2021 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

CapricornLass

PipneyJane, do you have a trouser suit?  You could dress it up by wearing a brightly coloured top, and jewellery - necklace and/or brooch.  I always wore trouser suits at the MOD, regardless of whether I was meeting customers or not but I was careful to soften and feminise it, so to speak.  But it allowed me to move, the jacket made it appear more formal wear, and I could wear comfy shoes (in my case, either sandals or boots depending on the time of year.)

And I didn't have to worry about showing my kickers if I was crawling around under desks, or peering down ducts, or clambering up ladders!

PollyWollyDoodle

Goodness Laura, is it a year since Your Intended’s operation? It doesn’t seem that long, I remember you posting about the suit on here. Sounds like the perfect thing for an October wedding

CraftyLittleLisa

I have spent all my coupons (Oops!).

I decided to treat myself for my birthday by doing one of those personal shopper boxes that you can subscribe to.  I just signed up for the one box.  I was expecting none of it to be any good as I am very fussy with what I like (but I need some inspiration).  I received it today and out of the 5 items I was sent, 3 of them I liked - a pair of trousers, a blouse and a t-shirt.  They sent me a skirt and a dress.  I did like the style and shape but the tiny pattern of the fabric just didn't suit me so that is going back - just as well really.  So I am now up to a total of 95 coupons spent.  Its surprising how quickly the coupons go down.

Looking at what I have purchased over the last few months though I am confident that none of it has been frivolous and will last me a good while and some of it has replaced things that really needed to be got rid of.  I have also been using material that I bought to make things rather than just buying straight from the shops.  

If I want anything else now I need to just use my stash of fabrics or second hand shops.

PipneyJane

Hi All

@Laura_Elsewhere - it's been a year since your Intended's surgery?  In the almost featureless landscape of The Pandemic, I would have sworn it was only 6 months ago.  I'm glad you can both now look forward to getting married in ?October.

CapricornLass said:

PipneyJane, do you have a trouser suit?  You could dress it up by wearing a brightly coloured top, and jewellery - necklace and/or brooch.  I always wore trouser suits at the MOD, regardless of whether I was meeting customers or not but I was careful to soften and feminise it, so to speak.  But it allowed me to move, the jacket made it appear more formal wear, and I could wear comfy shoes (in my case, either sandals or boots depending on the time of year.)

And I didn't have to worry about showing my kickers if I was crawling around under desks, or peering down ducts, or clambering up ladders!

Most of my suits are trouser suits @CapricornLass.  Even when they have skirts as well as trousers, I probably only wear the skirt about 1/10th of the time.  That's partially because I work in engineering/construction and have spent large portions of the last 10 years sitting in a portacabin/modular office in the middle of a field/highways depot/construction village. (Nothing is less suitable than a skirt and heels in those places.)

When we rebuilt an oil refinery, one of the greatest privileges I earned was the right to walk the construction site unaccompanied/unsupervised, all dressed up in my hard-hat, orange boiler suit and steel-toe-capped boots.  The scariest moment was when I had to take our in-house lawyer up to join the construction manager on his afternoon walkabout. I hadn't a clue where to find the construction manager, so was wandering around asking stray people in boiler suits if they'd seen him. (I'm the project accountant, remember, not an engineer.) 

Today, I wore a suit from Hobbs:  double breasted tweed jacket and Oxford Bags style trousers, together with heeled loafers, pop-socks and a pale pink tee-shirt.  The fabric is sort of Prince of Wales check but the black threads are deliberately uneven in width, so it looks more busy.  Definitely more winter than summer because of the black.  

@CraftyLittleLisa - careful there lass.  You stay away from those spivvs, with their black market clothing...     (Actually that box sounds like a great success, with well chosen garments for you.  It's a pity about the patterns on the skirt and dress.)

- Pip

Liverpool_Anne

@PipneyJane, I love Oxford bags, so comfortable and stylish

CAFCGirl

A light 2 coupon spend on yarn to report because my game of yarn chicken was a spectacular loss on my part, by 15 squares = 75g, plus what I'd need to stitch them altogether. I opted for 200g (2 balls) so I would have more than enough and the excess I can put to use I'm sure, perhaps on some fingerless mittens. Thankfully its a lovely darkish green so my colours.

I had a quick read through but couldn't see any mention of jewellery, and how that worked in terms of coupons? Was it simply not worn much, i.e the wedding band and maybe a watch? A string of something and possibly one pair of earrings for best?

Cherryfudge

CAFCGirl said:

I had a quick read through but couldn't see any mention of jewellery, and how that worked in terms of coupons? Was it simply not worn much, i.e the wedding band and maybe a watch? A string of something and possibly one pair of earrings for best?

I just resisted several balls of dark green chenille yarn in a charity shop in another town round here, if you feel like going adventuring I can let you know the town but right now I'm not sure of the shop. It was on the upper floor for what that's worth.

I don't think jewellery was rationed as textile rationing was primarily about saving resources for uniforms and manpower/womanpower also had to be channelled into the war effort. I suppose less jewellery was available because it was a luxury and human resources were needed elsewhere, but I'm sure there will be someone here who can tell you in more detail: I'm just guessing.

Cherryfudge

Five coupons spent today on a pair of slippers, bringing my signature total (39.5 coupons c/f from 2020 + 66 coupons this year. Spent 31.5 of these Jan-March 2021) up to 36.5 coupons spent - but it should be more as I remember buying yarn and not getting round to adding it. Time to get out my bullet journal and find out if I wrote it in there.

Do we use coupons for face masks, or do they count as gas masks? I've bought a couple today (and resisted two tops and a dress).

PipneyJane

@CAFCGirl - jewellery wasn’t rationed.  It was just difficult to obtain and expensive.

@Cherryfudge, face masks are coupon free.

- Pip

Laura_Elsewhere

We spent yesterday having a Grand Upheaval of the stuff stored behind the bench in the sitting-room, and I now have my bale of needlecord, bought from @thriftwizard last year. Today or tomorrow I shall be cutting out, and next week I shall be sewing, an autumn skirt. My knee-length green-linen summer skirt made rapidly in the spring has been absolutely invaluable this year and I have lived in it, but with the weather cooling I am very aware of having cold knees! So I plan a duplicate, but with the pockets a few inches further round to the sides, and possibly plain flat back pockets like jeans for keys, etc., and just a couple of inches longer... in the lovely soft old-green needlecord with its little old-gold sprigs... I might even fling together a waistcoat to wear with it