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Do you remember foam backed coats???

(73 Posts)
H1954 Fri 20-Mar-20 08:42:05

This might sound bonkers but I woke up this morning thinking about clothing in the very early 60's. I have a very clear memory of foam backed coats; our parents used to take us to C&A every autumn for a new coat. Do you remember them? Did you have one?

labazsisslowlygoingmad Fri 20-Mar-20 15:42:28

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

boheminan Fri 20-Mar-20 15:40:12

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

georgia101 Fri 20-Mar-20 15:24:56

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!

Callistemon Fri 20-Mar-20 14:55:34

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

Callistemon Fri 20-Mar-20 14:54:09

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.

Patticake123 Fri 20-Mar-20 14:49:56

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

Grannyguitar Fri 20-Mar-20 14:33:19

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

allsortsofbags Fri 20-Mar-20 13:52:47

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.

4allweknow Fri 20-Mar-20 13:16:36

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!

pipdog Fri 20-Mar-20 13:06:16

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.

boheminan Fri 20-Mar-20 12:35:17

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)

harrigran Fri 20-Mar-20 12:30:35

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.

rosenoir Fri 20-Mar-20 12:18:10

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

Newatthis Fri 20-Mar-20 12:12:27

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!

Madmaggie Fri 20-Mar-20 12:10:28

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.

Pudding123 Fri 20-Mar-20 11:42:32

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.

paddyanne Fri 20-Mar-20 11:36:19

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

Meemaw36 Fri 20-Mar-20 11:35:24

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

gillybob Fri 20-Mar-20 11:24:49

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

A foam picker that is !

Fatarse54 Fri 20-Mar-20 11:17:41

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!

Rosina Fri 20-Mar-20 11:05:14

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!!

Purplepixie Fri 20-Mar-20 10:57:45

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!

shysal Fri 20-Mar-20 10:56:15

Yes, I had a royal blue one with a narrow strip of dark fur at the neck. It kept its shape really well.

Disgruntled Fri 20-Mar-20 10:52:01

Yes! Awful - a bright red one that could have stood up on its own.

JuliaM Fri 20-Mar-20 10:51:21

My Mother had an imitation Sheepskin coat that was Bri-nylon brushed effect on the outside and foam backed imitation fleece on the inside. She didnt wear it much as she said it made her sweat too much, so she gave it to me when l was expecting my first Daughter, after my usual coat no longer fitted over my Bump through the winter just before she was born!
Eventually l donated it to our new puppy as bedding, until it was well and truely chewed around the edges and it finally went into the Bin!