Fashions when you were at school

Ellianne - we called buttoned long cardigans with pockets on the bottom edge as “bumuggers” (i.e. bum huggers)! Loved mine worn with my miniskirt and over-the-knee coloured socks and laced up granny boots. Great days (late 60’s).

Was mid 60’s I was at secondary school. You were either a mod, or a rocker. I was a mod, mini skirt, nylon raincoat and hush puppy shoes. Used to iron or sellotape my curly hair to straighten and emulate Mary Quant or Twiggy. Oh and wore skinny rib jumpers and bell bottom trousers although not to school.

nanna8

Me too, Fanny. They used to give you a detention if you didn’t wear your gloves. White in Summer, navy in winter. Imagine that these days.

Oh yes, same here! Red gloves in winter, white in summer... school hat on at all times (but you couldn’t wear the school badge until you’d passed an exam on the history of the school). No going into shops/eating in uniform and we had to fill in a big ledger saying what we did after school each day ie guides/music lessons. If the headmistress didn’t think you had time to do your homework then she was on the phone to your parents.
But the worst thing was the systemic undermining of teenaged girls’ confidence by middle aged spinster teachers who thought nothing of telling you that you were an idiot or treating you like dirt.

Anyone have little black flat pumps called "Whispies ?" Saxone and Dolcis made them slightly differently every season. Usually only the inside colour changed. They were always black and all the girls I knew wore them to school in summer (winter too if we could get away with it ) This was early 1960s

I went to one of the first comprehensive schools, and although we had a uniform, it was quite loosely enforced. In the summer we wore blue and white striped dresses - anything from turquoise to navy. The way you really made your mark in the school hierarchy was by wearing as many stiff petticoats underneath as your parents were prepared to buy - 'paper nylon' or stiff net. I only owned one, so I used to starch mine every week. Oh it was uncomfortable!

Having a coloured streak in your hair was fashionable when I was at secondary school and they banned it. I had a natural blonde streak (it's now extremely blonde [grin) which showed up strongly in my brown hair. I was constantly pulled up by teachers and forced to explain over and over that it was natural and not dyed. Eventually I was called to the Head of Girls office...a terrifying place that you went to if you were in serious trouble. The Head of Girls closely examined my hair even going so far as to pull a few strands out to see if she could see any evidence of dye. Finally she accepted that it was natural and gave me a card to show to any teacher who might query my hair. Imagine having strands of hair roughly pulled out to prove that it was natural These days I'd cry assault but in those days children had to just put up with it along with the rest of the abuse that was inflicted at that school.

Our school was proud that they listened to pupils and parents' complaints but alas by the time the school outfitters/tailors/ etc could alter the styles it was too late and would have been better had they never tried to change with the fashions.

My DB went to the Bluecoat school and wore medieval dress. The pupils still do and apparently quite like it!
www.christs-hospital.org.uk/about-christs-hospital/history-of-the-uniform/the-christs-hospital-uniform/

Calendargirl

Black stockings were very ‘in’, to be superseded by black tights.

Our senior mistress made us kneel down to measure how short our skirts were, only so much hemline off the floor was allowed.

She is still alive, well into her 90’s. Don’t know what she makes of the uniforms nowadays.

My grammar school did that too-I think it was 2 inches.

Oh and all our uniforms had to come from one supplier, a catalogue company with connections to our grammar school and could only be bought through the school. Definitely overpriced. The blazer badge was usually picked off after one year and stitched on an M&S blazer.

By the time l was secondary school age mini skirts were out and calf length was in. For a time wedge shoes were the fashion and even Clarks got in on the act with two designs; T bar, which l had, and lace up, which most other girls had (late seventies).

Why not use common sense, and allow boys to wear white shirts and dark grey/ navy trousers? They still look smart and unified, but parents can buy supermarket cheapies. An attitude like that puts people’s backs up, and means the Head will have problems putting other - more important- decisions through

I remember a brown gabardine mac belted at the waist, skirt style shorts for PE, brown ribbed stocking which cut into the tops of my very chubby thighs.

I was lucky, in that my school allowed certain liberties with uniform, especially in the 6th form. We could wear any style of white blouse or shirt, as long as it had a a collar and sleeves of some sort. Any style or length of skirt- grey in winter and any plain colour in summer. Any colour jumper or cardigan, and any style of black or brown shoe, except thin stiletto heels which would damage flooring! Discreet makeup.

Rolling our skirts over was the most popular thing to do! Summer and winter hats... Ugh, I wish I hadn't remember them!

We had to have white gloves for summer but they lived in the bottom of our satchels in case we had uniform inspection- 30 pairs of dirty gloves on parade. Our gym outfit was the worst thing ever - stiff pink knickers with a matching tunic top which were supposed to touch our calves when we knelt down. We used to split them up to the elasticated waist to get over gym equipment. No one ever got a second set, so you can imagine how they looked by the time we were 16. Eventually they were replaced with navy divided skirt and an aertex top.

Your school bag always had to be big enough to put your boater in. This was to be worn at all times - even in the pouring rain, and often by year 5 had a hole in the front where they'd been banged onto the cloakroom peg. It was never worth buying another as we didn't have to wear uniform in the sixth form. One girl had the crown of hers completely separate and put it in a plastic bag on the top of her head when it rained.

The flat shoes with the circular bobble to fasten. What were they called?

Coloured Jeans with white stripes up the side, white ruffle blouses. At school in the 80s. Flares were going out if fashion in favour of ‘straights’.

I went to a posh girls school in South Africa. Our gymslips had to be 6 inches above the knee and prefects went around measuring them with a ruler. If they were longer we had to shorten them. I suppose we had short skirts because long ones were worn by actual women. But it was hell getting on the school bus which was shared with the boys school, as the boys stood waiting for us to go upstairs to the top floor and they could see up our skirts.

we used to have to kneel on the corridor floor and if your skirt didn't touch the floor you sent home to change!

My summer dress...worn until I was 16 had curtsy flaps, we wore boaters in the summer and white gloves, grey felt bowlers in the winter and grey gloves..shiver.....

nanna8 Must have been 1959/1960 I think. We used to wear pleated skirts with very full net petticoats underneath. The fullness almost obliterated the pleats!! And do you remember dipping paper nylon underskirts in sugar water to make them more stiff?

I wore Knee socks until I was nearly 19 when I left school. Berets were worn at all times even transport. Worst we had to kneel on the Gym floor to prove our skirt shorts were long enough then hang on the wall bars to prove we had navy knickers on. I remember the glee when someone produced a pair with a pocket. Those shorts!! pulled every high jump bar or hurdle over and we campaign for neat short summer shorts like other schools
We all tried to get rid of our vests and woe betide anyone who turned up in a liberty bodice derision from all.

It goes on. DGD1 at a mixed grammar school is still wearing a tie in the sixth form.

Granny23 - many years ago, when my children were in their early teens, so around mid-to late 1980's, a parents meeting was held at their local Secondary School to discuss 'School Uniforms.'

This was held in the evening so people could go after work. I tried so hard to get rid of the silly tie (especially for the girls) This school had become well known for how low the tie knot eas in place!!!

I find the idea of tying a length of material around ones neck, stupid to say the least. At one point, when many of the parents attending were saying how smark it COULD look (if tied properly) , and that silly comment about 'preparation for world of work', I asked if all the Mums in the audiance who (many having come direct from theri places of work) who were wearing a tie would stand up. Not a single person did!!!

I still lost that and the girls were subject to wearing a tie.

And still it goes on! 14 year old, 6'3" DGS has grown like a weed during the pandemic and cannot squeeze into his, hardly worn uniform. Unfortunately, his Academy has a new Headmaster who is a stickler for full uniform, has decreed that normal rules apply and all pupils must wear full uniform or face penalties. DD has written to him asking for a relaxation of rules for this term because a) clothes bought now will be too small come September and b) the specialist supplier has collapsed during the pandemic and c) the fact that the usual "Uniform Exchange" will not operate until September.

He replied at length, (ignoring the financial burden this would place on parents and the difficulties in trying to acquire Uniform) only stressing the need for Uniform to unite the school and to "prepare pupils for the world of work"!!! DD has replied asking which spheres of work nowadays, require staff/workers to wear a collar, tie and blazer, and, in the case of girls a skirt?

Meanwhile, DGS is hoping for good weather as he is planning to wear shirt & tie and carry his too wee blazer, claiming he is too hot.