Fashion on the Ration – Clothes in the Second World War
Utility Clothes
Ever since I was a teenager I was interested in vintage clothes and one of my favourite periods was the 1940s. I used to particularly seek out the Utility brand, with its distinctive CC41 tag, in order to buy clothes made for war-time Britain. The brand represented a well-designed, price controlled product which I found appealing. Good quality, lasting, fashion for the masses.
I was attracted to the styling, quality, and classic design. Also the colours appealed to me as having a nice “old-fashioned” feel, and an appropriate one in the 1970s. Here are a charming set of Utility clothes modelled by, I am guessing, ordinary women, on the streets of Bloomsbury. I love this series – so similar to the kind of pictures you find on blog today (I am not sure why they are all looking to the right). A head scarf – tied at the front in the 1940s turban style – gloves, and essentially practical shoes complete the outfit. The one on the right – the young woman’s suit, required 18 coupons (see below).
Rationing, Coupons and Points
Prior to the Second World War mass-produced clothes were becoming more available at prices that could be afforded by ordinary working people. Once the war started fashion was seen as frivolous as most fabric was requisitioned for military purposes. Clothes rationing came into effect in Britain from 1 June 1941. It lasted, albeit in a gradually reduced format, until March 1949. Clothes produced for the civilian population had to pared down, simplified and stingy on cloth. As a result major designers such as Hardy Amis and Digby Morton worked with the government to design clothes with small patterns, fewer pleats and pockets, and for men’s tailoring there were specific rules – here are some from the Making of Civilian Clothing (Restrictions) Order 1942 and 1943.
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no turnups on trousers
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no double-breasted jackets
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three buttons or less
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three pockets or less
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no slits or buttons on the cuff
As with food rationing, the main aim of the scheme was to ensure fair shares. But it was also intended to reduce consumer spending, to free up valuable factory space and release workers for the war industries. When buying new clothes, the shopper had to hand over coupons with a ‘points’ value as well as money. Each item of clothing had a points value, usually displayed alongside the price. The more fabric and labour that was needed to produce a garment, the more points needed. Eleven coupons were required for a dress. Everyone was initially given a book of 66 coupons to buy new clothes for a year. This was cut to 48 in 1942 and 36 in 1943.
Item |
Men |
Women |
Children |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raincoat | 16 | 15 | 11 |
| Overcoat | 7 | 7 | 4 |
| Jacket | 13 | 12 | 8 |
| Shirt/Blouse | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Jumper/Cardigan | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Trousers | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| Shorts | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Skirts | 8 | 6 | |
| Boot/Shoes | 7 | 5 | 3 |
| Nightdress/Pyjamas | 8 | 6 | 6 |
| Underpants/Knickers/Vest | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Socks/Stockings | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Second hand clothes were not rationed. The WVS set up exchanges so women could swap clothes that didn’t fit or they were bored with. Clothes were handed down from one child to the next or sold to other families. In fact fewer points were required, recognising not just that less cloth was required, but also that children grew quickly. Pregnant women received extra points for maternity and baby clothes. Patching and repairing clothes was encouraged by the Make Do and Mend campaign.
At this time many women knew how to darn a sock and making your own clothes, or cutting up Dad’s prewar suit to make something fresh, became very popular. Unravelling old jerseys to knit up new ones became a national pastime. They used furnishing fabrics until these were rationed too, after which blackout material and parachute silk were some of the few fabrics that were recycled into evening dresses and lingerie.
And – the reason for this post – opening today (until 31 August 2015) there is an exhibition on Fashion on the Ration at the Imperial War Museum. I can’t wait to see it.
And here is a question – If you had to go for a year with 66, or indeed 36, points, do you think you could have done it? What would you have bought, and what would you have sewn to eek it out?
William Morris – life in colour
I already wrote about the special Yinka Shonibare exhibition. This post covers William Morris. He lived in this home, from 1848 to 1856. There are also many other William Morris buildings in London – he lived at the Red House in Bexleyheath, now with the National Trust. You can also see where he lived in Hammersmith, on the River. And the factory at Abbey Mills, in the LB Merton. He was a most interesting character – involved in politics, art, design, preservation, manufacturing, commerce, and campaigning. If you live in London, and have an interest in textiles, furniture design, art or left-wing politics, you really need to get to know Morris by visiting some of these places. The Walthamstow property was the one I had never seen.
I warn you that most of the colours in this post are natural, muted shades. Morris disapproved of bright shades, created with chemicals. His fabrics and other products were coloured with natural materials imported from all over the world. These gorgeous tiles are some of the brightest colours that you can see in the gallery. Lovely designs, based on nature, but so bold and vibrant.
There are some reels of silk used for embroidery, more ceramics and designs for wallpaper. In the museum you can also see how the tapestries were made with hand dyed wools. It is quite a process to make a shaded rose with a complex background. The apprentices worked on small samples first until their work was good enough to make rugs and wall hangings to sell. In fact some of the society ladies who purchased Morris furniture or fabrics preferred to do their own embroidery and there are examples on display at the museum. There is quite a predominance of this mustardy yellow. How beautiful it looks toned with turquoise and soft green. A beautiful warm-muted palette. And there is something about these romantic pre raphaelite with their printed, flowing dresses, long unruly hair and crowns of leaves.
What is so interesting for people, like me, who just love making things, is the sense of art being turned into products. Here is Morris’s own artists smock (actually its a reproduction), a photograph of some of the workers who created the designs in the workshop. And an advertisement that shows the fabrics being promoted through the shop in central London. These fabrics have been in continuous production since they were first designed. I have a little story of my own about these fabrics.
We bought a home in south London during the 1980s and when tidying out the loft we found several rolls of William Morris wallpaper. The wall paper featured margins that had to be removed before the wallpaper was hung. This means that the wallpaper had been manufactured between about 1940 and 1960. We searched for a while for a machine to trim the paper and found one in a window display of a trendy paint shop but they wouldn’t lend it to us. In the end we trimmed the paper with a straight edge and a sharp knife, and decorated the sitting room in the paper. It is known as Willow Bough and comes in green, and blue too, and in different scales. The paint work was painted in cream to go with the wall paper and then I wondered what to do about the curtains. In the end I went out and bought the same fabric for the curtains. Although it may have been overpowering for some people I loved the impact of all the green, leafy textiles and paper. It was like sitting in a lovely garden or conservatory when the curtains were closed.
Thinking about making a coat
Here are some shots from the Roland Mouret RTW show A/W 2014/15. Both of these fabrics were available at Simply Fabrics in Brixton at different times. I bought the pink one, which I think is gorgeous. I just love the deconstructed dog-tooth check – it’s so bold and different. So, as a centrepiece for my SWAP, and in fact the unifying factor – featuring bold magenta and grey – I bought a couple of metres.
I was thinking of a reversible coat or other item when I saw this fabric and was originally attracted to it as it is great on both sides, as you can see on the second skirt. The grey side is smooth, the pink side has a nap. While I had preferred the grey side, Neucarole suggested that the pink was the right side. Turns out she was correct. Also, when I was thinking of using this fabric for a suit she warned me about pattern matching. And turns out she was right about that too. With the items above the pattern is matched horizontally but the draping and cut prevent it more generally. I think the left hand suit is a bit messy in the waist line area.
So thank you Carole, a coat it is, and while we have confirmed that pink is the right side I still prefer the grey, but I will endeavour to get the pink on show, somehow.
Now I have a decision to make. It is not urgent as I have other work to get on with. But if I make a coat I need to choose the right pattern for it.
My first thought was a Burda pattern I have made before. The great advantage here is that the style is simple and will involve minimal matching. I could do the collar and lapels in the reverse fabric. Or perhaps the sleeves. But then the RM photograph perhaps suggests a sleeveless coat?
My second idea is to make a coat pattern based on one of my own designs. Here I am with Kriss Akabussi at a Notting Hill Housing event last month (we look after his brother). I had in mind taking this kimono sleeve jacket and lengthening both the sleeves and the hem. It has a nice military collar, a wrap front, no buttons and is tied with a wide belt.
The third idea is to make up the coat that comes with the Nina Ricci suit that I am currently making. I am on a roll here, and tempted to just get on with it. However, while I like the style of this coat very much I think it would probably be better in a plain cloth.
I do have other coat patterns. I could buy a new one. Or I could use this fabric for something else entirely.
Any suggestions?
Basquiet; opposites; Lino printing project
One of my favourite bloggers – from whom I learn a great deal – is Luixe who writes The Genealogy of Style. He is a prolific, thorough blogger who comments on modern art, literature, fashion, photography and music. He has recently been running a series of articles about Jean-Michel Basquiet, one of Andy Warhol’s collaborators.
I have been attracted to his graffiti/social commentary/naive/African/disruptive art for years but didn’t know much about his life or death. Luixe’s posts arrived in my in box just at the point when I was considering my new block printing project. I thought about for printing using graphics, bold images and a limited colour palette.
Here is the brief:
Using the theme of opposites we will generate designs which we can print. As a starting point please consider – Mechanical and organic or Old and New. There maybe a link between your opposites eg plane and butterfly, or they maybe completely different. You may want to consider opposites for different elements of the design small and large; light and heavy; pale and intense. You don’t have to include all these elements, they are just ways of helping you develop your ideas. By the end create a printed panel of fabric which can be made into a fashion accessory (eg purse); fine art – a panel or 3D object – consider where you would locate your artwork, or interior element (eg screen, throw, lighting).
I started thinking about DO and DO NOT, especially in the context of my anger about the large number of negative notices at my college, which I have already posted. Starting with the idea of images of “things to sit on” in some of the notices – chairs, toilet, wheel chairs – I thought about including “messages” that were the opposite of the officious notices.
I designed a new poster that encouraged creativity through a disruption of the prevailing “DO NOT” culture. A poster that would encourage students to “DO” interesting things in this essentially creative space. I also wanted to include the students in the posters, to show the object of the education in this building. Also by using lino, hand writing and simple drawings rather than regulation fonts and clip art I would be contrasting mechanical with organic. Also I wanted my images to at least reference the student – the organic part of the education process.
Here is the drawing. Zoe reversed the picture on the photocopier so it was easier to transfer to the “Soft cut” material (a modern version of lino). I found it easier to draw it again using a black felt tip, and then cutting away the black lines.
All the students were cutting out and used the same piece of cotton to test their lino on. We used fabric stamps for a change rather than getting all the inks, rollers, sponges etc out. It didn’t give me a very dense colour but I should be able to fix this next time. You can see the purple airoplane-butterfly that Diana has made. And bottom left is Nicks clock. He has also done a dandelion lino print. I will share the other students’ work in due course as it is very interesting.
I will be working with these three images next week to create an art work. I need to find a way to introduce more colour, and I am currently thinking of machine embroidery. In anticipation I have ordered some machine embroidery thread.
In terms of what to make from this I have up to now only produced fabric for garments. This time I think I will make a picture – something to hang up. Something with a message. Maybe two – one to hang up at home, and one to donate to the college.
Nina Ricci Vogue Paris Original 1650 – Part Two
Does anyone apart from me, Lyn and Helen remember these? A polyester “permanently pleated” kilt, attached to a nylon jersey vest – suitable attire for little girls’ Sunday best. Often worn with an Acrylic Arran jumper over the top. Oh how the sparks flew as we spun around!
During the 1960s a camisole and overblouse was a very popular and contemporary look. This was best achieved by attaching the skirt to a “camisole”, which is a French word for a vest, or short petticoat type undergarment that finishes at the waist. Rather than having a waist band the camisole held the darts or gathering and allowed the overblouse to sit nicely over the skirt without flesh showing, or a waist band adding bulk.
When I bought Vogue Paris Original 1650 I didn’t realise that the skirt was actually a skirt with camisole. But I made it, with the twist that the camisole is painted so it can be worn on show.
Although we have a soft crepe silk top, and a relatively heavy wool skirt, once belted it works nicely together. I even think with nude tights this would look nice as a summer outfit. It feels exceptionally lovely to wear. The pink in the 1950s belt is a bit on the yellowy side, but it is such a nice vintage item I got for 50p in a charity shop. It has landmark buildings from across Europe on it. Can you recognise them all?
In terms of making up this was unusual for me as I am not a great one for underlining. I prefer to line so that all the gubbins are hidden from view. So the top half, made as it is from two layers of silk is neat and everything is enclosed, but the skirt hem is attached to the green silk lining. I don’t really like it so I did it quickly, thinking I might go for a more traditional finish. The hem is supported with a 3″organdie bias strip. I shall wear it for a while to see how it performs.
I used an invisible zip, although a regular, hand stitched one was specified. I thought it might work better with the skirt portion.
I double stitched the skirt to the camisole, and I hand stitched the lining to the seam to help support the whole edifice.
Overall theskirt-with-cami is a comfortable and elegant fit. I actually like it a lot. I have the option of making the green skirt this way, or adding a waistband. Awaist band is moreversitile, but this method is very comfortable. I would certainly recommend it if you have never tried it since you were four years old.
Sewing with a Plan 2015 0.17
I don’t know what you do when you are sewing, but my mind wanders. It really does. I obviously think a lot about the garment I am making and how to get it to work with other garments that I already have or maybe now need. Or I just start imagining what I would like to make and wear.When I am sewing I sit in the quiet. I don’t even have music on, and my mind drifts off. I think this is how inspiration works.
All the influences and ideas that I have absorbed over the week – looking at magazines, surfing the internet, going to exhibitions, seeing what people are wearing in the street, looking at fabrics, making fabrics, buying patterns, sketching absent-mindedly – all of these things are filtered and I come up with an idea I have to execute. Or something just occurs to me in a random way, often due to the fabric suggesting a direction to go in.
And sometime an idea becomes an irresistable longing and aim. Then I have to do it. As a result, dear readers, my Sewing with a Plan has changed quite a lot recently.
I really didn’t mean to but I have gone off in a different direction. Here is my original list for Sewing with a Plan. The completed garments are struck through, with the explanation of my changes included.
Garment 1Squiggle jacket (top 1) – became Pink jacket, using the fabric that was planned for the coat, garment 11Garment 2Squiggle trousers (bottom 1) – became Pink skirt, dittoGarment 3– Grey Linen shell top (top 2) – as planned, with printing and metallic foils- Garment 4 – Charcoal jacket (top 3) – I drafted a kimono jacket but now I plan to make the Nina Ricci VPO 1650 jacket in Charcoal.
- Garment 5 – Charcoal skirt (bottom 2) – this was to be trousers, and is now a skirt with camisole attached from VPO 1650 (today’s garment of the week, featured below)
Garment 6– White beetles Blouse (top 4) – became turquoise blouse when I realised it needed stretch silk [still needs buttons]- Garment 7 – Turquoise Casual trousers (wildcard 1) – I think this may become the emerald overblouse from VPO 1650 instead
Garment 8– Colourful shell top (top 5) – as planned, from recycled skirt- Garment 9 – Pink Skirt or Shorts (bottom 3) – I now have a pink skirt (garment 2) but the shorts are still hanging in there. On the other hand I want to include an emerald skirt with dinosaur lace
- Garment 10 – Grey embroidered jersey (wildcard 2 – purchased item) – having got rid of white garment 6 I want to reintroduce it here. This maybe the beetle cloth or a white overblouse
- Garment 11 – Pink Boyfriend coat (wildcard 3) – now planned to use the Squiggle fabric, but may, instead of the Burda pattern, be an adaptation of my self drafted Kimono jacket that I had planned for garment 4. But a pair of turquoise trousers or pink shorts might be more useful garments than a coat. I have ended up with too many tops, not enough bottoms. Maybe one of the tops that I have already made may have to go.
In terms of my plan I seem to be very fickle. This year’s SWAP may still change and evolve. It is not over until the fat lady sings.
I did the SWAP last year. My plans were just as fluid, and the final line up was only decided a day or two before the photography session. Blogless then, all my thought processes were private. It appeared that I pulled it all together and popped out 11 garments, Hey Presto. But my life never quite goes according to plan – but that doesn’t bother me. The other way is usually just as good, possibly better.
Are you an obsessive planner? Or do you plan, then go off piste? Perhaps you are more spontaneous – seeing where the mood takes you?
Commercial pattern cutting – an insight into the trade
This is my friend Yuka who works for a well known high street boutique.
We met for lunch, but before that she treated me to a look around the works. The company was sensitive to the issue of design copyright, so I won’t mention their name or show the design process. I will focus on the pattern cutting and sample making.
Here is Denise, working from a sketch, making a blouse pattern on the company software. She usually starts with the block, but sometimes designs from scratch or by modelling on the stand. Once the pattern is finished she checks it by making a half toile in a cotton. When it is finally right this file gets zipped up and sent to the manufacturer who can be in China, India or elsewhere.
The other patten cutter was Anne, who does some flat patten cutting on paper and most of the draping. Many of the clothes this company makes are in black, but Anne uses white fabric – often jersey – for the draping as it is easier to see what is happening. She loves her job, feeling she has the best job in the company. She is very talented and it was a joy to speak to her.
The next stage of the process once the pattern is finished is for it to go to the cutter. Alan is a very interesting man and had been in the trade since he was 16. I liked his huge cutting table, although he told me this was quite a small one. He had worked on cutting tables that took up the whole length of a room.
He opens the patterns up and his first job is to check them, to ensure the measurements line up, that all parts are present etc.
Then he creates the fabric layout on a special part of the programme. This was very interesting for me, (I love to get a garment out of too little cloth). He was proud that every 10cm saved contributes to better profits for the company. Also if the manufacturer argues for more cloth, his evidence is supplied to deflate their claims. He told me that the bias strips here could be cut from a separate piece in a long run, but at this stage the layout is created for making the in-house sample garment.
What happens next really excited me. The pattern is printed off on a really huge printer. Alan kindly showed me how this was done. You get a sense of the scale of this from the large number of sample garments (and a male mannequin) behind the machine. The pattern is printed off exactly as Alan has laid it out on the computer, in the same dimensions of the fabric. The whole printed paper pattern is then placed on the fabric, and it is attached by pressing with a warm iron. This means no pins, no weights. An exact fit. The paper holds the fabric (in this case polyester chiffon – a nightmare to cut out) completely steady for cutting out. How amazing is that?
And then Alan let me cut out the top. There were 1cm seams on all edges apart from neck and armhole where they were smaller. Notches were just little snips in the seam allowance. His shears were pretty heavy and I have RSI unfortunately (too much sewing and typing) but the fact that one of the most challenging fabrics was completely anchored and square was a revelation to me. This type of paper that sticks to the cloth has been available for 40 years and comes on a roll of dot and cross paper too. I was worried that when removing it it might leave a residue, but no – even better than so-called freezer paper. And it can be used again and again. In a commercial environment speed and economy with the cloth were central concerns, naturally. I was given some to take home but I imagine this would make life a lot easier for the home pattern-cutter.
Eventually the clothes are made up in the studio. I saw the welt pockets being made up – very impressive.
The ladies and gentlemen who worked in the basement of this company were some of the most charming and skilled people you could ever meet. I daresay the designers are the ones who are better paid and lauded, but if I were working in this business, I would love to be in this team. They were all friendly, open, generous and willing to discuss their work with an amateur. Of course London Fashion Week has just finished. They wouldn’t have been so relaxed last week!
Moms unite against sexist clothes and toys
Not long ago I wrote a post about non-gender specific clothes for girls and boys. I like to buy things that could work for either sex. In particularly I would like to buy boys clothes in a wider range of colours than blue and navy, maroon, forest and grey – such as pink and other lighter brighter colours. For young girls I would prefer motifs on them that are not obviously “girly” and in more subtle colours such as sand, deep green, or rust. I think it is time that shops started to stock useful, wearable children’s clothes that are genuinely unisex. Tops and trousers that are not obviously for girls OR boys. This is partly so that they can be passed on through the family (I admit my boys wore pink pyjamas for years as they had an older sister). But also because I think colour coding the under fives is pathetic and unnecessary. Sure they have to learn about gender roles at some point but if you can’t relax the rules for little ones I don’t know what.
Some people believe that dressing girls in pink and telling them they are pretty can be limiting. I believe that girls and boys should have the opportunity to consider different careers, sexualities and ways of dressing, talking, acting. The limited range of options in high street shops is particularly disappointing and I wish that designers and buyers would offer more choice. 
I was pleased to see Princess Awesome launched as an idea. They want to create specific textiles with science and engineering content. And then make little dresses out of them. In my view the styles are a little dreary, and the textiles somewhat dated. They are apparently looking for funds to set up a company to make the garments and have been very sucessful with their “crowd sourcing”. Perhaps a high street chain with its access to the best designers, market information and fabric suppliers might have a go at dresses with trains on them, or pink boys clothes, or shorts for all in bright shades without obvious (and very repetitive) boy motifs – tractors, trains, dinosaurs. Yawn. Coincidentally my friend Stephanie has covered this topic today. Please give her a shout, especially if you are from Canada.
This week another cottage industry caught my eye. This time a Tasmanian mother “rescues” Bratz dolls from charity shops and gives them a “make-under”, dresses them in non-sexy clothes and flat shoes, and sells them online. A charming video of Sonia Singh removing the made up eyes and lips, and hand knitting little cardis has been doing the rounds on Facebook. And good luck to her. Nice work, but seriously time consuming. I can’t imagine how many hours it takes this talented artist to make her “wholesome” “modest” dolls. I once defaced some of my children’s books turning the doctor and dentists into females.
The dolls look nice to me, but you have to wonder why such sweet innocent looking dolls don’t catch on commercially?
Years ago I got involved in anti-war toy campaigns, and went to work shops about non-competitive games, organised by Quakers in Norfolk. I enjoyed playing with a colourful parachute and as someone who was rarely a first choice for any team game I also liked the co-operation involved. But even though I never bought guns for my boys I found they were adept at making them from toast, Lego and cardboard. To some extent children will always make or choose their own toys. My daughter tried to introduce a purple My Little Pony into Ted’s repetoire, in part to show him how to comb and plait, but it soon found itself involved in many accidents with the wide variety of trucks he is far more concerned with (age 3).
I feel these campaigns are worthy, and I have to admit I prefer the Tree Change dolls to Bratz and regret the pinkisation of female childhood. I am not sure in themselves they will actually change anything. All of us have aggressive, competitive aspects of our personalities, We need to find safe ways to express these “bad” characteristics. Equally we all have dependent and caring qualities in our make up. And if you want to see these as male or female, you can. But everyone is made up of a variety of character traits, and we need, as we grow up, to get to know the full range of our capabilities and limitations. What do you think?
Lino printing. With a knife
This post is dedicated to Mrs Mole, who asked for detail on how to do a lino block printed textile. I am delighted to help and warmly welcome any requests or suggestions for blog posts.
This technique is very simple and can be carried out at home. The materials are cheap and easily available. At its most basic you need;
- Lino
- cutting tools
- textile printing ink
- something to apply the ink such as a foam roller
- plain cotton (light colours work well too)
- a simple design
- newspaper to protect your work surface
- a hot iron (to fix the fabric paint)
- a rubber brayer is helpful but you can just press the lino down with your hands
I started with a small piece of lino and a cutting board, a drawing that I wanted to print, and a pencil.
I went back to my original knife sketch and drew around it on to tracing paper. I then rubbed the pencil over the back of the drawing and used this to transfer it to the lino block.
Zoe, our teacher, shows how to cut safely, away from your body.
I cut out the knife drawing, and then cut away, using scissors, the back ground so that it could be used on my previously printed grey fabric. Here you can see the lino after it has been inked up and applied to the fabric. This is a very small lino block. That is my rubber gloved finger and thumb. Making a bigger block takes more time but is much quicker when you are printing.
The ink was mixed – blue and black – to make navy. The ink is applied using a foam roller.
I find it works well to use a rubber brayer to press down the lino print, but it is not essential.
After I had used navy blue I also used dark grey and red. I may apply another knife pattern to fill it out, but it maybe OK as it is. This is about one metre – the fabric is folded in half.
I think it needs another knife. I will try to finish this piece of fabric this week, as I am keen to get on with our new project – opposites.
The story of the matching green ties
Last Saturday I posted about my new skirt, and said I would explain my companions’ outfits at a later date. Here goes.
When London won the Olympics the team were unmistakable. In their matching Jeff Banks (who also dressed the Brownies, remember?) stone wool-linen blend tailor-made suits David and Sir Steve looked impressive. Their cornflower blue shirts were made from “the finest Italian two-fold cottons and tailored in Romania”. “As a special touch, each suit will have a subtle London 2012 logo embroidered on the inside serving as a good luck symbol to send the team on its way.” Tailored made? Perhaps Sir Bobby asked for extra long tailored pants, who knows?
Based on the concept of being a winning team, the “Gateway Barnet” consortium decided to wear matching ties. I saw the memo. It explained that the men would be wearing navy suits, “crisp white shirts” and lime green ties (to match our logo), and would I like to wear a navy suit, white blouse and a lime green scarf?
For me a navy suit/white blouse means Residential Care Home Manager. A colourful scarf in the same shade as the regulation tie I associated with a budget airline.
And actually the lime green tie is a bit of a supermarket cliche, with both M&S and Waitrose getting their staff to wear them.
Quite quickly the men on the team enthusiastically agreed that they would wear the ties. As the senior woman on the team this gave me a bit of a dilemma.
- I felt dressing up to match each other was a bit of a joke – stag night stuff, perhaps
- I thought the navy suit/lime tie was possibly a down market (super market) look
- I had made my fuchsia suit especially for the event
- lime green is not my colour. Here is a snapshot of the Deloitte’s choir, sent to me by my friend James Pargeter. I am not sure this outfit suits any of the choristers.
Deloitte’s Choir – in tasteless attire - the ties were polyester
- if everyone is wearing a tie it may be a bit sexist to suggest a scarf “for the ladies” – the sartorial equivalent of a sweet sherry. I might have considered a jacket or blouse in the right colour (had it been something other than lime green), or I might have sewn the tie fabric into something personal like a silk handkerchief, brooch or beads, had it been supplied in time.
- I am different – why try to be the same?
Clearly I wanted the team to perform well and win the business. In the end I decided that my fuchsia suit was complementary to the lime green and wore it with pride. I did add a green scarf, but a vintage silk one containing emerald, rather than lime, green.
What would you have done?
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