2024 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

Laura_Elsewhere

florianatwobob said:

@flamingo747 I’ll take another of it laid flat. It has frogging up the sleeves too. Modern Monsoon  but I’ve always been a sucker for gold braid. Too much Adam Ant at a formative age! 

Me too, we must be of an age! I had a lovely coat bought off a mate in the early 1990s, moth-eaten to absolute lace round the hem but fabulous frogging, gold braid, epaulettes, a real joy. After wearing it for months I started a bit of renovation.... and realised the buttons were hand-knotted fine-soutache over a *wooden* base-dome and thought, blimey! I had been assuming it was some stage costume, a bit of Gilbert&Sullivan or suchlike... one August I bypassed the queuing tourists at Edinburgh Castle to take the coat to my appointment with the military clothing specialist in the museum there and he was delighted to see it and me! 
It had no value as such, in very poor condition and not actually terribly special- "non-commissioned officer's un-dress uniform frock-coat, unspecified regiment, 1890-92" was his verdict... but what he was so tickled about was that I was wearing it with my old patched jeans and army boots and Motorhead t-shirt He said he loved to see it being worn and enjoyed and he felt I should wear it as long as it lasted! So I did...  

flamingo747

Awww @Laura_Elsewhere that sounds awesome, I love historical finds like that

florianatwobob

I think I may be revisiting my 90s self @Laura_Elsewhere I invested last year in a pair of DMs but this time platform ones! They’re amazing, I used to be so much more rock and roll! So re-finding my inner rock chick is most enjoyable. 

The coat sounds amazing. I used to have a gray wool repro ‘great coat’ in the 90s (courtesy of C&A). It used to be fabulous for sleeping under when I was a dirty stop out round friends at the end of the night. It died a death but I’ve still got the buttons! 

Cherryfudge

That's an amazing coat! Great piece of repair, too.

CapricornLass

First spend of the year - a navy sweatshirt, so 5 coupons. 

thriftwizard

Echoing everyone's appreciation for the sit-rep, Mr. PJ, and wishing her the easiest possible effective ride through her treatment and on into recovery.

Loving the coats! I'm still grieving for a stunning pale yellow hand-painted silk kimono that I loved to death back in the early 80s...

Cherryfudge

I have a couple of new uniform shirts but since they're work and I didn't have to pay for them, no coupons were spent. 

I do wonder why the organisation I work for didn't just choose a logo and stick with it. I think this is the third or fourth version I've seen, and of course once the old ones go out of date, people who leave the job don't have to give them back. That reminds me that I found two work shirts from my previous job still in packaging. They are ones I bought for work out of my own money and are standard issue but sans logo, so I suppose I could sell them as as brand new still in packaging. They are super-comfy and hard-wearing, but about as stylish as desert wellies, for those who remember them. I'm a bit torn as to what to do with them: perhaps one of my former colleagues would like them but most aren't my size.

PipneyJane

Good morning Ladies.   Cup of tea?   I have put the kettle on to simmer.  MrPJ is walking Scruffy Dog for us.

Woke up in a bit of panic, over sleeping fabrics. Literally fabrics you use for pajamas.  Hard to explain why I was panicking, but so glad it was only that.  

So glad that I had all my hair cut off and donated 2 weeks ago.

In my very eclectic listening over the last week, I heard an episode of The Infinite Monkey Cage discussing Material Science (first published by the BBC in February last year).   It was fascinating, especially when the lead Material Scientist’s answers were always “Make a jacket out of it” and “Wool”.

Ladies, If I ever find out her details, I think we have found out Patron.

- Pip

Laura_Elsewhere

Morning, @PipneyJane! How nice to see you- and my, how that modern short haircut suits you! 

Many thanks to Mr PJ for taking Scruffy Dog out for a bit it means we can settle down with our knitting and the custard-shortcake biscuits without having to keep on fending him off (the dog, I mean, not Mr PJ!)

PollyWollyDoodle

Good to see you back in the Village Hall, Pip. Let me make up the fire. 

That sounds interesting, I like The Infinite Monkey Cage. Was it Anna Ploszajski? https://www.annaploszajski.com/