General Chat

Just watching Antiques road show. Somebody had a collection of things from when Biba closed. The expert was reliving her life as a teenager going into the large department store full of Biba fashion and describing how they felt, how it was decorated and the general colours of the clothes.
Mention of Quant is likely to cause a similar reaction.
Do you think in 60 years time today’s teenagers will rave about how they shopped in Primark, H&M, New Look etc?

I suppose not, in the 60s there had been deprivation post war, the new fashion shops were a breath of fresh air and exciting.

It is not the same excitement for today’s young.
Or am I wrong?

For the next generation i think maybe they will go back to more traditional taylored look and not the ripped look of today.

We weren't poor, but there was not ready cash to buy new clothes frequently, so each purchase was memorable.

I didn't have nearly so many clothes as my daughters had as teenagers and what we did have had to last.

Today's young people have cheaper and more plentiful fashion items available, so I don't think they will remember them like we do our clothes from 60s.

I expect many of us can recall particular clothes of that era, when we thought we were 'the bee's knees'. :-)

Yes the mini skirt and my Dad asking me if I had a skirt to go with the belt.

I’ll be the first to admit that I have too many clothes and shoes - but I love things a bit out of the ordinary. Probably the result of having a more sombre work wardrobe - but I still managed to shock a close colleague occasionally when I teamed sombre with a snazzy pair of shoes. :-D

I bought a new royal blue Biba evening dress about three or four years ago. I fell In love with the design, plain but scooped below the waist to one side and it has the little quirk of one shoulder being decorated in silver - from either House of Fraser or Debenhams (can’t remember which) because both of those stores were in that shopping centre at the time.

It was fairly heavy but hung beautifully so I was well pleased with it.

I have no idea whether the brand has carried on or whether some other manufacturer has bought the name.

You’re right, Gwyn, even at my age I did feel like the bee’s knees when I wore it. :-D

A light orange denin hot pant 'suit' - with white plastic knee-length boots, with elasticated tops. :-D :-D :-D

Being in London, I spent all my wages, most weeks, in Kensington.

Biba was a tiny shop, and very dimly lit, but it had a vibe all of its own. I had a few outfits from there. I certainly wore the pinafore dresses to work, along with Annello and David shoes, and Sunarama tights. They were ribbed with holes down the sides.

As others have said, I felt the bee's knees.

I also had the white cut-out boots, with a shortie trench coat, and op-art earrings. :-D :-D :-D

I shopped at M&S - their Junior Miss range. :-D

My school pal liked C & A, Pat.

When I was at school I had a Saturday job at the nearby department store (a bit like a mini- HoF because they sold similar products and had a few branches) so, as you would if you got a discount, I tended to buy my clobber from that store. :-D

I never earned a lot of money - in those days HM forces weren't paid a lot but I did get my work outfits ;-)

Pat, when you left, did they let you keep the skirts and blouses at least? You’d have something to wear around the house then.

They would not have recycled them, would they? And it would have been a huge waste if they’d done so for everyone leaving.

My nephew has served 25 years and is about to start a new job overseas so I’ll have to catch him and ask before he goes.

I recall my Dad still having some of his things - but not all,

I was a security officer in my last job and the uniform was either black or navy blue, I retired from that job and now wear clothes that would give would give Micheal Portillo a run for his money. Lol.

Ripped is not such a recent phenomenon. I remember students wearing ripped jeans in the eighties. Some of them will have adult children of their own now!

No Joy everything they gave me I had to return including shoes and towels - I was only loaned them and they were on my inventory. I only had 2 skirts (1 working and 1 best uniform), 2 summer blouses and 3 winter blouses but 12 white dresses in heavy cotton. All went back :-D

ZZzzz, I understand the situation …..

Makes me want to finish with, ‘no money, no stamp,’ :-D

We’ll see you coming Zzzz? :-0

We’re they well-worn, Pat? So not fit for recycling?

Or only for a few years so able to recycle?

My OH wore uniform for years - and kept most of it but that is probably because it was well-used for years. All fit for gardening! Not sure whether they did that for those who served shorter terms.

JoyLouise, at one point I was staying with cousins and was wearing a lime green blouse with orange trousers, he said I hope you aren't going out with us in that, I said yes I am at which point his husband walked into the room with exactly the same colours on so we were a matching pair and proud.

They were over 5 yrs old but size 1 chopped down so who were they going to fit. My 2 pr of beetle crushers were size 21/2 and worn most of those 5 yrs and my pr of white sandals I had for being out in Cyprus were also 21/2s so they weren't going to be used again. My white dresses were beginning to age. I was almost due replacing them but once again they were size 1 cut down so difficult to give anyone, also white dresses were only worn by 2 trades so even more limited than normal uniform.

The Sgt in stores looked at everything and he threw it all on the floor except my 3 white towels which he gave me back and I used them for the children. All down as written off so came off the inventory.

What a shame, Pat, and a waste! It must have been standard practice for five years' use but I do think, rather than ditch them, he could have let you keep the dresses and shoes too. It wasn't as though you were going to wear them to go to work again, was it! They would have been OK to 'loll around' in at home, I guess. (He should have seen what I wear around the house!)

ZZzzz :-D :-D :-D

I was only thinking the other day that, when I was growing up in the i fifties, everybody down the farm was in uniform. Leather jerkins from WW1 were still being worn, especially when they were trimming.

Berets mingled with the flat caps and army greatcoats were always improved by the addition of a bit of binder twine round the waist.

Strangely, I don't ever remember naval uniform being utilized anywhere.