out of it.

I had one that cost £10 - very expensive then. It took me 10 weeks @ £1 per week (taken to the shop every Friday payday) before I got it - it was lovely!

I had forgotten about those, mine was from C&A too. Not surprised they never came back into fashion.

I had a powder blue one from C&A, it was a swing back coat. I think the foam backing helped it hold the shape. They were very trendy in the early 60s, just found out lately that DH thought it was horrible.

Oooh yes! I remember them. I had a brown one and it had a scarf attachment instead of a collar - which I thought very chic (at 15yrs old)

I found one when clearing my MiL's clothes after she had died. The foam had vanished and in its place was what looked and felt like sand. The coat still looked good and at first I couldn't understand why she had put a coat away covered in sand until a friend told me that it had been a foam lining.

No coat but I did make a pink foam backed dress for myself. Was very slim in those days so the thicker material didn't pose a problem. Can remember thinking it was great as didn't need ironing. Cringe at the thought now!

I had one, blue with a front zip.

Can't remember where mum bought it but it was for a cousins wedding "down south". I wasn't allowed to wear it until the wedding. It didn't crease and I did feel very smart on the day.

Lovely wedding. I was about 15 and my cousin was in the Coldstream Guards so lots of tall young men there not just the usual family. :-) And I had all new clothes :-)

I loved that coat and wore it happily for a couple of years until my bosses wife gave me a wonderful Jaeger wool coat.

The coat lived on for a while as I passed it on to a younger cousin.

Thank you OP. I've had a wonderful trip down memory lane and it's really lifted my mood.

Not enjoying the staying home today as I'd normally be going out to lunch but following the advise to cut social contact but small price to pay.

C and A was always referred to by my friends as 'Cheap and Awful'!

Yes I do, I’d completely forgotten about it. Royal blue boucle from C&A’s my first ‘grown up ‘ coat.

I don't think that C and A was cheap and awful

It was reasonably priced and wonderful for young people because it offered affordable up-to-the-minute fashion where nowhere else did.

I still have a Christmas jumper, excellent quality, somewhere in the wardrobe and some snow boots which haven't needed to come out so far this year. They must be 20 years old.

Compared to some of today's cheap throwaway fashion, C&A clothes were much better quality.

I had a lovely red foam back coat with diagonal clip fastening. I felt like I was the real deal wearing it. It eventually became notorious because I became pregnant with my 3 children during the time I had it, the last pregnancy being unplanned. I then gave it to my sister who proceeded to have her 3rd child unexpectedly. Then she gave it to a friend and lo and behold, she got pregnant unexpectedly too - her 3rd child! It was then given to a jumble sale. I've always hoped that a child never wore it!

Wasn't the C&A young fashion department called 'Clockhouse'?

i remember fibre glass curtains mum had a pair in the lounge felt really strange

You're right Boheminan, it was Clockhouse, I loved that bit of C&A, as did my daughter in her early teens.
It was only when they closed down in UK that it suddenly occurred to me that the brandname "canda" didn't rhyme with panda but was actually C&A not using the ampersand, lol, only took me about 55 years to work that one out! ?? I had beige foam backed skirt from my auntie's catalogue, I quite liked that, and a brown jacket from C&A, it was terribly sweaty to wear so never got zipped up. It didn't keep the wind out either so wasn't even warm to wear.

This has been hilarious reading. I have vague memories of that disintegrating foam in something I wore.

I think we have had one mention of the foam underskirts under our sticky-out dresses. I had one in bright yellow with white lace trim that really did the job, but was a bit startling when you sat down quickly. I don't remember a foam backed coat, but I still have two coats bought in C & A. One is heavy, in shades of brown tweed, and the other is a tailored black one with a slightly stand away collar. Both still look good all these years later. (I do have other coats)