Can you remember the clothes that you wore when you were young?

When I was little we moved into a 1920s house and our neighbours were 2 elderly sisters Nellie and Clara. The house they lived in was bought new by there rich watchmaker father when he realised his daughters were not going to marry. The house was furnished typically Victorian. They used to earn a small income by dressmaking on an old Singer treadle sewing machine. They used to make me strangely old fashioned clothes in modern 60s fabric. My favourite out was a skirt and waistcoat made from an old red velvet evening dress of my Mums, she bought me a frilly white blouse to wear with it. They were lovely gentle ladies who died just after we moved in the early 1970s.

At Grammar School we had to make our Gym dresses in 1st year needlework classes. The design was based on a greek short tunic. 2 oblongs with a slit up the side.

Oh, goodness, did you go to the same school as me, Milest0ne? They were horrible, with matching baggy knickers. We didn't have to make them, they could be bought and my mother made a second set.

I remember very well much of my homemade clothes. One frock was beautifully smocked but I said it looked like a nightie and I had a homemade coat and hat I disliked but my mother was very skilled.
When I went to grammar school she made all my uniform from the sketchy drawings supplied and of course nothing was exactly like the bought items.
I made frocks, nighties and dressing gowns for all my daughters, sometimes matching items for all 4 of them and everything was passed down.
Two of my granddaughters are now making their own clothes and I’m making a patchwork jacket for my firstborn, now 51.

My mother made clothes and my grandmother knitted us jumpers and cardigans. My friend and I both had twist dresses made by other mothers when we were about 11/12. Also gathered skirts and later straight skirts with slit at the back ( just like our mother’s). In the early 70s I made most of my party dresses myself.
My DD carries on the traditional and recently made a skirt for my GD for a dress up day at school. I knit jumpers for the children when they’re young.

During WW2, a gentleman used to come round with a big suitcase full of remnants of good quality materials. My mum loved to make smocked dresses for me and my sisters. For VE day she made white Viyella dresses with Union flag motifs for us and our summer dresses were always made on her trusty Singer machine. When she taught me to use it, I made cotton dresses and skirts for myself. School uniforms were bought locally either from a draper's shop or the Co-op. When I was a student she made me two lovely ball gowns, one of which I later shortened to make a party dress.

so many memories I can identify with-
I definitely had a little white angora bolero which I assume must have been knitted for me - worn over a pink party dress with a 'sticky-out' skirt, that, unusually must have come from a shop although possibly via another child, as I don't remember buying it.
I was too young for liberty bodices but we did have winter vests (creamy coloured wool with little cap sleeves) and summer vests (white cotton). In fact the change over from winter to summer clothes was quite the ritual, as all last years clothes were got out and assessed as to whether they still fitted or needed letting down/out.
Most of my clothes were sewn by my mum or knitted by an older neighbour, or my grandma. I remember my grandma making me a pale green crochet dress which had a matching green nylon slip to wear underneath. I must have been about 9 maybe. I remember some debate about the length of the dress, as it was crocheted you could lengthen it by adding more rows. I was allowed to have it quite short, and I remember my grandma commenting approvingly that it had 'sex appeal'......I am aghast looking back, at the time I had no idea what this was supposed to mean and I actually wonder if my grandma did either.
One thing that always happened when the change to summer clothing happened was that last years sandals had to be tried on. Inevitably they were too small, but there was never enough money to just go out and buy new ones straight away (I think possibly we had to wait for the next lot of Child Allowance, which I seem to remember was a book of tokens you took to the Post Office each month- is that right?)- anyway, the solution was to cut the toes off the end of the sandals, and we would wear them like that for a few weeks.
Did that happen to anyone else?

I remember an angora bolero. It was white and had little flower shaped glass buttons. I also remember wearing g a pair of black patent leather shoes with a strap across, fastened with a little shiny black button.

Bright red Jumping Jacks, I loved my little boots ?

Ali08 I remember the angora boleros - worn with party dresses when I was very small. I don’t know who knitted them but I doubt they came from a shop!

When dds were small I used to make summer dresses for them out of Liberty Tana lawn - so many really pretty ones to choose from, but the material was of course very thin, and tore all too easily.

As a small child there was clothing coupons. I now know that my Mum used to 'purchase' extras on these in the black market, as she so wanted her much wanted girl child to be dressed like a little doll.

So each year there was a very fussy organza dress - I have photos of myself in these, previous years one was usually handed down to a cousin who was slightly younger than me. It meant that every year at the school fancy dress I went as a 'fairy' with wings attached - one year she made little flowers which she sewed onto this dress and I as a 'flower fairy'!!!

By my teens I was starting to make most of my own clothes, would spend happy hours in John Lewis in Oxford Street in their wonderful material department. Beautiful circular skirts - although I was 'well built' I had a small waist and would then have a two inch wide belt made in the same fabric. Shirt dresses were another fashion and would make underskirts edged in matching material.

When I got married, my Mum crocheted me a jacket and
skirt in a glorious silky effect cotton, which my Dad (a tailor), then lined - had a a matching handbag. This was my going away outfit and also worked for several years as very smart outfit.

I can particularly remember one dress I made for myself during the sixties. Style of the time was virtually shapeless = whilst away with a large group of friends at a holiday camp we decided to dress up one of the lads (long and skinny) to enter the beauty contest. He wore that dress, wool pushed down to make his boobs. All was well until one of the other lads pushed him into the swimming pool around which he was parading. I never wore that dress again!!!!

When my own children came along, I did enjoy making dresses (for the girls), Seventies was the time when little girls wore long dresses for birthday parties and I have some wonderful photos of my daughters wearing these with the matching Alice Bands for their hair. Only had a basic sewing machine and it more than earned its keep. I could only work with proper patterns, was not clever enough to make my own. But evenings, when all the children were in bed, would settle down with that machine on the kitchen table. Always knitted a lot, so all had jumpers, cardis, etc from me. When my first baby was born, he was only just over five pounds. No 'prem' baby clothes or patterns back then - so I knitted a little 'all-in-one' suit in 3 ply yarn, using a pattern for double knit. Fitted him perfectly, and I still have that as a 'keepsake'.

My Mum knitted or croteched shawls for all my babies and pram covers. She also then taught me to crochet and when I had identical twin girls we would each made one - different colours for them.

All my daughters actually asked me for knitted shawls as they had their own babies, and when my g.children were small I did a lot of knitting for them. Sometimes to special requests from them. But none want that any more - prefer to buy ready made. Two of my g.children I have taught to knit (at their request) - never did manage this with any of my own children!!

In the town I live we are lucky that there is still both a fabric shop and a wool shop. But, it is long since I have even had a sewing machine.

Making our own clothes was the only way we could afford nice things in those days. I was only 15 when I knitted myself a dress from poodle wool. Sewing was just a way of life, on a very basic treadle singer, had to turn the fabric to go backwards.

I made my wedding dress at 22, slippery fabric that cost me ten bob and also made 4 bridesmaids dresses. I also did my own buffet at home on covered wallpapering tables. Wonderful results and a year later the wedding dress was turned into a christening gown. Looking back now, I often wonder how I did it but nothing phased us at that age. It was definitely needs must

My children were made lots of clothkits outfits in the 70s/80s and I wore a clothkits skirt. It was wonderful being able to buy the whole lot in one kit. Such good and hardwearing fabric. Anyone remember those?

My mother wouldn’t have known one end of a needle from another! I think the most sewing that was ever done was to replace a button, and perhaps a hem.

We lived in Plymouth and my clothes as far as I can remember were bought from Dingles and another shop just up Royal Parade.

I do remember some of my clothes though. My best coats always had velvet collars and matching hats. My best dresses were smocked and made of lawn I think it was called. One of my very favourite dresses was my strawberry dress. The material was white with embroidered strawberries and a big strawberry at the back holding a sort of tie.
School uniform was a navy gabardine coat with a hood, and uniform was a gym slip with blouse, but I was happiest in my play stuff. I think as the years went by dress became less sort of formal, and I spent most of my life in trousers and tee shirts.

silverlining48

As to what I would have liked rather than what I was given was a stiff petticoat .....
I never had long hair but loved those knitted hats on an alice band with a hole at the back for pony tails mentioned earlier.

They were on Alice bands? I had long hair, I hated it and always wanted it cut but had to endure the length because mum was in charge!
I never had one of those hats, that I remember, but I'm awful at wearing them so that's probably why!

Dinahmo
What on earth is 'oiled wool', please?
My mum made lots of things for us girls, though I can only really think of jumpers for our brother and dad - I wonder I they ever felt left out?
I loved getting new clothes made for me. And I remember at age 16, she knitted me a jumper dress that was all the rage back then, explicitly telling me not to tell anyone she knitted it - it didn't work, everyone knew she had!
She did the same with my brother after his first couple of stints abroad when he had come back with requests for aran jumpers!!
When my children were little she knitted for them, having long gotten rid of her sewing machine. But, she did add some pretty ribbon to the bottoms of some dungarees my daughter had as her legs had grown too long but the rest fitted just fine!
When knitting for me she had to buy extra wool, to make sure my sleeves were long enough as I have rather long arms!
I remember a little argument going on between my sister & myself as to which of us was going to get the next jumper. She stated that, as she was the eldest she should get it. She almost dove into it when mum was finishing it. Haha, I pointed out a very slight error on one line near the shoulder (probably our fault for arguing over it) & it was off her and in my hands quick as could be as she didn't want a faulty jumper! Mum would have unpicked it and made it right, but as it took them a while to spot it I was happy to have it as it was! I was not going to chance it going to her once fixed!!
These days, a button falls off and people throw the item away, not me, I'll stitch it back on or find another one to put in it's place & I often get asked to re-hem clothes that the factory hasn't hemmed well!

As a child born in the 40s I do not remember any clothes until I was about 9 . We had friends who had emigrated to America and they would send over a box of goodies now and again. I remember some nice dresses for me but what I really remember are the nylon stockings with little " diamonds " on them . We girls always had a frilly party dress and a hand knitted angora bolero . The boys would pull bits off them and blow them away . I wore hats to church and Sunday school . I remember as a teeager visiting relative with my mother after she had bought me a coat with a lovely fur collar . The daughter of the household was so envious of me as I was an only child and she was one of three and did not get treats like that. Did anyone elde have a tapestry skirt ? I bought on from a stall in Paris in 1959 and loved it . We wore the sticking out underskirts of course when we went to the Guide dances and we dance to Cliff singing " Travelling Light "

Lots of hand knitted jumpers and cardigans for me too, my mother could knit well but not sew. Fortunately I never had to wear the awful knitted swimsuit.
I remember getting my first pair of stockings ( before the advent of tights ) my mother forgot to buy me a suspender belt so made me some garters - oh the shame. I remember the nylons going very baggy at the knees.

Yes Dinahmo, sugar was the way to go. I had a lovely petticoat made of paper nylon with net layers. Also a skirt with a hoop thst made the skirt stand right out. Thst fashion didn’t last too long.

My dad was a tailor and he would come home and say ”I’ve a lovely bit of stuff for M’s winter coat”. Sadly it was usually a very good cloth in dark brown or some other colour that I hated. Then I had to go through the business of fittings and thinking it was virtually done, before the sleeves were ripped off! As I got older I did have a lovely camel coat with leather buttons and a couple of other favourites. It made very conscious of good work which has stayed with me. So glad other people remember Liberty bodices!

My Mum made me a matching coat and dress, I loved it. I don't recall any fittings for it she just created it!
Clever woman mu Mum :-)

I always wanted a petticoat made of several layers of net. Instead one made of paper nylon, whatever that was. I think you were supposed to rinse it in sugar water to keep it stiff.

I remember liberty bodices ! I seemed to swelter in both vest and liberty bodice and blouse and cardigan (hand knitted of course) ! In the late 60s I was bought a Singer sewing machine for my birthday. I used to get the Jackie magazine and try to recreate what I wanted as clothes like that were both expensive or you couldn’t buy them that stylish. We also used to know an old fashioned seamstress living in the depths of Newcastle who occasionally made me clothes - corduroy trouser suit and for a special Xmas do a beautiful dropped waist medieval looking sage velvet dress. My sister in law and me would be in competition to make jackets etc for going out Sat nights to ensure being ‘top of the pops’ ...

i remember liberty bodices! White, inflexible, sleeveless, with big rubbery buttons. For warmth? I never really knew. My mum knitted her own jumpers from time to time but she didn't sew. She didn't really need to as she worked at clothes shops throughout the town, all her married life. So she was able to get women's and children's clothes at discounted prices and if anything didn't fit me (or her) the alterations woman would sort it out. Also, when I was around 8 to 10, she worked with a girl who used to date Americans from the local USAF base. She thus had access to the Saks Fifth Avenue catalogue and my mum used to buy me dresses from that. We didn't have a set uniform at my junior school and several of the girls were jealous of the way I dressed. One girl used to flick ink at me. But, I hasten to add, I hardly remember any of these clothes (except when I was photographed wearing them.) Like one of the previous correspondents I preferred to wear jeans or comfy old skirts.

And always the bow-in the hair….think I was about 3 here…

Because I was the younger sister, my clothes were generally hand-me-downs, but occasionally my mother would enlist a dressmaker to make identical dresses for us, so guess what? Not only did I wear the new one, I had my sisters as well! When hems were juggled around I sometimes hd what appeared to be the same dress for 4 years!!

www.1950s.co.uk/post/clothes