Oh pleeeeeease let me have one!!!

Around 14/15 I longed for a pair of slip on shoes having only ever had lace ups and sandals. And wellies of course,and the single pair of wooden soled leather clogs in the early 1940s. I got Clarks slip ons in a mustard leather. I loved them and found a bag and leather gloves to match for my first trip abroad a French exchange. Painful blisters from my precious shoes!
By 17 I'd got heels, of course, first black kitten heels and then my heart's desire: bright red stilettos. I thought them wonderful but didn't feel very secure especially in rain. One wet day I gave up and ran through the city centre in my stockinged feet hoping no one I knew would see me!

Bellanonna No the sisters of charity didn't have those wings on their veils. The only part of the nun you could see was her face and hands. They had tight white things framing their faces, long black veils, heavy black robes down to their feet and a large white breast thing (sorry don't know what they are called) with a crucifix around their necks and rosary beads around their waists. Their convent was an ordinary house in a street near the church. I was always fascinated to know what went on in there and event more fascinated as a small child to see the nuns in Woolworths! I used to wonder what these saintly (?) souls could possibly want in Woolworths. Oh the innocence of children.

I saw a girl the other day who was about 9 and she had proper heels on of about 3 inches. It looked awful.

I used to go to a lot of Jumble Sales with my mum and we found a lovely dress for sixpence. I was about 8 years old. The best thing about it was that when you twirled around the skirt went out. (Sure you grans all know what I mean.)

I loved this dress and was very fond of telling everyone that it cost sixpence.

Eventually mum said "don't keep on telling people that I bought the dress at a Jumble Sale."

It was my first understanding of my mum being proud and I realised that when we went to a Jumble Sale she hated seeing anyone she knew when she went in.

Don't see Jumble Sales anymore. I guess they have been replaced by Charity Shops. Jumble Sales were a wonderful resource and there would usually be a long queue of people waiting to get in. I bought a child's book about how to speak French and it gave me a bit of a head start when I went to Secondary school.

I remember the Sisters of Charity. They used to go from door to door hoping for donations. They were always silent.

I did laugh about the little girl boasting about her lovely jumble sale dress and mum feeling embarrassed. I can imagine mine would have had the same reaction. I think they were called circular skirts, Falconbird, cut on the bias if that's the correct term? I had one too and kept swirling it. Maybe this was earlier, in the 40s, but there was a thing called the clothing exchange where you could buy good used clothes in exchange for own outgrown ones. We went there once and I was exhorted not to tell anyone where my clothes had been sourced. Nowadays lots of people I know readily vaunt their charity shop buys and feel a sense of pride in how they've been clever enough to find great bargains. I often get children's toys from charities and feel very chuffed about my bargains.

First pair of 'grown-up' sandals - ie with peep toes and sling-backs - in dark blue. I was the bees-knees, about 13. I walked to and from the school fete and came home with my feet bleeding! The next sandals were soft, pale pink leather and I never had a blister with them. I wish I still had a pair as wearable as those!
Circular skirts were the fashion in the late '50s. Great for fast and furious rock 'n' roll, though I wasn't allowed to go to dance halls. Had to be content with watching 'Six-five Special' (remember that?) on our little black and white TV. And what about those 'waspies' - elastic belts to accentuate our tiny (?) waists.

Shoes with heels!
Because I have problem feet I was not allowed high heels until I was a bit older (after my friends anyway).
I think they were about 1.5 inches high with cuban type heels, black and boring. But I thought they were wonderful.
Of course, I later ignored all the advice and wore stilettoes with pointy toes!

I had a very wide, buckled waspie and a very tiny waist. Ahhhhh ......

In infant and junior school days we wore clogs.Shoes were only worn on Sundays and special occasions.So glad when I passed 11 plus as we wore shoes every day at grammar school.
In my teens I loved the twirly skirts made from a complete circle of material.

I would never have bought any, but does anyone remember the shoes with a hollow heel full of water, and goldfish swimming/hovering in the water? I only saw them in a newspaper, but thought what a cruel thing they were.

I also hankered after quite simply a pair of red shoes with maybe a tiny heel. something girlish instead I had to have strong leather 'school shoes' which were worn only for school and if they were still ok for fit I wore them when they were scuffed and old, as 'playing out' shoes. I never got anything remotely fashionable as it was likely to be to fragile to last so ugliness and strength were the order of the day

Annodomini - I loved my waspie belt which I'd bought in Paris on my first trip. It was never the same after a residential field trip 2 years later. Someone larger than I was asked to borrow it one evening when I wasn't wearing it. We didn't get on at all, she'd always made it clear that I was inferior to her and I normally kept out of her way. I was so surprised, and possibly thought she was being friendlier, we were 17 after all, that I agreed. It came back stretched ...