The knicker brigade

I was pleased at the introduction of tights. No more twanging suspender belts and having to put a sixpence in if you lost the little rubber button (or was that just me?). I missed my diamond mesh stockings though.

I don't remember using sixpences for that purpose Katy but I do remember that 'roll-ons' were considered trendier than suspender belts for some obscure reason.
I also remember in the very cold winter of 62-63 that we defied the school rules by wearing nylons under our school socks because it was so cold. Only fifth formers and above were supposed to wear stockings.
We kept our stockings on during games and trying to run round a hockey pitch with your suspender belt digging into your flesh made hockey an even more unpleasant experience than it already was

In her classic article on being a slut (1963) Katharine Whitehorn mentions using an aspirin to replace the rubber button on a suspender. A sixpence might have been too big - maybe a silver 3d?

Mine start of with bras on the left, pants on the right and (have no vests) socks in the middle. PJs thrown on top along with various other things. Its a rummage to get dressed in the morning, also my pants range from size 14 to size 18/20. Can't bring myself to throw away the size 14s

Yes maybe my memory has gone askew here with the sixpence - it was certainly some coin or other, although I don't remember a silver 3d.. Oh and I remember roll-ons. After I had my baby my roll-on was a great help in getting my tummy flat again.

I still wear the same size as in my 20s. But something is missing everybody knows what

I remember tights costing 14/6. Marks and Spencer started selling them early on and no-one I knew could afford them! My skirts/dresses were VERY short, and goodness knows what I must have looked like ! At school we used to roll the waistband of our skirts over to make them shorter and then roll them back down again on the way back home again. Stockings with diamond designs (or with 'beetle' patterns - to show how much you adored the Beatles!) and with white knee-length socks over the top.......oh yes (!) we knew what style was in the sixties!! Oh, and I had a roll-on! It was bright purple and I bought it on tick from a little drapery shop near my school. I think it was 8/-.... !!

Oh marelli I had forgotten about those beetle tights!

- and for some reason I used to think bright yellow and purple went well together. I knitted a bright yellow jumper and with it I wore a very short purple boucle wool skirt. Low-heeled purple patent shoes with a strap finished off the picture....... I was an avid follower of Twiggy and tried to copy her at every opportunity

I had an 'Op-Art' dress - sleeveless shift of knitted material, the arm and neck - holes bordered with black, and a bold geometric print in mustard, burgundy and black!! just about covered my knickers ]

Does anyone remember wearing bloomers in the early sixties? They came to just above the knee and had lace round the bottom so that it showed under a skirt. Warm in winter though !!

Yes tiggy they were called beatnicks, I used to wear them in the winter so that I didn't get chilled above my stocking tops.

We used to call them witches' britches: someone gave me a pair with 'bon voyage' embroidered on the bum when I set off to Vienna as an au pair girl in 1964.

The worst knickers, which I've mentioned before, were school uniform knickers - mine were brown interlock, fasted around the legs and waist with industrial strength elastic. Guaranteed effective contraception - there is no way you'd let ANYONE see them!! They even had a tiny little pocket in them: I never found out why.

Once I left school, I wore bikini briefs - still do. Mum said I should wear 'proper knickers' when I was pregnant as bikini briefs were too small for the bump. She was inexplicably horrified when I said it was OK, the little briefs could sit under the bump.

I remember those bloomers tiggy we called them witches britches.

I still wear bikini briefs too Joan. Last year I thought I might buy hipster style briefs for a change. That was a mistake, I think they were longer in the leg and I felt like they were strangling me. I threw them out and bought high cut bikini briefs. So much more comfortable.

Joan the little pocket was for your hanky during games lessons!

We didn't have those pockets, we just stuffed a hanky up the leg of the knickers. One year, in our sewing class, we had to make a pair of knickers - drawers! - mine were lilac lawn; everyone else had pink or blue, but I was absent when the choices were made. They were hand-sewn with french seams. I very much doubt if any of us wore the things once they were finished. They gave my mum a good laugh when I brought them home.

Everything made at school had to have a bl**dy french seam!

I had a pair of bloomers! They were bright red with a black lace trim. I remember wearing them with a white mini-dress which had large green splodges on it. Now I think of it, I don't think I was very good at colour co-ordination...!
I remember my grandmother sent me a pair of very lacy French knickers when I was about 13, and I was horrified - they were far too old-fashioned and a bit mysterious.... My mother agreed that they weren't suitable for a girl my age, but my father insisted I wrote a thank-you letter straight away to Grandma, saying that I loved them . He was impressed because they were Kayser Bonder brand, (which he pronounced Kaiser)! My mother wanted to know how he knew that this particular lingerie was a good brand? Don't know what happened after that, but I didn't have to wear the knickers, and nothing more was said about them !

Marelli
Me and the other girls in our dissection group at university all had the same ones! That was in retaliation for all the boys turning up in identical ties with little pink pigs and mcp on them[htlgrin]

[thigrin]

Identical French knickers, Galen?

Why didn't that work? oh! It's l not i

No! The red ones with black lace. That would be in 1973

Sorry 1963, what's wrong with me today?