Wasn’t it great?

what a great thread! I used to get ready at my pal's house, carmen rollers, Mary Quant jelly babies eye make up ( in yellow or lime green), Kiku, Xanadu, Gingham or Charlie perfume. Mum was excellent dressmaker and I had a fab pair of black velvet hotpants with a chiffon butterfly on the bib ( and the figure to wear them), those black shiny pull up boots like a pair of plastic socks. Also, as fashion never stood still, I went through a period of wearing oxford bags, boy's shoes with waspy laces, blazer and Ben Sherman shirt. Then there was loons with inset panels, cheesecloth shirts. Wore platform soles, dungarees, maxi dresses, jeans with embroidery on the back pockets....... and I never ever doubted that I looked fabulous! Oh to have that lack of self awareness self confidence again!!!

Lovely thread! I can relate to most of these posts. My first pair of heels were when I was about 13/14 in 1960 - white pearlized with a 3 inch heel and a slanted strap - thought I was so grown up! Paired with a bouffant skirt, paper nylon petticoat and gypsy blouse. Then the Beat revolution happened, and the Twiggy look came in, so painted lashes, loads of mascara and cropped hair. Block heeled, square toed shoes from Ravel - my favourite shoe shop.
Saving up for a coveted dress from Biba or Wallis, and cheaper stuff from Chelsea Girl. I crocheted a maroon dress, which took ages to make and was quite heavy to wear.
I hung out with a crowd that included an amateur pop group, and they had a regular gig at the Overseas Visitor's Club in Earls Court, and we used to get in free by carting all the sound equipment in as roadies.
Also used to go to the Marquee in Soho, where we saw Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, and Little Richard - the first time I became aware of drugs, purple hearts - you were searched when you went in.
Perfume - I had been given Faberge's Tigresse and Lubin's Tigresse one Christmas, and loved those, the Gin Fizz really smelt just like that!
Queuing up to get tickets at the Hammersmith Odeon for the Walker Brothers, who were the support group for Roy Orbison, but by then had eclipsed him and were the main attraction. Thought I had died and gone to heaven!
And yes to wearing prickly rollers overnight every night as my hair was fine and straight, and wearing it in a French pleat for work (at Bentalls in those days).
I think the clothes we wore back then are far nicer than what is seen around these days, and everyone did their best to look smart.
Happy days!

Nan - I lived in Teddington and my mum worked in Bentalls. I also went to The Marquee Club to see The Who. I have already mentioned that I used to go to The Cellar Club in Kingston and I was aware that drugs were taken there. I never touched them ..... too scared and didn't need them.....one night the place got raided by the police. I was able to prove that I was old enough to be there but my 2 friends had to have their mums come and pick them up! I never told my mum what had happened but they were in big trouble and never went there again. I did because I loved it there.

I think the beer shampoo in a barrel was ‘Linco’ glammagran?

NanTheWiser (love the name by the way!) thank you for remembering the other shoe shop that was on the edges of my memory! RAVELS. Yes, one of the favourite shoe shops!

Just remembered y cousin (slightly older and therefore more sophisticated) used to do a home perm with a product called ‘Twink’ - she looked fantastic or so we enviously thought as we weren’t allowed it!

Ravel shoes were fantastic.

What a lovely thread!

Linco beer shampoo! Oh that takes me back to mom taking us shopping for holiday toiletries. New flannels each and shampoo/soap to go to the caravan park in Teignmouth. So excited. From the drive down all holiday mom and dad never argued and were really great fun.

On the drive back it was back to normal quarrelling. Bless them

I remember bunking off school yo go see Grease at the odeon in new street Birmingham aged 15! Fell in love with John Travolta and loved the fashion revival of 50s skirts and belts. Also peeping petticoats?

Aged 17 it was carmen rollers, raa rss skirts the fergie bow, and boob tubes.

Me abs my mate would down a bottle of pomagne! Then go into into town and have lads buy us drinks on both floors of the nightclub. 2am night bus home. Heels off 4 doors down from our house and creep in.

My parents never ever checked how I would get home.

I always checked on my teens boys and girls.

Oh can I add my mom had TB as s girl in the 50s do was insistent I wear a big coat out in the winter!

I used to hide my jacket and stilletoes under a bush 4 doors down and change into them and change back on coming home.

At my 50 th birthday party I mentioned this to mom and got short shrift snd told I had been decietful. She wasn’t amused

Wish I had her now but altzimers has her instead

So very late to this thread but have loved reading them all. For a while there I was back in the 60's with lots of reminders of that time. Cathy McGowan being my idol, I ironed my wavy hair under brown paper
but never really achieved the look. Blue corded hot pants, white plastic pull on boots from dolcis. Navy suede knee boots from same shop, matching bag with fringes on the front. Cutting up a suede coat to make a fringed sleeveless long waistcoat. Sounds, Spring Gardens, Manchester. Was it also called Rowntrees? Portland Lodge, going to the Twisted Wheel but not very cool - I had to be home on the last bus! Listening to radio Caroline when getting ready, 60's music the soundtrack to my life. Mary Quant Pie in the Sky nail polish, loved it. Can't remember the perfume but I did like Madame Rochas when I was a little bit older. Where did that pretty (didn't think so at the time) girl go?! I could go on - best time ever

I remember wanting to be the georgie girl was about 9!

My first posting, but have been lurking for a long time.
Love this topic which brought back such happy memories.
GabrielleG54, I am another Liverpool lass and can identify with your post so much.
Blue Angel and the Jacaranda, the Locarno was my second home. Also the Cavern, Mardi Gras and so many others.
I wore my cardigan back to front, bought my clothes from Chelsea Girl and used block mascara and was expert at eye liner with extended flick, but could never put false eyelashes on.
Remember running to catch the last bus home and always just making it.
Happy days.

Me too granny activist I married at 17 had my first boy at 18?giing to my first rod Stewart concert this year at 59! My hubby is three years older he did the concert thing and going out but he was my first love and my last 42 years later we are still together 3 sons 4 Gran kids love your stories though.

Hi Missmolly good to hear from you! Welcome to this great thread which is proving so popular - makes such great reading and I hope more will follow. I don’t like to think of ‘lurkers’ it’s not such a pleasant term - it’s better to think you and others were just a bit shy! Come on in everyone the more the merrier we’d love to hear your tales of this magical time!

When you think about it we were so hung up about our perceived imperfections weren’t we? I suppose teenage lack of confidence for some of us didn’t help there.

I feel less cack handed now as I was one who could put on false eyelashes even though I couldn’t master the eyeliner flick! And it seems many of us ‘sophisticates’ had to get the late night bus home....

In the middle/late sixties memories of smokey folk club in Belsize Park, chianti wine bottles with hours of melted wax dripping into the basket holder, a pint was 1/6d, The Rolling Stones were at The Crawfaddy, Yardbirds at Eel Pie Island, underage drinking wherever we could, bunking off school and hitchhiking to music venues which were not called gigs back then! Fashion was just becoming exciting and teenagers were emerging to take their rightful place in a new society. It was a good time to be alive but I guess I was too young to really appreciate it and too old to go back and start again. ....mais rien de regrette.

Love this thread❤fascinating!