Fashions when you were at school

I remember spending my pocket money on knee length red socks which did not go with my green blazer and home made (by me) donegal tweed skirt. My school shoes then were tan - Yikes!! I'm surprised I was allowed in.

Maywalk wrote:
"Depends on how old you are regarding fashions because it was all make do and mend in my day and clothes were on coupons."

Absolutely, Maywalk! I left school in 1947 .The New Look had just come in. Two younger teachers were overheard ; the teacher who intended buying a new 'costume' was asked "Do you want New Look or old look?"

Mini skirts were still fairly fashionable when I was at secondary school from the mid-late 60s. We often rolled up our awful bottle green pleated skirts - a colour I've never worn since. We also had to wear white blouses with a bottle green/silver/yellow striped tie and green cardigan. We loosened the tie and left it hanging on the wardrobe door overnight so we didn't have to re-tie it every morning. Green gaberdine mac or blazer.
In summer we wore green and white candy striped dresses in all styles. Socks had to be white, green or grey. Shoes had to black and sensible - Scholl sandals were banned.
There was a striped green/grey scarf for winter but some of us wore Nottm Forest scarves tucked discreetly beneath our macs and got away with it. Looking back I can see good reasons why we needed a uniform but at the time I loathed it.

Depends on how old you are regarding fashions because it was all make do and mend in my day and clothes were on coupons.

I was 14 when I finished school and started work way back during the war in 1944.

LtEve

We didn’t have a uniform when I was at school and I hated it. We weren’t well off so couldn’t afford the latest fashions and I stood out. I wouldn’t have been allowed a lot of the fashions of the 70s anyway so a strict uniform would have suited me fine.

You are a living example of why we need school uniforms! There are always attempts to get rid of them but I think they are important to unify and level everyone.

I quite liked my uniform when I started at secondary school: shirts made of finely striped blue cotton, a tie that was knotted then the back was cut and re-attached with a hook and eye, a V neck jumper that was not handknitted and a blazer with multiple pockets.
The navy blue knickers were dreadful, supposed to be worn with knicker linings, thankfully never checked, and the velour panama was not attractive, but the red beret with a stiffened band allowed only to the sixth form was much admired; gripped to the back of the head we fondly imagined we looked like Jackie Kennedy in her pillbox.
School uniform was worn until the day we left the sixth form.
The joy of having a part time job and being allowed to wear what we wanted.
Then I went to an all-girls' Training College and we were not allowed to wear trousers, at all, even in leisure time. (1964)

Navy pleated skirt, rolled over at the waist, of course! White shirt, navy and white striped tie (why on Earth did girls have to wear shirts and ties?? ?‍♀️), black or brown ‘plain’ shoes (mine were clumpy lace ups and I hated them!), navy knickers made of some sort of stout material. Navy and white gingham dresses for the summer, and navy cardigans for both summer and winter. White socks or tights - but not both. Wearing both tights and socks was, apparently, a most heinous crime that led to a visit to the headmistress for a good telling off.

For PE navy slightly fluff knickers in summer and winter .Legs would turn blue no tracksuits then no wonder I hated PE in the cold and would get out of it if I could bTeacher had her favourites .

All sorts of fads came and went.
Jelly shoes.
Wicker baskets.
Black lipstick.
Fishnet tights.
Lots of badges.
Donkey jackets.
Parka coats with the big fluffy hoods.
Military clothing.
String vests.
Monkey boots.
Happy days.

Katynana I believe we may have gone to the same school. An all girls grammar in London, affiliated to a very famous church. Correct me if I'm wrong but the brown and red uniform is the same as we wore and all had to be bought from the same shop.

Primary school uniform (60s) was bottle green gymslip (I seem to remember it being called a "drillslip" by my grandma) that buttoned up across each shoulder and fell into box pleats from the bust. It was heavy and very, very itchy, even through my white shirt and liberty bodice with the unwieldy buttons

Skirts were turned over & over at the waist to make them shorter. We had to wear horrible brogue type shoes so we had a spare pair of heeled shoes in our bags for travelling to & from school. Ties came off at the school gate & buttons to our shirts were undone. We had awful velour hats so we scrunched them up & pinned them to the back of our heads. The summer hats were straw boaters which we wore right over our eyes.
I cannot begin to remember how many detentions I got for these rebellious acts but they were worth it. As we had to learn lines from Shakespeare at detention I have an amazing number of quotes I can still remember!

I attended a small girls high school, 67-74, with a very strict uniform code. Not many deviated from it - the deputy head was a tyrant!
1st and 2nd years - grey tunic, white blouse, tie,black cardigan, white socks.
Years 3, 4 , 5 - grey skirt,black cardigan or V neck jumper everything else the same.
Upper/Lower 6th - blue or pink checked gingham blouse, no tie, black cardi/ jumper - and tights were allowed!
Summer - blue and white spotted dresses with belt and full skirt, and blazer.
Hair accessories had to be navy or black. I remember once, in the first year, my mum was in hospital, and my dad couldn't manage a ponytail with my waist length hair, so I went with a mid blue elastic hairband. I was pulled out of full assembly by the headmistress, and made to stand on the stage while everyone filed out! I was so upset, my dad went up to school the next day ( the only time he ever complained about anything at school! ) and gave the headmistress a piece of his mind. She apologised.
We were told we were representing the school while in uniform, and to behave accordingly, no eating in the street etc. People did report pupils for misbehaving in those days!

nanna8, dothe children really look neat and tidy? Reading the posts on this thread, I can only assume that children in Australia are a completely different breed to British children, whose immediate response, put in uniform, is clearly to subvert the rules and customise it.

I could give lessons in how to do it in away that would obey the letter of the uniform rules while completely driving a coach and horses through them.

My sisters hand-me downs.

Funnily enough forty years later, I've got my eye on one of her tops !

Plus Ca Change

Striped knee length socks with monkey boots! What a sight we must all have looked

They are really into uniforms here in Australia where we live- state schools as well as private schools. They are quite strict about it,too. I like it, personally, the kids look neat and tidy. There is some help for those unable to afford it.

DD2 ( who gave birth yesterday) decided to move from her all girls school to become a 6th form boarder at a coed school. In her year(s) the girls wore smart suits but she did say that the lower years girl’s uniform of floor length dresses was very much to her liking.

To my shame I was summoned by the headmistress of my all girls school to have my skirt measured on the school stage in front of the whole school at assembly. It was deemed far too short. Result!!! I was held in awe (well for about one day!) Fame did not last long.

Well said M0nica my thoughts entirely it's just all about control.

The same as most did the skirt thing. Teacher used to shout out our names and tell us to put our skirts back to normal length then we’d go around the corner and tuck them back up again.
Square picnic baskets with plastic covers were the norm.
Scholls in the summer also white daps/canvass shoes with knee high white socks.
In form four most of us ditched our uniforms and my favourite outfit for school then was a black and mustard check mini skirt with a black polo neck jumper or bubble blouse. For after school the miniest of dresses and the highest of platform shoes and if it was chilly topped off with a smart tent coat which when my friend saw mine got one herself in the exact same colour! Aw those were the days

In the 1970s when I was at high school we got in trouble if our skirts were too long! Midi and Maxi skirts were in fashion and we used to have our skirt lengths measured on the way out of assembly. They were meant to be worn on the knee. No hats or berets but our school coats (duffel coats for winter, gaberdines for summer) had to have dark linings. Woe betide you if your coat had a red lining!

Platform shoes and thick tights. Long black skirt. Then I went to a school where I had to wear a blazer, tie, etc. Can clearly remember being told off by the rector for having the collar of my blouse over the collar of the blazer.
I see pupils from that school now and no one wears a blazer. Shame as although they were very costly they could last for 3 yrs, everyone looked the same and second hand could be purchased quite easily.

Oh the memories. We used to put our berets flat on the back of our heads, secured with loads of grips. Skinny ties, short skirts turned over at the waist. We used to have a uniform inspection, no nail varnish or jewellery.

Before the war. I went to a very strict girl’s County School.
Grey skirt to just touch the floor when kneeling. Socks to knee until thirteen, grey felt hat in winter and panama in summer. Had to wear a hat outdoors. Gingham dress in summer.
One day couldn’t find navy ribbon to tie I,back my long hair so wore a blue one. In Assembly announcement, Will xxx report to headmisstress’s office. Detention and a hundred lines!
Was caught talking to a boy from the boys grammar school. He was my friends brother and I was going to their house for tea and Monopoly.