2024 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

Laura_Elsewhere

@PollyWollyDoodle - I only have A Coat! Well, A Jacket... Dad bought himself a really really good Harris Tweed jacket form Jenners, many many years ago and said I could have it when it wore out... literally more than twenty years later...!!! 
When I acquired it, the lining had shredded in both sleeves, but I acquired some "vintage curtains, cotton" on eBay for £4, which turned out to be a beautiful shimmering heavy silk-twill in copper and dark-verdigris-green that went perfectly...

The only problem is that a Harris tweed jacket lined in heavy silk is actually just too warm for most circs, so I carry it a lot in cooler weather!  

Mostly I wear jumpers or shawls to keep the weather off and keep me warm... 

Cherryfudge

Confession time: without checking, I know there's my 'duvet coat', my 'fur' lined hoodie, a pink coat that I never wear that's supposed to be sold some year, a lovely maroon mack that I was going to sell as my hair gets caught on a button detail, a black coat for funerals and job interviews, a useful packable waterproof, two or three properly very waterproofs that got left at our house and no one admits to owning them (so we use them)...

...and after checking, I can add two denim jackets that are waiting for me to get back to a small 12. That's not counting the inherited coats from Mum that I don't wear and won't get rid of. (Fond memories of me as a four year old in a winter park with my baby sister and Mum, who was wearing what I was lead to believe was astrakhan: a photographer took a snap and the picture appeared in the local paper). On inheriting the coat, I found it's just a convincing pretend, but it still holds memories. Must be from around 1967.

CapricornLass

Guilty as charged, my lud.. - two rather worn coats that I used at the MOD, which I will get rid of, I think, as I inherited two beautiful German coats from my mother, a padded raincoat, long length, and a navy long-length loden coat, which is really smart and ideal for funerals.  I also have a bright red light mac (present from son), a weird fish jacket for summer, my denim jacket, and a very light padded cotton summer jacket in blue, again really good for smarter occasions.  Then there is a thigh-length waterproof, a shorter length waterproof that younger son took to Africa, it doesn't fit him but does me and at £200  ((2004 price) I'm d*****d  well not getting rid of it, and a yellow and blue sailing waterproof that I bought a very long time ago, is coming apart at the linings which I keep for things such as dump runs.  Also a Jack Wolfskin winter coat (hand me down from Mum) a Berghaus winter coat (mine - I've had it for years), a short leather coat and a sheepskin (waiting for me to get small enough to fit in it again.  Also three wraps  that I use for warmer weather.  I don't anticipate ever buying another coat again.

Then there are the fleece jackets, a brown one, a lavender one, and a blue one that belonged to my grandmother, who died in 1988, which I wore a lot, but which is now demoted to gardening.

No wonder I don't have any wardrobe space!

CapricornLass

Oh, and there's a short hot pink coat as well and the nylon fur jacket that my grandmother wore to my mother's wedding in 1956.....  

maryb

OOH where to start ?
Well probably in the early 90s when I bought a navy blue Loden coat which still comes out when it's snowing as it is sooo warm.  But oh! those shoulders - anyone who says Loden coats are totally classic hasn't got a 30 year old coat!!

Then there's the smart black three quarterlength coat which was for the office and is now kept for funerals (sadly more frequent as my cohort ages). 

The Berghaus walking fleece and waterproof. 

The Musto sailing jacket (which is now surplus to requirements as we no longer sail). 

The green Barbour which does me for most of the cooler weather with a fleece underneath. 

And a lightweight waterproof for the summer

But in my defence m'lud I don't think I'll need any more coats ever!

diminua

Three coats here - one green raincoat (the trenchcoat I just bought), one brown winter full length gloverall coat (child's size 13, which saved coupons and cash and means it actually fits) and one grey rain jacket which I sewed purple buttons on to match the lining when I lost some of the metal buttons - I've had that years and like many of my clothes it's too wide in the shoulders and slides off, but it's light and easy to cart about or tie round my waist when I'm warm, and I haven't seen anything similar that I prefer. 

Edit - and I have an aran cardigan I sometimes wear as a coat. 

PollyWollyDoodle

I'm impressed with the people who only have a couple of coats - @Laura_Elsewhere your tweed jacket sounds fabulous!

I was going to put up a coat rack when I moved here - I even bought one - and then I reflected that the current coat could hang inside the hall cupboard (houses vacuum, mop, water softener and various bits of gibble, it's going to be shelved and turned into a proper pantry one day soon), and the off-season and smart coats could go in the cupboard upstairs.  On the rare occasion that I have more than a couple of visitors, any coats can hang on the newel post/be put on the bed upstairs or something. It leaves the hall nice and clear.

I'm pretty sure that if I had a coat stand or rack, it would be full of things I've lost or forgotten about! 

PipneyJane

Don’t talk to me about coats! As someone from a hot country, who is almost permanently cold in the UK, I have a collection.  From memory:

• My “good coat”.  A grey, cashmere-wool blend, Dior New Look style great coat, purchased in 1999 or 2000.  Needs to be re-lined and have the buttons replaced.
• My very shabby, old summer coat - microfibre outer with detachable lining, purchased from C&A in Harrow in 2000.
• My new summer coat, purchased last month from Barbour.  Waterproof but not warm.
• A Barbour jacket - not the classic style (this one isn’t waxed, is waterproof, and has a padded lining).  It’s at least 15 years old.
• A black, nylon anorak - purchased in desperation from MrT’s about 7 years ago, when it was tipping down outside.
• A black leather jacket/coat.  Classic, ladies style.  Purchased from Dorothy Perkins in 2005.  Can’t remember when I last wore it.  It desperately needs a clean and to have the buttons re-sewn on. (It stinks of damp and some buttons are hanging on by a thread.)
• Sheepskin-lined, below knee, trench coat from Celtic & Co.  Purchased in winter 2018-2019 for an exorbitant sum.  We’ve barely had a winter’s day cold enough to wear it, since it was purchased.  This is the replacement for the “good coat”.
• A sheepskin jacket with hood, which I wear to the football.  It cost me £12 in a charity shop in Leatherhead in 2004.  I had to replace the zip and get it cleaned.  (IIRC it cost £35 to be cleaned.  The dry cleaner complimented me on zip-replacement skills.)
• 2 Uniqlo black, nylon, puffer coats - the original purchased in 2017 and its replacement when the original got a hole in the arm. (I must dispose of the original.)
• A yellow, high-vis anorak complete with detachable lining, from my days working on a construction site (2007-2011).  This lives in the car.  Last worn when I blew a tyre on the M40 in 2019.

That’s 11 and I’m not including the black, 3-4 length coat my sister left with me when she visited in 2015.  I’m 99% certain that I’ve already donated that one to charity.

- Pip

Gem-gem

Good afternoon everyone, 
I have six coats /jackets:
1. Barbour lightweight showerproof jacket (bought around 2019 - used b.day money and vouchers). (Navy)
2. Hobbs - navy mac - 2013-14
3. Hobbs - grey military style coat - 2005 - bought because it was made in England.
4. North face duvet coat - long - 2011 - come out when temperatures dip below 5 degrees. (Black)
5. North face puffer jacket - bought pre 2010 - it has faded and has a hole in the arm - I use it in the garden. (Black)

6. Barbour padded coat - short length - wear spring / autumn and winter. 2019 (Navy)
I also have two wool ponchos.

Laura_Elsewhere

Oooh, @PipneyJane - after saying we use Fabsil Gold... we're now not! Mr E did some research and found that Nikwax products are far far less polluting and damaging to the environment, with a very good reputation; I always used to use the dubbin on my old hiking boots, but hadn't used their fabric-proofing stuff.
They do one for synthetic fabrics and one specially for cotton and canvas so we're getting the latter- they recommend doing it in the washing-machine or handwash immersion, but my panniers would lose their stiffness if immersed, so we're doing their third option of painting it on. 

We've ordered the stuff so will let you know, once it's done and I've cycled out in the rain a few times, how it works!