I have just seen this interesting article entitled: School Uniforms: A History of Rebellion and Conformity bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29047752
We had quite a strict school uniform (boaters optional in summer!) but the worst was having to wear full army uniform all day every Monday when the Combined Cadet Force had their afternoon sessions. Full heavy duty woollen battle dress, woollen shirts and ties and big black boots and gaiters weren't conducive to enjoying yourself on a boiling hot summer's day! (Oh and if we passed a master outside of the school, we had to salute him - even if he was on the other side of the street!).
We had the most awful colours for our uniform - brown and yellow - with brown knickers having to be worn We had a beret in the winter and straw boaters in the summer. It was a rite of passage that all new girls had the 'bobble' from their beret removed by an older girl sometime during their first week .....try explaining that to a doting parent who has just forked out what amounted to a small fortune on all those various items of clothing......... And heaven forbid that anyone turned up at school in a pair of long white socks...... Ann
We had green jackets and caps with yellow piping around the lapels and pockets as well as a badge on the breast pocket of our jacket and a smaller one for the cap. Short grey trousers [not much showing above the knee] until age 13 and then long grey trousers after age 13 for boys. Girls - after the age of 13 were allowed grey skirts - but not above the knee in length. White shirts with a green and yellow diagonal striped tie - regardless of gender - and socks were grey - I think shoes were balck with no pointy toes or high heels. Conformity was the bye-word and I hated it.
Secondary School uniform was purple and grey, with a 'soup bowl' hat with a purple ribbon, purple blazer, grey skirt, white shirt and socks, black shoes and a purple striped tie. The worst thing was in summer time we were not allowed to removed our blazers unless we saw a policeman not wearing his jacket! At least in those days you did get Bobbies walking the beat to check!
I was ok I guess with Navy & white, - no summer dresses though. Yes we had an awful beret in winter which eventually turned into an okish hat - which unfortunately I never got. The straw boater for the summer also became much more acceptable.
ours were Navy Blue but in 1st year it was open necked white blouse with Pinafore skirt on which bibs were detachable..........2nd year you had a tie also then in 3rd year you took off the bib......4th year same uniform as 3rd year except you were allowed stockings instead of socks!! 5th and 6th years had pleated skirts. Every morning in assembly we had to kneel down and whoa betide you if your skirt didn't brush the floor...........outside we had blazers and velour(pudding basin) hats and if you got caught taking them off it was detention, and of course everything had to be bought from school shop.......still we did look smart We could wear gingham shirtwaister dresses in summer and in 1st year needlework classes we made one!!
Not sure about over your way, but the way kids go to school now is most cheap and nasty. But then if the teachers set a decent example......... At least we had teachers who got our respect, dressed well and spoke well. My sports uniform was a short pinafore thing, royal blue, over white blouse with great big Bombay bloomers underneath, again, royal blue. A sight to behold.
Lots of similarities with our uniform but it was described in the brochure as n....... Brown. I wonder how they would describe it today?
I loved my school uniforms and never had any trouble about wearing them which probably explains why I was so blissfully happy in military uniform later. My primary and early secondary school had sky blue box pleated tunics with white blouse in primary school and a more "grown up" double breasted tunic (same colour) for high school. No blazer or anything like that, but straw hats were part and parcel of the deal (elastic under the chin to keep them in place when we were little (which I hated) but trust sufficed when we were older). The sports uniform was for some reason or other a lovely sunny yellow with something (the house initial?) embroidered on the pocket in blue. Definitely had to touch the floor when we were kneeling. Boarding school's was bottle green tunic, cream blouse, blazer or cardigan, tie, hat or beret, gloves - all so compulsory when you were off school property, but again no hardship to wear. Would you believe I cannot for the life of me remember the sports uniform? Must have had one, but it's a complete blank. I do remember the awful bloomers for boarding school but thankfully they weren't compulsory so while they were always with us they were seldom if ever worn. Normal knickers ruled!!! Was about to suggest "mission" but then that's probably not pc either, so who knows?
I won't even attempt to describe the shade......and I thought mine was the only school who inflicted those colours on anyone Ann
Horrible tunics ( plain, not even the slightly more flattering pleated type) with cream blouses. We campaigned against them for years. Only the 6th form wore skirts and ties. The year we reached that elevated status they abolished the tunics! So we didn't get the benefit. Summer dresses were brown and white check, later replaced by stripes, either blue and white or yellow and white.
Ours was a perfectly horrible uniform. They changed it the term I started, from a neat and tidy appearance with tie, to a gingham shirt - pink! - for girls, red tank top, grey skirt. I can only think the person responsible for the new, relaxed uniform was colour-blind. And the obligatory Bay City Rollers calf-length socks.
I rather liked the style of my uniform but didn't like the two colours together [bottle green and yellow]. Summer dresses were green and yellow checked, the material was available from the uniform stockist, also made up dresses, Mum always made mine and I got to choose the style. Hats were not compulsory for girls but boys had to wear caps. Winter uniform was a smart pinafore dress in green worn with a YELLOW shirt , striped tie and green ankle socks, woe betide anyone who wore green tights or longer socks. In the first year we made a P.E. blouse in gingham and a domestic science apron in white cotton trimmed with gingham. I remember the knickers had a pocket...........why!!!
To keep your hanky in. Possibly a hangover from the days when women did not carry handbags and had pockets sewn into their undergarments.
Hoping you didn't have the sniffles , imagine the glee of the male populace- watching This post has gone bonkers. edit again, maybe it crossed with Jan.
Also, items such as handkerchiefs and money were kept down a lady's décolletage. Thus, some interesting reading here!
