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In the 1930s Lastex was the most popular which had elastic fabric panels, with a variation by Gossard called a longline girdle.
Then in the late 50s/early 60s there was the rubber Playtex girdle which left spots on your *** (bum) These were caused by spots from the evaporation holes in the girdle rubber. Then there was the roll-on which was stretch type garment needed for the fuller figure as it gave tummy control and held up our stockings. I can also remember bying from Rackhams a Stephanie Bowman type of girdle which you slept in overnight causing you to perspire and would then burn the fat off!!
 
Gosh Carolina, it all sounds very unhealthy to me. Did you manage to burn any fat off with the Stephanie Bowman?
 
My mother in law who is 91 has not worn corsets for as long as I have known her, but she did have girdles (she was size 24 in her younger days) - her sister in law who would be a similar age to her but died a few years ago, always wore corsets, I remember moving them off her settee the first time I was offered a seat in her house. (I don't think I have ever been more disgusted in my life). People of a similar age, one moved with the times, the other did not - I wonder why? Perhaps Aunt Lil felt naked without her major strapping job.
 
Who remembers using a 6d to hold your stockings up, if the button fell of your suspenders :biggrin:
 
If you hadn,t got sixpence , any old button would do. Very embaressing if it fell down the inside of your stocking. Also putting some nail varnish on the ladder of your stocking to stop it running any further.
 
Glad you mentiones the nail varnish. The other day ,in a hurry I put my nail through the top of my new tights,and did the nail varnish trick.
That was the beauty of stockings if you had a ladder you only ruined one leg so could replace one stocking from a different pair.
 
I used to do some work at the NRPB at Harwell occasionally. In one of their display cabinets they had a Radioactive Corset from the 1930s. Apparently they were good for you !
 
Radioactive corsets? I wonlder what they were used for - a therapy perhaps? I bet they made the wearer glow in the dark! The mind boggles.
 
Talking about elasticity for our figures. Did you ever have a waspy belt. Looking good both on flared and pencil skirts.
 
Oh Carolina, how I loved my waspy belt, couldn't wait to buy one. I felt like the Bee's knee's wearing that. Does anyone remember gondalier baskets? Shortie, I hope you enjoyed the cake for your tea.
 
Maggs I certainly do remember
Picture1_074.jpg
Gondoliers
 
never had a waspy.in fact i dont know what one is.i had a few snake belts though.
 
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I must say the snake belts.i mention are metal fasteners looking like a snake.And NOT made of any dead reptiles.
 
I always though Goldolier baskets were called hen baskets. I had one too in 1962, and I loved mine as well. I don't know what happend to it or what superseded it - I think I still had it in 1967, because I am sure I took it shopping for vegetables.
 
Yep, a snake belt from Henrys, and Jet jeans and at 9 years old you were the business.

Specially if you had baseball boots as well. Theyre still around, only theyre called converse now and cost a fortune.
 
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Gondola baskets weren't around when I went to cookery classes. We used tomato boxes from Guerney which we would ask the greengrocer for.. Girls usually painted them and then made an elasticated cover
to go over the top. At Fentham they covers were usually green and white gingham material. I had a gondola(gondolier) basket later on. They were great for shopping and not as open as other shopping baskets were.
 
I had a Gondola basket in about 1962 used it for cookery at school i loved it,does anyone remember not long after they
brought out another basket a bit bigger and it was a called a Criel but had a lid on it.

Carolann
 
I think I remember the basket with the lid, did it have two flaps so you could lift up either end (probably not a very good explanation!)

I'm afraid I wasn't as trendy as to have a Gondola basket for my cookery lesson, mine was just a flat oval shaped one.
 
I remember those gondola baskets too, used for cookery but they used to catch your tights if you didn't hold them over your arm the right way, if you just held them with a straight arm down by your side you had no tights left by the time you got home.
 
Wrap around pinafores, my Gran was rarely without hers, then my mom used to wear 3/4 overalls made of nylon, turqoise, pink and pale blue her favourites I remember.
Lyle stockings, I used to think they were really ugly when my Gran wore them, now I buy 60 denier nylon (almost the same as Lyle) in all colours to wear in the winter.
 
Carolina, I loved the pic of the family with their Gondola baskets, I wasn't sure of the spelling but I think this is the correect one. I accidentally left mine in a loft when moving house. I think Vanity cases came before these didn't they. I still have mine, but it's in a sorry state now. I also remember palliases being in the house where I lived. They were very heavy things to turn and manouvre. Was this a name or a feather bed? I also had a wooden tomato box from the greengrocer to take to cookery lessons, and I remember painting it bright pink.
 
I have just thought of another fashion thing we had in early 1960's. Does anyone remember those flesh coloured stockings that were all the rage? I wore my with gun metal stilleto shoes. There used to be a shoe shop on Spring Hill called Curtis's, they probably had a chain of shops, but I always went there for my shoes and stockings. They were called Micromesh with a black seam. Black suede stilleto shoes were also a favourite of mine. If I felt like splashing out, I would go to Englands in town for some shoes. Gimpies were a flat sort of ballerina type shoe, and I could only get them from a little shop just off New St.
 
Maggs the photo was taken at Weston S Mare. I also had a grey vanity case and I loved it, I now have a brown one thats probably about 30 years old. Palliasses were made out of straw I think. I never had one but I can remembet my mom talking about them. I had a normal cookery basket, but it didnt stop the cooked stew slopping up my legs on the number 8 bus going home from school. I can remember early 60s when the first pointed shoes come out, I bought a flat pair with the longest point out ever, it was from up Soho Road.
 
Yes, the pony tails were made of nylon and once you brushed them all the fibres went matted I think they were 4/11 (25 p) I bought one with my Birthday money, I wasn't very pleased with it. I was about ten and I thought it would be my answer to the dream of having long hair!!
 
Maria, the false pony tails. There was also a round type clip that you could hold the pony tail in. It came apart in two half circles and then clipped together so it held the pony tail, whether false or real. I had such thick hair, it wouldnt hold mine, I always had to hold mine with an elastic ban first. Of course following that was the false bun!
 
Hi CARALINA
I well remember the PALLIASSE. I went camping in 1949 with the boys brigade to RHYL. On arrival we were given one to fill with
straw from the barn. They were not very comfortable to sleep on i can assure you.
KEN
 
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