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Clothes & shoes of yesteryear

Wendy said:
Oh my goodness all these memories. Michael has double cuff shirts and wears cufflinks. My Dad used arm bracelets to keep his shirt arms up. My sons think all this stuff is out of the ark! How many ladies remember turning shirt collars and top and tailing sheets.........oh dear I think I had better leave!
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I still wear double cuff shirts with chain cuff links though both are getting harder to find, though there are a plentiful supply of older type cuff links to be found in second hand jewellers shops. I also wear arm bands I suppose because of my short arms, they go with my short legs. I can also remember wearing stud collar shirts when they came back into fashion in the mid 60's though I used mainly cardboard collars which I used to buy at Woolworth's.

Phil
 
I remember my ex wearing separate collars in the '60s. Wasn't the fashion boldly striped or coloured shirts, with a large stiff white collar with rounded edges? I remember he had a box of stiffened white collars which went to a laundry for cleaning and stiffening.
 
I can remember my ex buying paper collars from Woolworths I am sure it was style 77. Also in the 60s the mods used to wear pork pie hats.
 
Roverman,
being a typical woman, I had to look when you said men only - and had a giggle remembering one of the firdt wards I worked on, when one of our gentleman produced his shirt and no undies, and was very indignant that we weren't happy to tuck his shirt under for him - at 17, all mens bits were to be avoided if you could, not like today I think!!!, so thanks (I think) for bringing back memories lol
Sue
 
Seperate collars make economical sense, because shirts always wear out at the collar first (fraying), at least in my case they do, therefore i dispose of fairly good shirts simply because of frayed collars. Do they still make shirts with seperate collars ? Eric
 
cookie273uk said:
Seperate collars make economical sense, because shirts always wear out at the collar first (fraying), at least in my case they do, therefore i dispose of fairly good shirts simply because of frayed collars. Do they still make shirts with seperate collars ? Eric
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Eric I can remember my mom taking the collar of the shirt turning it around and sewing it back on when it started to fray. Dek
 
I have a photo of a family picnic in 1957 on Malvern Common. At first glance it's nothing out of the ordinary, until you think how much we have progressed.
1. There were 12 people and a dog present, travelling in an A30 and a pre war Ford builders van !
2. Despite being mid summer, people are wearing coats, hats and the elderly are wrapped in shawls !
3. People dressed up just to relax on a picnic.
4. No posh chairs or table, the old folks had seat cushions from the van.
5. The stove is Meths and contained in a Biscuit Tin as a windbreak.
6. The tea is made in a crock TEAPOT (no teabags in those days)
7. The milk is in BOTTLES.
8. The water is kept in a glass demi john !
9. China cups and saucers were in use (no mugs)
10. The seven passengers in the van sat on wooden boxes in the back (no windows, seats or seat belts)
We travelled for two hours like this from Bham `to get some fresh air ` Simple pleasures for simple days.
 
How times have changed in other ways also. You never ever saw a woman smoking in the street, also for someone to sit at a table to eat with a hat on was a complete no-no. So different today.
 
Doug1944.. l remember trips like that and what a good time we had, times have really changed sometimes l longed for the good ole days, it did'nt cost much to make us happy did it....now l ask you would you ever see men wearing ties at a picnic in this day and age......Brenda
 
I don't remember that women did not used to smoke in the street Carolina, but I must say I cannot remember seeing one do it. I went to a boarding school for a few years and we were not allowed to eat in school uniform, not even a sweet, and even now I would never eat or drink in the street. I find people walking about with a Bib Mac halfway out of their mouths is quite a turn off, like wise drinking take away coffee. What is it about people now that they cannot wait until they are inside again? Times have changed and certainly not for the better, in many ways.
 
I remember going to Coleshill with both sets of my Grandparents in a car and having picnics in the summer :)

A thing back then, that has always stuck with me, was my brother being told never to walk with his hands in his pockets as it was slovenly. Ladies always wore hats and gloves when going out and children behaved themselves.................. those were the days ;)

And manners seem to have gone out the doors nowadays. we were taught to always thank whoever took us out and we were really grateful for the fun we had.
 
Shortie you are correct ladies probably did smoke in the street, its just you never saw them. When I was at grammar school you couldnt eat anything in the street whilst wearing a uniform, but as soon as we got on the bus, we did. We thought we were rebellious!!
 
Many things have changed for the better: many have not!

One attribute, in my view, that is sadly lacking today is "a sense of occasion".
 
Doug, I can remember many family outings and do you remember seaside holidays in the late 40s early 50s when men went on the beach in suits, or for the more daring a pair of flannels, an aertex shirt with the collar undone, and socks and shoes, sandals for men were for the wimps in those days not real men. I wish I could post photos as I have quite a few from those days showing my dad and others dressed like that. Oh and most times they also wore a jacket.
 
Oh Sylvia, you certainly triggered forgotten memories regarding the unspoken Dress Code ! I can see my Dad now in sports jacket or alpaca jacket, white shirt with the collar outside the jacket, tank top, Cravat (usually Paisley), light coloured trousers and sandals. For the ladies it seemed to be flowery dresses, broad belts, matching shoes and handbag, pearl earings (usually clip on) and pearl necklace (rarely genuine pearl). What happy, carefree days !
 
We have some of the family on the beach in their flannels and best clothes.
And you are right, what a great sense of decorum and pride, that is largely lost now more's the pity!
Must be getting old I think, when I look at some of the goings on, I cringe, to say nothing of the attitude some people have!
Sue
 
Not until he was well into his seventies did my old man even consider casual clothes. Even when he went out for a pint in The Rat Pan he'd wear a suit and tie. Mom eventually fixed him up with some slacks and short-sleeved shirts, but he was highly reluctant to wear them if he was meeting anyone. She also got him a very nice tweed sports-jacket, which I think he just refused to wear. And right to the end of his life he had a short-back-and-sides and had it cut every week without fail.

Big Gee
 
Big Gee your Dad was just like mine. The only time he wore light trousers and an open collar was when he was working in the garden. If visitors came unexpected he would dash up stairs was and change into a suit!

Here are a couple of photo's my father on holiday in an open neck shirt with my brother. The next one is my grandfather with my aunt in Bournmouth.

Dad_and_John_Jennings.jpg
Walter_and_Ethel_Jennings.jpg
 
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Wendy said:
Big Gee your Dad was just like mine. The only time he wore light trousers and an open collar was when he was working in the garden. If visitors came unexpected he would dash up stairs was and change into a suit!

Here are a couple of photo's my father on holiday in an open neck shirt with my brother. The next one is my grandfather with my aunt in Bournmouth.
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Wendy, the thing with my dad was, that for all his stuffy clothes he was so vain! He'd spend ages getting himself ready to go out, and would fuss and worry about his appearance. Mom had to ensure there was always a supply of ironed shirts, and his trouser-creases had to be knife-edge, or he'd complain. I'd love to have seen him in jeans, T-shirt and trainers!

Big Gee
 
We are spoilted to death nowadays, everyone in those days was content with much less and
folk seemed much happier, we now live in a fast, noisey, Im allright Jack kind of World which as I get
older I like less and less. Bernard
 
Mini dresses, maxi dresses. Mary Quant hairstyles and make up. Bobbed hair. 60s
Tight skirts, waspy belts, bouffant hairstyles, pointed toe shoes, Marty Wilde, Cliff etc all embroidered names on our jeans.50s
 
Flairs ,bell bottoms cuban heeled boots multi coloured grandad shirtsand hair reaaaaly long,as Mary Hopkins sang "those were the days my friend"
 
Mini, maxi and midi dresses - often in crepe de chine, or floral patterns. Velvet hot pants with suede boots, and in winter a velvet maxi coat to cover. Also had a black patent maxi coat and black patent boots (Gawd what was I thinking!). Lots of cheesecloth in blouses and skirts. Had various velvet trousers and loon pants. The loon pants had contrasting colours inserted into the flare (God it gets worse!) Before all this wildness, had a fling with Mods fashion : pencil skirt with one slit at the back, tied blouse and twin set cardigan.

Hair usually worn long, but sometimes afro'd it with millions of little curlers and a lot of setting lotion. Had it very, very short when I was in my Mod phase. We did some wierd style of straight pointey pieces at the front and a block of curls at the back. Sometimes wore a hairpiece - that was very Audrey Hepburn. As far as makeup went, mostly looked like a panda and much effort went into painting on false eyelashes. Wow it was sooooo good to experiment like that. Viv.
 
Circular skierts with net underskirts, Tight jumpers, bucket bags, baby doll pyjamas, gloves, hats & stillettos.

Boys in "brothel" creepers dress coats ect.
 
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