Did you work in a uniform?

My first uniform, as a cadet nurse, was canary yellow.
Uniform in first year was a pink and white striped dress with detachable starched collar and cuffs. The apron could stand up on it's own and was attached to the dress by a fob watch and a tie pin. Qualified nurses used their SRN badges in place of a tie pin. The cap was a piece of starched cotton that had to be folded and resembled a Russian peasant scarf when done.
Black stockings and black laced up shoes were mandatory.
During my first year they changed our uniform to a white overall with a coloured petersham belt, different for each year. We kept the hat until qualified and then went into the little round cap. Hair, at all times, was pinned up and neat. No earrings, no rings except for wedding one and absolutely no make up.
My old matron would have an apoplectic fit if she saw the state of the nurses at the hospital now.

This thread reminds me of the first antenatal visit I had at Queen Mary’s Roehampton. Nothing about bathing babies, episiotomies or even analgesia but how to recognise and address the different levels of nurse. This was very important.
1) student nurses - light blue short sleeved dresses with little white cuffs, black stockings, simple cap, apron. . Called “Nurse”
2) staff nurses - mid blue short sleeved dresses with frilled white cuff, slightly frillier cap. Natural coloured stockings, apron. Called “Staff”
3) ward sister. Dark blue dress with frilled cuffs, apron, very frilly cap, natural stockings . Called “Sister”:
4) Matron. Dark blue dress, long sleeved but still with frilled cuffs, no apron very frilly cap, natural stockings. Called “Matron”
If anybody trained at the Westminster and I have got it wrong - well it was 1973!

I worked in a Doctor’s Surgery doing clerical work and wages for a few years and we bought our own navy blue jacket and skirt in whatever style we wished, and got a monatery allowance towards it. The blouses were provided so that we all looked alike. They were ditsy patterned in multi colours made of polyester. They would cling to you (static) and the fabric wasn’t breathable like cotton.
I loved my skirt which was midi length with full all round sunray pleats (fashionable again now) and a fitted peplum jacket. I had a tiny waist then!

Oh Witzend that Caledonian uniform was so patriotic. Like the tale about the pin!
And Mick what was your uniform? Was it that lovely air force blue ?
I am interested in all the various nursing uniforms. There were obviously so many different styles and colours. I had no idea.
I always thought dark blue meant Sister. So sit up straight and watch out!

I had one in RAF , in late 60`s to mid 70`s .
The nearest I have got when working in Tesco with a uniform there.
Mick

No uniform for me. I was a sewing machinist in a clothing factory making coats, skirts and jackets. We made the red uniforms for Freddie Laker airlines.

I wore a uniform in all of my jobs.
I was a Saturday girl in Woolworths while still at school. We wore a pale green overall, not my colour at all.
When I left school I went to work in the shop belonging to my DH's family. We wore blue shop coats there.
From there, I went to train as a psychiatric nurse. On our first day we went to the hospital laundry and were issued with six dresses and three belts. I was a student nurse so my dresses were blue and white checked, with orange belts which were changed for red ones when we qualified. No cap or hat.
When I went back to nursing after having my children, I went into a Nursing Home, there we had white dresses with blue belts and black shoes.
At the last home I worked in I wore a navy tunic and navy trousers with black shoes.
I loved my time as a psychiatric nurse, it was a good career.

I used to wear a blue nurse's uniform with a belt, for work and I have never been a nurse!

Strangely enough, I now work for the same agency as I used to, but in a different sector.

Grannysue andWitzend such a glamorous job! Witzend loved the Caledonian tartan uniform! The smartest nowadays are the Singapore Air flight Assistants.

When I was a nursing student, we had to wear storm blue scrubs. (Called Caribbean Blue on this web site so you can see the colour. www.scrubsandbeyond.com/shop-by-scrubs-color) We also had to wear flashes on our shoulders that identified our program. We resembled a bunch of Smurfs.

There were only two clinicals where we didn't have to wear those scrubs. One was our mental health practicum - most sites only required street clothes (even in the hospital). The other was our final preceptorship, our last clinical. We still had to wear the flashes but didn't have to wear storm blue.

Yes, for a couple of years - tartan cabin crew uniform of the late lamented British Caledonian.
Our kilts had the classic pin, so there was often some would-be comic male passenger who’d say, ‘If I undo that pin, will your skirt fall off?’

Wow so many nurses on here! No uniform for me, I worked as a private secretary (later renamed PA) to business men and academics. Just smart suits, white shirt and heels of course!

My first uniform was a simple cotton starched dress in a Lavender colour, and no cap. I was 17 years old, and working at our local hospital as a cadet Nurse, but spent my first year cleaning down whatever the clinic sister asked me to, I hated that first year and could not wait until I entered Nursing school, and got my Green pin striped uniform and my first paper cap. On qualifying, the pin stripes changed to a solid bottle green colour, but by then I had met and married my first husband, and left the hospital life to work in occupational health for Sainsburys, where I stayed until my daughter was born a couple of years later. My uniform there was more casual, a Navy blue and white Pin striped dress made out of easy care Polyester, which had a habit of giving off static electricity shocks, and I hated it!
Four years later, and after my children were born, I returned to the NHS to train in Mental health, and loved it. By this time it was a combination of the national Blue check nurse's dress, and our own clothes which we had to wear on the rehabilitation wards, for which we were paid a small clothing allowance against wear and tear. This became the trend upon qualifying, and I continued to work on the rehabilitation wards and houses.
When I retired, I missed my job, and returned to doing the odd shift on a large national nursing agency, and met some lovely Clients. Navy blue uniform again, but no aprons other than the disposable plastic ones, and no hat. How strange it felt to sometimes turn up at a clients home to do a full shift, to find that they were one of the senior hospital team who we feared so.much as Cadet nurses all those years ago. We often had a laugh with them about it, and I got to enjoy working in some lovely houses, and also met and nursed some very famous people too, sadly quite a few were in their last few weeks of life, and I felt honored o be with them at the very end.

All your nursing uniforms were very alluring. All that starch!
Remember the old war movies where the male heroes were nursed back to health by the pretty nurses and then they promptly got married.
Did any of you meet your future partner whilst "on the job" ?

Nurse here - very strict uniform including white dress, cap folded and tucked in a specific way and even shoes were uniform issue. We went to the hospital sewing room on our first day at nursing school and our uniforms were altered to fit. We had eight dresses each and five caps which were sent to the hospital laundry to be washed and starched. As a staff nurse and sister we had blue dresses, white cuffs, aprons and starched caps, and a petersham belt with the coveted silver buckle, all complemented by numerous badges from hospitals we trained at and further training completed. Rather glamorous but militaristic and most impractical for the job we were doing in terms of health and safety of patient and nurse. Male nurses had much more practical tunic and trousers.
These days there are no hospital laundries and uniforms are laundered at home. Until I retired I wore tunic and trousers, scrubs or civvies as a consultant nurse. Not as glam or heirarchical but much more comfortable and practical.

GrannySomerset I hear you.
My school uniform was dire. Navy full gymslip, white blouse, tie and thick black stockings.
We had an annual ceremony to reward very tidy girls with a bright red girdle. Very sought after.
Needless to say, I never received one.

I do loathed my unflattering school uniform that I vowed never to take a job which required one.

Oh those lovely nurses uniforms that you all had.
They always looked smart and clinical and gave a good impression to nervous patients.
I know what you mean about Matron's inspections! We had pre flight inspections from the chief stewardess and she always checked that we were wearing our Playtex girdles. It was strictly forbidden to go "girdleless".
Also stockings....always had to have legs covered. On flights to hot destinations that was a constant irritation. Many girls used leg tan but the Chief Stewardess always saw through that ruse.

I started my working life in the Army, and wore the lovat green uniform with a white shirt, a dark green tie and a dark green beret. Number one dress was dark green with a dark green peaked cap. The tie was later replaced with a sort of under the collar dickie bow thing. They were anything but a perfect fit. When I was posted to London (where I worked in civvies mostly) it was common practice to take one’s uniforms to a tailor in Camden Town who would alter them to fit properly! It was reasonable and worth the money! You felt so much better in them. Most of the rest of my working life I wore office clothes and later a suit, but nothing approaching a uniform again.

" Butterfly " hats while training in the 50's that had to be perfect for matron's inspection. We also had to show our fingernails and no ladders in our black stockings.

The full nurse's uniform--late 50's/60's and 70's.

Latterly, a suit for clerical work in the NHS until I retired so it was a treat to wear normal clothes.

Lots of different Nurse uniforms.

I was an Army Nursing Officer for many years,it was my most favourite uniform ever,fabulous big white starched hats,red cape and grey dress with long sleeves.In the Summer we had to wait for daily orders to say we could go without our capes and roll our sleeves up.

So proud to have had my Army years,no other uniform came close.At the end of my Nursing I was wearing a white top and navy trousers

I still have my original belt from my Student days,goes about three quarters way round my waist now! I am slim as well!

Nurses uniform in the days of starched aprons, summer and winter cuffs, fabric cap which had to be folded to exact specifications. When I became a Staff Nurse I had a pale blue dress of which I was very proud. I was also pregnant and the belt of my uniform was getting higher when Matron passed me in the corridor and said "It's time you started wearing a white coat Nurse " the disappointment! !

Way back in1963 I did a few months as a Lift Attendant in a department store in Kensington High Street.

We wore dresses designed by Norman Hartnell. They were mid blue with some sort of black print in small shapes all over.

The main thing I remember about them is that they were hideous. Not at all the sort of that a 19 year old would choose to wear in the Swinging Sixties.

I wore uniform as an ambulance driver, as we were called 30+ yrs ago. Those days it was RAF serge trousers and jacket, pale blue shirt with tie and hat with badge. A heavy navy wool coat and steel recap boots. Then we changed to navy with white shirt and sweater, no hat and then of course the now familiar green cargo trousers T-shirt, fleece and waterproof coat and DMs much more practical and comfortable. I loved wearing my uniform we got tax relief on cleaning it too.