Fashions when you were at school

Hush puppies with white laces - I longed for a pair but had to make do with Clarke’s

American tan tights and knee length white socks ??

We had a head mistress who stood at the school gates with a ruler if she thought your skirt was too short,measured it and a detention after school picking up litter in the school grounds.
Making your tie short and stubby and trying to get away with lippy and makeup.

A rule I’ve just remembered - we were strictly forbidden to wear our black blazers over non-uniform clothes when out of school.

A few daring rebels in my school used to turn their v neck jumpers back to front under their blazers to hide their ties on the way home from school. It looked like a crew neck jumper and concealed the school tie. Looking back now I wonder why they just didn’t remove the tie ?

We wore dark green tunics, cream shirt and striped gold and green tie. We also wore a green blazer edged with gold and green cord and the school crest on the top pocket. We wore green socks and brown shoes. Green PE shorts had to be 4 inches exactly above the knee when inspected kneeling down!

I remember sewing a cravat in about 1968. Who wore them? I've still got it!

I did the same with skirt, wore 3 pairs of socks to make them look chunky and then you pushed them down mid shin and took school tie in, so it was really narrow. My friends and I were constantly in trouble with our outfits.

One thing I do remember when starting senior school) was being the only one in my form (and probably in the whole of the 3-form first year) who didn’t have absolutely everything - including the ‘Mary Jane’ type of indoor shoes - new.
Everything of mine was a hand me down from my sister.

When my dds started senior school, I bought them everything new, even though there was a thriving 2nd hand shop. I didn’t want them being a 2nd hand Rose like me.

2nd hand was fine later, but not at the beginning of the first term.

We had to wear navy gymslips at least two inches below the knee, no shortening allowed. Also the stockings were called Lisle, hideous things.
At home though I loved my denim skirt teamed with either knee high boots or lacy stockings or tights and kitten heels.
Dresses were either Peter Pan collars and shift type or paisley with a mandarin collar and sleeveless.I had a camel coloured boucle coat with a fake fur collar which I loved.

Girl's Grammar School mid-1950s to early 1960s. Berets worn pinned to the back of the head like a pancake/flying saucer. Secondary modern school boys used to snatch our berets off and throw them in the road chanting "Grammar bugs, pull your lugs". Worst thing for me was having to get changed for showers after PE. My mother insisted on me wearing a liberty bodice long after they had been abandoned by everyone else. I hated being seen wearing this ridiculous garment and longed to have a vest like everyone else. I would have been happy if a vest had been a compulsory item of uniform!

What this thread proves, is that the idea that uniform makes children look neat and tidy and proud of their school is absolute bunkum.

I have always thought it was. A uniform is an exercise in subversion and manipulating the rules for almost every school child, and most children in uniform you see on the street look like scruffy rapscallions - and I salute them all.

Before the war. I went to a very strict girl’s County School.
Grey skirt to just touch the floor when kneeling. Socks to knee until thirteen, grey felt hat in winter and panama in summer. Had to wear a hat outdoors. Gingham dress in summer.
One day couldn’t find navy ribbon to tie I,back my long hair so wore a blue one. In Assembly announcement, Will xxx report to headmisstress’s office. Detention and a hundred lines!
Was caught talking to a boy from the boys grammar school. He was my friends brother and I was going to their house for tea and Monopoly.

Oh the memories. We used to put our berets flat on the back of our heads, secured with loads of grips. Skinny ties, short skirts turned over at the waist. We used to have a uniform inspection, no nail varnish or jewellery.

Platform shoes and thick tights. Long black skirt. Then I went to a school where I had to wear a blazer, tie, etc. Can clearly remember being told off by the rector for having the collar of my blouse over the collar of the blazer.
I see pupils from that school now and no one wears a blazer. Shame as although they were very costly they could last for 3 yrs, everyone looked the same and second hand could be purchased quite easily.

In the 1970s when I was at high school we got in trouble if our skirts were too long! Midi and Maxi skirts were in fashion and we used to have our skirt lengths measured on the way out of assembly. They were meant to be worn on the knee. No hats or berets but our school coats (duffel coats for winter, gaberdines for summer) had to have dark linings. Woe betide you if your coat had a red lining!

The same as most did the skirt thing. Teacher used to shout out our names and tell us to put our skirts back to normal length then we’d go around the corner and tuck them back up again.
Square picnic baskets with plastic covers were the norm.
Scholls in the summer also white daps/canvass shoes with knee high white socks.
In form four most of us ditched our uniforms and my favourite outfit for school then was a black and mustard check mini skirt with a black polo neck jumper or bubble blouse. For after school the miniest of dresses and the highest of platform shoes and if it was chilly topped off with a smart tent coat which when my friend saw mine got one herself in the exact same colour! Aw those were the days

Well said M0nica my thoughts entirely it's just all about control.

To my shame I was summoned by the headmistress of my all girls school to have my skirt measured on the school stage in front of the whole school at assembly. It was deemed far too short. Result!!! I was held in awe (well for about one day!) Fame did not last long.

DD2 ( who gave birth yesterday) decided to move from her all girls school to become a 6th form boarder at a coed school. In her year(s) the girls wore smart suits but she did say that the lower years girl’s uniform of floor length dresses was very much to her liking.

They are really into uniforms here in Australia where we live- state schools as well as private schools. They are quite strict about it,too. I like it, personally, the kids look neat and tidy. There is some help for those unable to afford it.

Striped knee length socks with monkey boots! What a sight we must all have looked

My sisters hand-me downs.

Funnily enough forty years later, I've got my eye on one of her tops !

Plus Ca Change

nanna8, dothe children really look neat and tidy? Reading the posts on this thread, I can only assume that children in Australia are a completely different breed to British children, whose immediate response, put in uniform, is clearly to subvert the rules and customise it.

I could give lessons in how to do it in away that would obey the letter of the uniform rules while completely driving a coach and horses through them.

I attended a small girls high school, 67-74, with a very strict uniform code. Not many deviated from it - the deputy head was a tyrant!
1st and 2nd years - grey tunic, white blouse, tie,black cardigan, white socks.
Years 3, 4 , 5 - grey skirt,black cardigan or V neck jumper everything else the same.
Upper/Lower 6th - blue or pink checked gingham blouse, no tie, black cardi/ jumper - and tights were allowed!
Summer - blue and white spotted dresses with belt and full skirt, and blazer.
Hair accessories had to be navy or black. I remember once, in the first year, my mum was in hospital, and my dad couldn't manage a ponytail with my waist length hair, so I went with a mid blue elastic hairband. I was pulled out of full assembly by the headmistress, and made to stand on the stage while everyone filed out! I was so upset, my dad went up to school the next day ( the only time he ever complained about anything at school! ) and gave the headmistress a piece of his mind. She apologised.
We were told we were representing the school while in uniform, and to behave accordingly, no eating in the street etc. People did report pupils for misbehaving in those days!