1950s and 60s leisure wear. Was school uniform worn socially?

In the 1980s I helped with the Brownie group DDs belonged to. Several times I went with them on the week's summer holiday Brown Owl organised. The brownies wore their fill uniform on the coach journey there and back. The brownie cotton dress, leather belt, yellow tie and brown pull on hat.
When we arrived at the village hall where the girls slept indoors on camp beds they had brought with them, Brown Owl had provided a rack of brown shorts, yellow tee shirts and I suppose a jumper. Assorted sizes, but all the girls were pretty much the same size. No child was overweight. And thats what they wore during the week unless we had a day trip out when they wore their uniform again.
I thought then and do now how inclusive it was. No child had better clothes. They were only allowed a small amount of pocket money to spend on the sweets selection Brown Owl bought with her for them to choose each afternoon.
Such a simple holiday. No phones. No bullying. No boasting. Just good fun. I was cook for 30 children and they all ate what they were given. I have very fond memories of it. And how simple it was for the parents packing. Just nightwear, underwear, camp bed and sleeping bag. Brilliant. I still have DDs brown tunics and belts packed away somewhere.

I think boys often wore school uniform on more formal occasions like church, girls not. They would wear their best dress, matching hat and coat.

We changed from school uniform as soon as we arrived home from shool.

I have photos of my brother and I visiting Santa. He is in school uniform. I think it was considered smart attire. We didn't wear it at weekends.

Our little primary school had no uniform so anything went.
I had two cousins just slightly older than me who went to a convent school in Ireland so I wore their outgrown gymslips, blouses, sash etc! Can you imagine kids nowadays putting up with that? The teacher always complimented my Mum on how well turned out I was.

I can’t remember getting teased or anything. Mind you it was a poor rural community and the other kids mostly went in an odd hotch potch of scruffy clothes, plimsoles or wellies. They were very happy days though.

Allira

^Back in 50/60's the only primary schools that had a uniform were private. None of the state schools - this did not start happening until about the mid-1970's.^

That is not true.

My state primary (junior school) had a uniform of grey pinafore dress, white blouse, red tie and navy cardigan in the 1950s. Not as strict as the Grammar Schools which had to be purchased from a specific supplier but could be obtained from a draper's shop in town.

My state primary also had a uniform. Grey square neck gymslip, white shirt, green and silver tie, green cardigan

Back in 50/60's the only primary schools that had a uniform were private. None of the state schools - this did not start happening until about the mid-1970's.

That is not true.

My state primary (junior school) had a uniform of grey pinafore dress, white blouse, red tie and navy cardigan in the 1950s. Not as strict as the Grammar Schools which had to be purchased from a specific supplier but could be obtained from a draper's shop in town.

Back in 50/60's the only primary schools that had a uniform were private. None of the state schools - this did not start happening until about the mid-1970's.

School uniform was very expensive, and much of it required dry-cleaning. So, it was worn strictly just for school. The minute we got back home, it had to be taken off, sponged down (if necessary), and hung up.

I had my 'best clothes' otherwise it was just anything that fitted, often second hand, and, of course, back then , no trousers of any sorts for females, so skirts and dresses.

My Mum used to pay into a Provident cheque every week for me when I was at school and every few months she would give it to me to spend on clothes. I think it was 15 shillings! Not all shops accepted them but there was one particular one that sold clothes I liked. I looked forward to getting it. Of course once I started work I was expected to buy my own clothes. Does anyone remember Provident cheques?

FranP

School uniform might be worn out of school in lieu of a smart suit for weddings/christening/funerals, for Sunday if church school choir, for first communion if sponsored by the school.

As I said above , I only had one winter coat - and that was my school coat, and there is a photo of a family wedding where my sister and I are wearing our school hats as well. As good catholics we had to wear a hat in church (then) and the only hats we had were our school hats, so my sisters and I had to wear them. We were not wearing school uniform under our uniform outer wear.

It was great to go to college and not have to wear a uniform. Liberating!!

I was teased for years about turning up for my first job interview wearing my school uniform. I went straight from school and didn't think to go home and change.
I never wore uniform outside school, always changing when I got home. I didn't have many clothes and nothing very smart, most were home made by myself or my mother, whose creations I hated!

When I went for my first "proper" job interview (civil service) I wore my school uniform although without the tie, lisle stockings and black court shoes with a kitten heel. I was 15 at the time of the interview. It was quite common then to wear uniform for an office type job interview and to be accompanied by a parent. Employers for white collar jobs liked to see that sort of thing because it gave them some idea about your background. I was accompanied by my grandmother who was offered tea while I went in to be interviewed. All very civilised.

I couldnt wait to get out of school uniform when I was in my teens. Ive always had a hatred of uniforms of any kind. All the girls in my class had nice clothes to wear outside school. When I whinged that I had to turn down invitations to parties because I had nothing to wear my fathee said "We buy you the clothes you need for school. If you want fancy clothers get a saturday job like your mates." I got a job in the chip shop. It paid about twice as much as my friends got working in a shop and was of course cash in hand. I soon had a very nice leasure wardrobe of "sticky our" skirts, paper nylon underskirts and ballet flats.

I agree Valels Boys in particular would wear their school blazer, complete with badge, at weekends and for smart occasions.
My DH appeared in plenty of photos in the 1950s like that.

I had to wear my mother’s wedding coat, dyed navy? to school on my first days at grammar school. I don’t think anyone else did. I was so pleased when I was given a gabardine Mac.

School uniform might be worn out of school in lieu of a smart suit for weddings/christening/funerals, for Sunday if church school choir, for first communion if sponsored by the school.

Like others, my only coat was my navy gaberdine school coat - I envied friends who had coloured anoraks. So school coat was always worn if I needed to be smart.

But I did get a lovely white fun fur coat for Christmas when I was about 13. It was secondhand - someone had come into the garage where my mum did the books and left it in payment for petrol. She never came back for it and my mum got it for the price of the petrol.

My school dresses were homemade - our uniform had to be bought from John Lewis which was a really expensive shop back in the day. But being John Lewis they also sold the patterns and the fabric for making them at home. Home knitted sweaters too. It was a very middle class school though, and I didn’t like being the one in home-made clothes.

I’m sure I never wore my school uniform out of school though - like others I changed as soon as I came home because I would only have had one of everything (except white shirts).

(I remember my cousin telling me once that she never saw her dad‘s legs - he was always in a suit, or at least a jacket and trousers and never wore shorts. She only ever saw him fully clothed.)

62Granny

I remember going to church in early 70s a boy who had recently started at our school was there wearing his uniform, I remember thinking it looked strange as we normally wore Sunday best clothes, My friend used to go to local grammar school and was from a poor family but everyone in the extended family bought her something from her uniform list. I am sure remember going to town on the weekend in the late 60s seeing some older children, boys mainly, in the grammar school Blazers.

Boys at our Grammar school went to school on Saturday mornings.
The girls at the High school didn't have Saturday morning school 🙂

My brothers were choristers, David49

That’s one way of avoiding wearing school uniform David49, become a chorister.

Thank you for your interesting responses.

Formal occasions, 1950s we used to go to church regularly in those days, I most of my friends were in the Choir, my aunt was choir mistress.

Mojack26

No never,that's a bit weird. I do agree about your dadthough as mine was the same. In 90's he used to come up and do my garden....in his shirt and tie! I had thebest dressed gardener on the planet!😅 One very hot day I came home from work abd he had his shorts on no tie but ashort sleeved shirt. I could not stop laughing at his shorts! Never even knew he owned a pair.....it was his army shorts from when he was in India/Burma in WW2!!!! 🤣. He got a nice new pair as a present from us.....

I remember holidays in Blackpool with my dad in trousers rolled up, a shirt with the sleeves rolled up, his jacket hanging over the back of his deckchair, at least he wasn’t wearing a tie. My mum would be wearing a beautiful summer dress with a nice cardigan and a summer hat, full make up and lippy on.

No never,that's a bit weird. I do agree about your dadthough as mine was the same. In 90's he used to come up and do my garden....in his shirt and tie! I had thebest dressed gardener on the planet!😅 One very hot day I came home from work abd he had his shorts on no tie but ashort sleeved shirt. I could not stop laughing at his shorts! Never even knew he owned a pair.....it was his army shorts from when he was in India/Burma in WW2!!!! 🤣. He got a nice new pair as a present from us.....

My uniform came straight off once I got home. Wore blouses, trousers and cardigans or jumpers. Depending on the weather. Dresses and skirts if I went to the youth club. Mini skirts were the fashion. The 1960s were the best time to be a teenager! Great times.