2024 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

Laura_Elsewhere

Just to add my encouragement for reading Simon Garfield's three books of excerpts of the Mass Observation archive. 
I think he does a very good job of choosing whose entries to follow- he doesn't pick only obvious, sympathetic, admirable 'types', but includes one or two people you feel quite glad you don't know- not great villainous evil characters, but just giving a reminder that a very large number of people in Britain in the early years of the war were pretty anti-semitic, and of course racism, homophobia and misogyny were widespread and open... 
But the majority of characters we follow over longer periods - and especially 'Maggie Joy Blount' my favourite- are really interesting and intriguing. Along with 'Maggie Joy Blount' I particularly enjoy the observations and comments made by the woman in Glasgow who was originally from Dorset, and the research scientist in ?Reading? with his small child and wife. There's a woman in Sheffield as well, who I like. 

Cherryfudge

And I'm in skinny jeans (bought second hand some years ago) and a chambray shirt by East (bought second hand on the memorable occasion I forgot to put my case in the car when off to Scotland for a week!)

Nelliegrace

I enjoyed The Oaken Heart, wartime diary by Margery Allingham. 

Grandma Donna has just started researching 1940 America for her latest social history project. She is reading the local daily newspaper from the archive, and to join her I have started reading The Times archive from June 1940, starting with Dunkirk.
I found these which explain why clothes rationing needed to be introduced, using the margarine coupons in existing ration books, which were not needed yet. There must have been panic buying, clothes and haberdashery shops cleaned out, as well a rush on household goods.




I am feeling very pleased at buying three unused Irish linen tea towels for £2.99 from eB. They are good quality from Ulster. It reminded me of Miss Marple on her shopping trip in, At Bertram’s Hotel. I have some of Granny’s (died 1974) and from Great Aunt Mag, the linen worn very thin and darned and still used to cover a rack of cooling cakes. 

Cherryfudge

I imagine I'd have been panicked had I seen in the papers that there were restrictions on knitted goods! Interesting that it doesn't mention woven fabrics, unless they were further down the page.

Laura_Elsewhere

I am not certain, but I *think* the public announcement was made and at the same time shops were prohibited from selling existing stock without coupons, if that makes sense? So there would have been a degree of planning, kept completely private from the public/media, and then it was announced as a fait accompli- the wording in the newspaper cuttings corroborates that- paraphrasing, "the classes of goods covered by the Order made yesterday, are..." - so the legal Order was imposed the day before the announcement. 

Thankyou for mentioning Allingham's Oaken Heart- I have been meaning to get a copy of this! 

maryb

Ooh thanks for the reminder about Margery Allingham's autobiography.  It's on Kindle Unlimited so I've just downloaded it.  I knew about the Board of Trade planning to use the margarine coupons so that the plan to introduce clothes rationing didn't leak.  They knew the better off would descend like ravening hordes leaving nothing for the less well off.  Clothes prices were going through the roof as it was and causing hardship. That's also why they announced it on the Sunday of a Bank Holiday weekend so that the shops would be closed on Monday (no extended opening hours then!) and the shopkeepers would have two days to get set up

Laura_Elsewhere

(Avoiding political debate, as instructed by that nice Mr Lewis)

I took my democratic right out for some exercise this morning And I hope those of you who can exercise yours, do so, no matter in what direction you go... 

One of many rights which we have because of the efforts, courage, determination and bravery of those who lived in 1942, amongst other years. 

PipneyJane

Laura_Elsewhere said:

I am not certain, but I *think* the public announcement was made and at the same time shops were prohibited from selling existing stock without coupons, if that makes sense? So there would have been a degree of planning, kept completely private from the public/media, and then it was announced as a fait accompli- the wording in the newspaper cuttings corroborates that- paraphrasing, "the classes of goods covered by the Order made yesterday, are..." - so the legal Order was imposed the day before the announcement. 

Agreed, @Laura_Elsewhere.  That’s the reason why they initially used margarine coupons, to keep everyone in the dark.

On a different subject:  who has been watching Sewing Bee?  Do not read the rest of my post if you haven’t caught watched the latest episode.

I’ve just watched last night’s episode.  Only one thing to say - SPOILER ALERT!!!! - how on earth has Susie survived so far?  She stumbles through the first two challenges each week then, somehow, pulls a reasonable garment out of the bag for the Made-to-Measure Challenge.  (Maybe it’s my personal biase.  I must admit that I don’t like her style, at all, and she really irritates me.)

- Pip




PS:  Today, I will mostly be wearing my ancient Levi 501’s, a white M&S t-shirt that is at least 10 years old, 2 year old black trainers and my new tweed jacket.  (This evening, I’m meeting an American friend from my Motley Fool days, in Central London. She’s over on holiday.)

PipneyJane

Laura_Elsewhere said:

(Avoiding political debate, as instructed by that nice Mr Lewis)

I took my democratic right out for some exercise this morning And I hope those of you who can exercise yours, do so, no matter in what direction you go... 

One of many rights which we have because of the efforts, courage, determination and bravery of those who lived in 1942, amongst other years. 

I will be heading out shortly to do the same.

- Pip

Laura_Elsewhere

Today I am wearing that recently-bought striped linen-viscose dress from Sainsbury's, sandals that are from... er.... 2017? I think... and a narrow red gingham hair-ribbon from 2015  
And when I went out to exercise the d.r. I also wore a bright red short-sleeved mohair cardigan, knitted in 2018 from yarn unravelled from a finished-but-never-worn jumper knitted in the 1980s by one of the most unpleasant women at the sewing group I used to go to- I enjoy having transformed her horrible shapeless thing into a lovely cheerful little fitted cardigan with puffed shoulders and short sleeves