Whatever happened to underskirts

[thatu]

We always had little loops to keep the bra straps from showing. See-through anything was a definite NO, even with lining underneath. Red shoes would never have passed the Parent Test. As for showing any cleavage at all - :mysmilie_468:

 

[nicnac]

I remember early 80s when going out to the under 16s disco and we all wore skirts with the petticoats about 2 inches longer than the skirt and edged in lace! That was untill some one turned up with bloomers inplace of a petticoat and for the next few months that was the in thing. We all thought we were the bees knees.

 

[Weathergirl]

Also going bare legged, particularly to work just wasn't 'done' - simply wasn't professional, and it was an unwritten rule that everyone adhered to. I think very few people ACTUALLY wear tights/stockings now, at any time ! (I could be wrong)

Not wrong in my case. I am not a fake-tan wearer and I don't sunbathe so the summer months are spent wearing trousers or crop jeans or a long floaty skirt or dress. My legs are never on show. In Autumn/winter it's either thick black tights and boots or pop socks under trousers. I wear ordinary tights if I am wearing a nice outfit with heels to go out in. Never ever ever wear stockings.

 

[Vienna]

When I began my first full time job working for the Ministry of Defence we were told never to wear trousers for work, not even smart suit type ones and no jumpers, T shirts, nothing even vaguely see through, no boots in the office but we could travel to work in them then change into shoes and never ever bare legs. It was dark coloured plain skirts, a blouse with a cardigan over the top and tights and court shoes. Those women higher up the ladder wore a skirt suit and my female boss also frowned upon nail polish and dangly earrings. There were 24 of us in that office, all females and young newbies such as myself were terrified of the HCO`s or higher clerical officers as they were known.
My boss wore a brown tweed suit, flat brogue shoes, her hair pulled back into a severe bun, heavy face powder, red lipstick, (no other makeup though) smelled of a mixture of Woodbine cigarettes and Pagan perfume and was nor ever had been married. She was a stickler for time keeping, smoked like a factory chimney because back then smoking in the office was acceptable, she wouldn`t utter 10 words if 5 would do, you couldn`t or wouldn`t dare argue with her and she would tut disapprovingly if we chatted about pop music , boyfriends, fashion or anything frivolous during work time. I was scared to death of her until the day before I was due to get married at what I thought was the very mature age of 18 and she gave me a wedding gift and a card. The gift turned out to be a set of hand embroidered napkins which she must have spent hours doing and the card was written with such a kind beautiful message.
When I returned to work a week later, as a newly married woman, she seemed to treat me differently, as more like an adult and it dawned on me she simply didn`t know how to associate with us " young ones " as she called many of the staff and obviously she`d never had children of her own so she was totally unfamiliar with teenagers. When I quit my job 3 years later to have my first baby she gave me a hand knitted pram set ie, matinee jacket, hat and leggings and I was sorry to go.
Now I bet she ALWAYS wore an underskirt but I would never have dared ask her !

 

[Totally Loopy Lou]

When I was working in city as trainee lawyer I always work flesh coloured tights and often a slip (not sure if that's the same as an underskirt?!) if the suit wasn't lined and I'm mid thirties. And shoes had to be proper shoes no sandals etc. but it was a conservative working environment in general... When I realised it wasn't me at all I left and went to do phd at a university and then pretty much anything except denim was fine!

 

[ERICS MUM]

I used to wear a waist slip under my work skirts to reduce baggy bottoms, make them hang better and reduce static cling. The slips were very slippery and nothing clung to them. I even had a couple with a slit in the hem so it didn't show underneath skirts that had slits.

 

[amn]

Red shoes.... no knickers! Have I got that right? Lol. Unless they are sparkly like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.

It was Fur coat and no knickers for us - implying someone was pretending to be something special but they weren't really.

 

[Weathergirl]

It was Fur coat and no knickers for us - implying someone was pretending to be something special but they weren't really.

My nan had a variant of that and my mum said it too. About a woman who was outwardly quite glamorous but trashy underneath. "She's all fur coat and dirty knickers! "

 

[Bettyboo]

I've heard them referred to, as petticoats.

I must have been half asleep when I posted the above. Of course it should have said 'petticoat'.

 

[loveheart]

It was Fur coat and no knickers for us - implying someone was pretending to be something special but they weren't really.

Yes I think we said fur coat no knickers and also red hat no drawers.

 

[thatu]

When I started work in the sixties we wore mini skirts (bum scrapers) with no room for a petticoat/slip/underskirt. How I dared walk upstairs I can't now imagine. DD works in a very techy environment where everyone wears denim jeans, trainers and t-shirts, except at meetings with other companies when they do dress it up*, since they could hardly do "dress it down".

*Probably means putting a jacket over the t-shirt.

 

[Nicky-j]

I'm old enough to have been made to wear underskirts as a child and teen but young enough to have abandoned them as soon as I was able!I could never get the darned things not to ride up (especially when wearing tights) or to drop beneath the hem of my dress or skirt. We were expected to wear them at school (even in the late-80s) and you'd end up spending half your time hitching the things up - not very elegant. I think less and less these days do dresses need that extra under-pinning but I sympathise with those that would still rather wear them. Although I, for one, am very glad to be rid of them!

 

[Pick-a-Lily]

And in a similar vein, I suppose, after seeing Kim Sears in her lovely wedding gown yesterday, I got to thinking about the current trend for wearing off the shoulder, backless and generally very low cut wedding gowns in church. Well, as I've said already, I know I am an old fogey, but I think there really should be a bit of decorum in church.

 

[Ellaaa]

Lordy, reading some comments in this thread makes me want to jump naked into a river and burn my bra! :wink:

Why on earth would you wear tights in warm weather? Crazy....

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

Up until 10 years ago my employer would not allow trousers of any description in the workplace so Dickens is alive and well in some places!!

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

I try to avoid dresses/skirts and those I do have are nearly all lined but the one or two which are not I do wear a slip.

 

[Brissles]

And in a similar vein, I suppose, after seeing Kim Sears in her lovely wedding gown yesterday, I got to thinking about the current trend for wearing off the shoulder, backless and generally very low cut wedding gowns in church. Well, as I've said already, I know I am an old fogey, but I think there really should be a bit of decorum in church.

I thought the same ! hopefully the trend for showing off fleshy and wobbly underarms, and back-bums in off the shoulder and backless wedding dresses might be ending. I've always thought this type of fashion is rather like seeing an overweight man in just his vest in the supermarket ! Much more refined, chic and classy to have the shoulders and upper arms covered - whatever your size.

 

[loujareth]

Memories of school uniform and underskirts and socks, no trousers of course. Then years later working with a uniform for ABC cinemas and being free of underskirt because skirt was lined (and designed by Hardy Amies don't you know!). With this uniform I wore stockings, oh my, sometimes the skirt would ride up if I wasn't paying attention and show stocking tops but hey I was 19 and slim then

 

[Mazza]

Lordy, reading some comments in this thread makes me want to jump naked into a river and burn my bra! :wink:

Why on earth would you wear tights in warm weather? Crazy....

Years ago it was part of the dress code at work that you should wear tights, never be bare legged. Fortunately it got more relaxed and I did say to one old fashioned boss that if it was good enough for Diana Spencer it was good enough for me, and he shut up.

I only wear trousers now but would nearly always have worn a dress with a petticoat/slip so they would hang better. My late mother always wore a slip and M&S was the place to go. I remember visiting her wearing red shoes and one of her friends commented on them in rather shocked tones!!!!! weren't red stilettos called "prostitute shoes"? Lol.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

I thought Andy's gran was stunning (in fact better than Judy) and she looked full of life - go gran go!