Snowing down south

I can remember my older sister wearing stiff petticoats so her skirt flared out. She went to local dances wearing them, and I was envious being too young. But only white ones, never black. By the time I was old enough, the 60's had arrived.

Oxfordshire - we said your slip’s showing.

I remember black underskirts that were held up on the waist with elastic from the mid to late sixties.

They were not considered to be common where l over but practical and considered

I wonder who Charlie was?

Oooh twiglet77 I would have loved that petticoat

Yes! It’s snowing down South we said here on the West Pennines, so I think it’s a North West saying.
Who remembers “All fur coat and no knickers” 🤣

“Charlie’s dead” was the saying in Surrey, 1960s/‘70s.

When I was about 8 I came home from school to be told, “There’s a present for you upstairs”. On my bed was a pink petticoat, all floofy net and satin bows, with a lace bodice. I was a tomboy and never wore dresses.

I choked back tears and couldn’t hide my disappointment. I’d hoped with all my heart that it would be jodhpurs, and failing that, baseball boots.

I don’t remember who’d bought me the petticoat. My mother wanted me to be a girly girl as my much older sister had been, but I’m sure she wouldn’t have bought something so extravagant. My aunt, perhaps, who didn’t have a daughter.

I never wore the petticoat.

I've never heard them either .

I do remember 'egg on your chin' for a man's zip being open, but the rest are lost on me.

Must be local to you...never heardthat expression in my life

Grandma70s

I think we just said “Your slip’s showing”.

Is anyone old enough to remember those gorgeous stiff ruffled nylon petticoats from the late 1950s? It was a matter of pride to wear as many as possible, to make your full skirt stick out. I sometimes think that particular fashion, small waists and full skirts, was the prettiest I’ve lived though.

I still have one and a couple of 1950s dresses

We used a variety of sayings but its snowing down south and charlies dead were some of our sayings too. I remember those awful net scratchy petticoats as I was a dancer and did a variety of dances , ranging from the usual ballroom waltz to cha cha, and then latin american. I used to do the pasa doble and for that had a dress which I wore several petticoats underneath, but most importantly had to be sure to have a soft petticoat next to my skin or the scratchy net, or stiffened manmade ones would itch and scratch me as I danced. I had quite a variety of colours and styles depending on what I would be dancing to. and when I look back now at those clothes but worse still were the 3" or 2-1/2" stiletto heels that allowed you to spin very well but didnt help your feet at all in the long term!

We were being moved to a new flat by a friend with a pick up truck. My stiff frilly petticoats were tied together in the back until a sudden breeze whisked them away. We watched them flying through the air, I’ve often wondered what became of them.

" snowing down south" in Liverpool if your slip was showing.
I cannot remember in my youth ever having seen a black slip.

yep, another "Snowing in Paris"

in of East Scotland

Snowing down south in Cheshire too.

In Scotland the phrase was "it's snowing in Paris" amongst schoolgirls at least.

Underskirts were white or very pale fawn - black was considered "French", which when talking about, slips, bras or panties meant "immoral"! As in: worn only be a certain kind of woman.

ExDancer

When a man had forgotten to zip his trousers, we'd say 'the stable door's open'. (Westmorland, now Cumbria) also 'its snowing down south' for the petticoat showing'.

Yes to ‘the stable door’s open’ for flies unzipped. Also yes to ‘it’s snowing down south’. But then I was brought up in North Lancs near the Pennines. Not too far from Cumbria.

Ha ! that took me back to my grandma's day. She was a stickler for being dressed properly

‘Charlie’s dead’ in N Ireland too. I remember also using ‘SSS’
which was short for ‘ Slip slightly showing’.

spottybook

I’ve never heard that one. Growing up in the Midlands we would say Charlie’s dead.

In Scotland we said that too. I had forgotten in until you reminded me

When a man had forgotten to zip his trousers, we'd say 'the stable door's open'. (Westmorland, now Cumbria) also 'its snowing down south' for the petticoat showing'.

I was sent a stiff crinkly waist petticoat from friends in the US when I was about 9. After a couple of washes it went limp. I don’t think my Mum did the sugar stiffening thing!
Charlie’s dead was also popular in Sarf Lundin in the 50’s/60’s

Just seen that kittylester already mentioned the sugar water. I should have read the whole thread!

You could also stiffen them by soaking them in sugar water and letting them drip-dry.

boheminan

'Charlie's dead' in South London.
Grandma70s I remember the stiff white petticoats and they stayed a fashion until the early 60's. They kept stiff by spraying them with starch - years later I remember as a nurse, we'd starch our aprons and caps in the same way.

They were so stiff they scraped your stockings and laddered them.