Favourite or memorable clothes

When I was about 17 I had a red woollen dress with short sleeves made of looped wool. Being bright red (and i was a gingernut) it was quite noticeable. The first time I wore it another girl turned up in the identical dress.

The second time that happened was about 20 years later. I'd treated myself to a full length Paul Costello coat in Liberty's sale. Very tailored in several colours checked wool. I called it my clown coat. I wore it to work one day and on the train home a girl appeared, wearing the same coat. I still have it although it's too small for me.

My great love was shoes - when I was 21 my GPs gave me £100 which I spent on clothes. At that time Wallis used to do copies of garments from the Paris shows and I bought a yellow, full skirted, coat by Ungaro. I also bought a pair of pumps which were off white with pale beige heel and toe caps with a matching bag from Simpsons and a pair of sugar pink sued flat shoes from Galeries Lafayette.

Now I stick to a mainly blue palette but in the past I've always gone for bright colours because I did like to be different. Ideally however, I'd like to have worn Armani but I'm not suited to tailored clothes.

A pair of dusty pink suede flares that were really heavy and uncomfortable to wear.
An embroidered Afghan coat.
Various cheesecloth collarless shirts with voluminous sleeves.

A purple felt circular skirt with silver zig zag stitching that my sister-in-law gave me because my brother said it made her look fat. My mother made me a silver lamé sleeveless blouse to go with it foe the school leaving dance in 1959 and it was much admired.

What a great post. My mother was a dressmaker so I had faux leather hotpants with diamanté straps. Tonic mohair skirt and dress and oxford bags trousers. Also had maxi dresses but I am sure one of them was a night dress haha.

When I was 18 I moved to London and every Saturday practically I used to go to Kensington to go to Biba’s. It was amazing it was dark in there and there were lots of feather boas I had a pair of sun glasses from there and two suits and at least two dresses from there. I suppose my parents got rid of them when they moved. They were beautiful suits. One was with a mini skirt ( really short) and had a 7/8 length jacket over. They were gold blue and purple with a singlebreasted jacket with imitation pockets. The other one was mainly blue with an a line miniskirt and the jacket was fitted with a white collar and cuffs. I wish I still had them but I’d not be able to wear them now anyway. Those were the days.

A blue cape and matching hat when about 10. White tassel boots with beads, loved those, about 14 and a brown suede mini skirt. Into late teens lots of high heels.

An amazing maxi skirt made from Liberty material, oh how I loved it! Not to mention an Afghan coat……that stank!

Roxie62, you’re right, there was a range of nighties from British Home Stores that looked like evening dresses. Teenage girls can be horrible and we cruelly laughed at two girls who turned up to a school dance each wearing a nightie.

I had a coat-and-dress outfit from C&A in 1969 that I adored; the dress was silvery-grey and the coat was the same colour but with an overall pattern of dark grey stylised flowers. I wore it with a rather fetching pair of lime green sling-back shoes and a chunky lime green necklace and I thought I was the bee's knees!

Likewise a very dashing black military-looking mac that had scarlet-lined kick pleats at the front, worn with a scarlet corduroy baker-boy peaked cap and long black boots ... oh to be 24 again!

I loved making circular cotton skirts. Fabric could be bought really cheaply from our local market. Worn with lots of net petticoats ( which wrecked my nylons) for going out dancing, with a 'peasant' blouse and a tight elastic belt.
I had a tiny waist in those days.

My mum bought me a three piece corduroy suit. Jacket, trousers and mini skirt in cherry red costing £5 in the sixties.

I remember being about 17, white pleated skirts were all the rage. I finally talked my grandma into letting me have one, and when I went into town the following weekend in my new clothes, white pleated skirt, white blouse, pale blue Banlon cardigan, and grey and white basket weave shoes with pointed toes and 2" heels, I felt I was the bees knees!

I had a pair of Lee Cooper rust coloured corduroy jeans. I lived in then until they dropped to pieces. I have never worn any jeans or trousers more comfortable.
I must have had a thing for corduroy because, with my first pay packet I bought myself a turquoise blue corduroy mini skirt and a matching cardigan.

I loved my purple , maxi , Laura Ashley dress with pin tucks. Great with a black shawl.

Also the "old lady" dresses from Deptford market we bought as students. We cut a few feet off the bottom and made a hem. All worn with Anello and David's dancing shoes in bright colours.

Davide

My black fake fur coat made from a cut out offer from “Honey “ in 1966.

Biba midi black velvet dress. Literally got my wages from M&S school holiday job...walked across the road to Biba and blew it all. Mum wasn't too happy but I adored it.

MayBeMaw I had that coat too and it was what I was going to mention. Wasn’t it lovely and silky? I had a pair of red flat shoes with ankle straps which I wore with it. Happy days.

I had a dress when pregnant with my first child in 1980 which I bought in a market in London. I wore it when pregnant and then afterwards too. It had embroidery on the yoke, flowers on the bell sleeves and matching flowers on the hem, I loved it and have searched for something similar since and In fact bought something vaguely similar via boden recently. (a zillion times more expensive than my original).

After the devastating take over of the taliban in Afghanistan recently and the effects on women and decrees on their attire, I googled traditional afghan women’s dress. And there it was - my dress!

Sadly although eBay do such dresses, including original monsoon ones, they are all tiny.

I am not tiny ?

I loved my purple , maxi , Laura Ashley dress with pin tucks. Great with a black shawl.

Not having a Laura Ashley where we lived, I bought a Laura Ashley pattern and some dark red Paisley fabric which was similar and made myself one, pintucks and all.
I also made DD a "Laura Ashley" French blue needlecord pinafore dress with a cream Viyella blouse to go underneath.

I too had an Afghan coat which was very popular with the dry cleaning section in ICI. At the time it was regarded as an unusual garment therefore an exciting challenge to developers. On the proviso that any chemical could be tested upon it, I received free cleaning. It was always returned in tip top condition however the process revived its natural smell!

Late 60s/early 70s, mum bought me a maxi length coat which I loved, and I thought I was the bees knees! It had a brown leather collar, and attached brown leather belt detail to the back, which was sewn into the coat. I remember mum taking it to the dry cleaners, but when she collected it, the collar and belt had gone rock hard, as the dry cleaners hadn't realised it was leather! I couldn't wear it again, and was heartbroken!