Where did all the eccentrics go?

These are Traffic Wardens seen at the Pride festival. there are many many different modes of dress here in Brighton. It is only the tourists/visitors who take any notice, if you live here you are used to odd/unusual modes of dress.

Iwore patchwork jeans in the 70's my uncle was horrified he said my late GF would be ashamed to see me dressed like that.My GF was a master tailor who used to hand stitch the latest fashions for his daughters ,patchwork jeans wouldn't have made the cut

I agree with the contributor above: It's the 'normals' you need to look out for.

I'm a southerner but lived up north for a while when kids were small. Looking back it would have seemed eccentric NOT to have your hair in rollers with a neat headscarf over them when you picked kids up from school. When we moved down south I only did it once....

New topic - new etiquette rules
If you were contributing to a book on good manners for our current times, what would you add?
Here are two I’d like to see people observe.
1. In public toilets with those drum toilet roll holders filled with very thin paper, users should always leave a length of paper outside the drum for the next person.
2. In dimply light, drivers should turn their lights on. Lights are for others to see you by, even if you can see without using them!

I wear massively wide HiLo bloomers from the Slow Wardrobe Layercake and their tunics and tulip dresses. They’re eye-wateringly expensive, but all linen or wool and the finishing is superb - so it’s one garment a year and look after them. I’ve never seen anyone else wearing them

Eccentric, demented, or an affectation?

I arrived in London from rural Switzerland in 1970 - and I fell in love with all the 'excentrics' and the 'excentricity'- the choice, the tolerance, the humour, the vast variety. And yes, I do miss it whenever we are in the UK now.

I saw a young lady driving an open top Bentley through Liverpool wearing pyjamas with curlers in her hair .
Thought … WAG ? (it was 2005) she looked daft !

Happy Birthday Molly Parkin

I follow a blog about a young lady in New York who is an expert in historical clothes, and she makes and wears them, including underclothes. She uses historically correct materials (where she can) and tries to follow the sewing standards of the age as well. She also styles her hair and accessorises appropriately and looks absolutely wonderful. She probably looks quite eccentric on the New York streets.

I completely disagree about the "class" reason put forward!! Why?
My mum seed and made 99% of my clothes in 70s Andi learned her skills so continued to make both my and my little DS X2 outfits too! Everyone used to go crazy for my quirky unusual outfits , shoulder bags made from old jeans/ curtains/ leather offcuts from Ashton market! Oxford bags in green upholstery velvet!! Purple cord jacket and hotpants with bright green tights and matching crocheted gloves!! I now sport unusual colour combos always good quality mixed with supermarket finds and charity shop good labels. I also wear dress jewellery mixed with just one or two genuine pieces inherited and nobody but NOBODY knows difference!! It takes imagination and a good eye for eccentricity with a laissez faire attitude, sometime experis totally a senta omg the "monied" types, remember* necessity is the mother of invention * not too much privilege!!!

Saw a lovely elderly lady out with her walker today. Bright yellow, flowery, billowing trousers and a white stripy jacket on top. Blue rinsed hair too. Very colourful.

#mum sewed. DID SEWING!! grrr edit tool please!?

??? Wtf?? Eccentricity is not missing it's alive and kicking, my garden stands out on a new ISH small enclave for topiary trees and unusual combos in garden , I always get asked how I decided what goes where?I don't, my garden does, and I cut and colour my hair as I always have for last 50+ years , and it looks amazing too!

Kali2

I arrived in London from rural Switzerland in 1970 - and I fell in love with all the 'excentrics' and the 'excentricity'- the choice, the tolerance, the humour, the vast variety. And yes, I do miss it whenever we are in the UK now.

I agree, and get sick to death seeing everyone from kids to mother's , just everyone wandering around like zombies staring at phones!!! Eccentricity is here, it's just gone underground! We're all in cars now, so not as visible but we're still out there......???!!

There's a lady in my town who dresses from the rock & roll years. Shopping, walking her dog, she's always dressed in her spotted flared skirts, her hair is tied up in a huge bow and makeup done to perfection. She really looks the part, but some folk do give her odd looks

Anyone been to a Steam Punk festival?

Perhaps in the past people were expected to conform to 'normal' dress and behaviour, so eccentrics were more noticeable. It must be hard to stand out from the crowd these days when, it seems, anything goes!

My adult son is Eccentric in his dress. He turned up at our anniversary bash in a red dress suit covered in batman logos when it was Black tie. It drew oohs and aahs from the other guests but we all agreed that it was so him. He has been like it all his life and I adore his eccentricity. He has an unusual name which suits his unusual tastes!

No conforming in the 60s, free love , flower power & rock on, hey man , get my drift ?

I thought elegant silk trouser suits that looked like PJ's were a new fashion trend?

There is a man who lives near us who always wears skirts, blouses and high heels. He has legs to die for. He doesn’t wear makeup and has let his own, rather sparse hair grow long and ties it back. I don’t think he is a true transvestite as he isn’t trying to pretend to be a woman. He simply likes dressing up in this way. Good luck to him.

Iwtwab12bow

Anyone been to a Steam Punk festival?

I love Steam Punk, but it’s a bit ‘try hard’. It’s a tribe or hobby.
Not my idea of eccentric.

And as for the Brighton traffic wardens in stockings… ?

I have silver hair down my back, wear leggings or jeans with sparkly Doc Martens and a denim jacket and Russian style fur hat. I’m 67. Does this make me a bit eccentric ?