Awful clothes you were forced to wear a child?

Muise... · 07-01-2014 07:54PM

The clothes I wore as a child were much better made than most of the disposable clothes I see in shops now. Alright the shops only had a few choices on offer, but they were properly tailored and lined - in Europe too, not by my fellow children in SE Asia - and lasted through all the hi-jinks a child could put them through to become hand-me-downs. I'm still inordinately fond of stripey jumpers, non-stretchy denim, and duffel coats.

Fat Nav · 07-01-2014 07:57PM

Grey slacks school uniform that had turned pink in the wash .
70's bell bottoms in the 80's
Gold coloured suit for my confirmation

MRnotlob606 · 07-01-2014 07:59PM

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

All the 20 years since threads got me reminiscing about childhood and I remembered a few horrendous outfits that my mother made me where while I was in primary school.

There was the bottle green polo neck top with matching courduroy skirt and green ribbed tights, I also had the same set in red, bought on the same day. Oh God how I hated those clothes. I got mocked by other kids who'd say 'ribbit, ribbit' and other frog noises when they saw me in the green outfit.

But worst of all was the grey velour tracksuit, bought in the market in Drogheda when we were visiting relatives up there. Dear Jesus, I wasn't a thin child and it clung to everything I didn't want it to cling to. I was also the first girl in my class to 'develop', so the amount of boob jokes I was subjected to was awful.

So, over to you, what horrendous outfits were you subjected to?

for some reason I though it was unusual for you to wear a skirt and ribbed tights but then occurred to me you are a woman

Gremlinertia · 07-01-2014 08:01PM

Patent shoes with white ankle socks that had a faux-lace trim at the top. Velvet(kinda) dresses, also with 'lace' trims at neack and cuffs. And bizarrely, tartan/plaid print skintight trousers..

Duffle coat and cork soled sandals a given.

markc1184 · 07-01-2014 08:03PM

For my Communion, my mother dressed me in a mustard blazer, a beige/gold paisley waistcoat and tie. Can't remember much about the trousers but they were pinstripe and equally as bad. She thought I was lovely, I was anything but.

Missyelliot2 · 07-01-2014 08:07PM

http://www.google.ie/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=weD0e_M4sjl1mM&tbnid=9y_mSBra9w79sM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthehovian.co.uk%2Ftag%2Fclarks%2F&ei=wk_MUrfdOurH7Abm7YCgCQ&bvm=bv.58187178,d.ZGU&psig=AFQjCNE6Tqx7oCmBJE5m9ix_E4xnGI6QRw&ust=1389207874442004

I wore the shoes on the left in 6th class.....with a Gloverall duffle coat (2 sizes too big)

I wish I hadn't read this thread....it's bringing the shame back

nibtrix · 07-01-2014 08:12PM

Ziegfeldgirl27 wrote: »

Addidas button down tracksuit bottoms - I think everyone had a pair of those.

Were those the nylon ones with the buttons down the outside of the legs? Like these - http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wU3bnVihlxk/T_tbWNkUXGI/AAAAAAAABwY/OHCGPNtql1M/s320/90s-tracksuit-buttons.jpg?

I think I had the even nastier cheap knock-off version.

Worse outfit I ever had though was a pair of denim culottes with a matching vest. Teamed with a white blouse with a lacy collar. Handed down from a cousin. I live in fear that someday a photo of me wearing that outfit will appear from the depths of my mother's house...:eek:

PlainP · 07-01-2014 08:12PM

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

Short pants were another one, I looked like that Peter fella from the TV series Heidi.

Pedal pushers they were called, awful things....

Teyla Emmagan · 07-01-2014 08:15PM

I was a kid before the invention of lycra. All my tights were wool, and NONE of them stayed up. I spent my entire life running around with a hand under my crotch to hold up the tights. They were awful things.

My sister and I also had a matching pair of purple velure outfits. Little high necked jumpers with buttons down the sleeve and KNICKERBOCKER trousers that ended just below the knee with more little buttons. White knee high socks then and our Clarks mary Jane shoes. Oh, the humanity.

And the hideous white jumpers knitted by an aunty in England that were all covered in pink and purple bobbles.

The only saving grace was the fact I was the eldest so my sister had to wear them for twice as long

Teyla Emmagan · 07-01-2014 08:17PM

Gambas wrote: »

The hand me downs thing has me a bit worried, as all three of my kids are probably wearing at least one hand me down item each right now. And I think they are grand.

My friends' kids all wear hand me downs now, bags of amazing clothes bought from lovely shops that had only been worn every fortnight for about 3 months previously. It's not the same at all!

07-01-2014 08:29PM

One of my earliest clothing memories is of those woolly tights you get for little girls. I don't know if it was the way I was made, or if they were too big or too small, but instead of going all the way up to waist height, they tended to work their way down my legs until the crotch settled somewhere around my knees and the waist elastic cut off the blood supply to my bottom. My legs would be halved in size and I'd be scrambling along trying to keep up with the adults. I remember crying when they were put on me, ostensibly to keep me warm, but I'm starting to think they were to make running away impossible.

If I yanked them up in public I'd get given out to for showing my knickers. I couldn't win. Not only did it leave me effectively hobbled, I also looked like a very small M C Hammer.

RhubarbCrumble · 07-01-2014 08:37PM

My mother used to knit jumpers and make myself and my brother wear the same ones, but in slightly different colours/patterns. He's five years younger than me and I'm female.

Murt10 · 07-01-2014 08:38PM

Fake Bay City Roller gear when everyone else had the real thing.

A pair of knee length brown corduroy "shorts"

Changing your nylon socks after 2-3 days,whether they needed it or not.

Actually, just been taken back to the Gaeltacht by the memory of the smell. There were maybe 14 blokes in a bedroom down in West Cork and I reckon some of them forgot to bring any spare socks. Whew!!!!!

blacklilly · 07-01-2014 08:39PM

For my first communion, my mother told me that she had bought this really special dress for me. This really special dress turned out to be a blue, 3/4 length dress. I remember being completely distraught and ended up borrowing a normal communion dress from a cousin at the last minute.

nervous_twitch · 07-01-2014 08:45PM

On really cold winter mornings on the walk to school Mam would make me and my brother wear balaclavas

Trotting across the fields like two little terrorists.

Stavro Mueller · 07-01-2014 08:48PM

Pinafores worn with a patterned jumper and knee high white socks. Matched very nicely with that godawful pudding bowl haircut every kid seemed to have back then

Boskowski · 07-01-2014 08:52PM

I grew up back home - as one does - in Germany and when I was really little like 4 or 5 my parents got me a pair of traditional Lederhosen which they must have thought to be 'cute'.

Now I was only 5 but my God was I embarrassed wearing them.
Funny enough in spite of them being fairly sturdy being made of leather and all they ripped fairly quickly and had to be discarded soon.

ardle1 · 07-01-2014 08:53PM

Under Pants, eh yeah just in general..... Oh and big coat with snorkel hood and fur around the edges, I remember my Mum zipping it right up beyond my chin and about 5 more inches... Anyway it took me 2 hours to get to school, which was normally only about a 10 min walk....

Czarcasm · 07-01-2014 08:54PM

Candie wrote: »

I'm starting to think they were to make running away impossible.

This reminds me of the shoes I was made wear as a baby. It was thought I was bow-legged so I had to wear shoes with a metal bar between them so I was shuffling along, definitely no chance of me making a run for it! :pac:

That was nothing though compared to the humiliation of having to wear one of my older sister's dresses with a crust of bread strapped to the side of my leg when I had a boil. Fortunately for me it was during the Summer holidays. Not one to be humiliated, I decided to shed the dress and go naked!

I was only ten at the time, not like I'd do it nowadays! >_>

MRnotlob606 · 07-01-2014 09:01PM

all the 90s clothes were good

username123 · 07-01-2014 09:02PM

A pair of pink leatherette trousers to be worn with Dunnes runners that had a blue and pink stripe. Christ how I hated those trousers.

I remember I wasn't allowed (hadn't the money) to get a perm. I was gutted then, now I'm glad!

nibtrix · 07-01-2014 09:02PM

MRnotlob606 wrote: »

all the 90s clothes were good

I wish they still made x-works jeans...

languagenerd · 07-01-2014 09:09PM

Does anyone else remember those mid-90s cordoroy leggings with a strap that went under your heel?! Awful yokes, really uncomfortable the minute you put shoes on and the bit under your foot kept sliding.

I also had the white frilly ankle socks with shiny patent leather strappy shoes. Was fine with the school uniform, but with a velvet dress or pedal pushers? Hideous. Without a doubt, the worst childhood photos of me feature stripey pink, yellow and blue dungarees with those frilly socks and navy leather shoes. Went beeeautifully with my red hair :v

And that weird late 90s/early 00s trend of wearing a skirt AND trousers together (they actually made all-in-one garments with both). In fairness, my mum stopped me wearing those pretty quick :P

Legs.Eleven · 07-01-2014 09:14PM

Gambas wrote: »

Dunnes 'runners'. All the style and comfort of a pair of lunchboxes with laces. I'd have to say that they were the worst thing ever foisted on me too.

'If you don't wear those Dunnes runners you're not getting any Dunnes pizza for tea.'

'Err... okay...'

Fcuking hilarious!

:D

Youngest of 5 kids, so a lot of what I wore was a hand-me-down only the next sibling up from me is 5 and a half years older, so I was never particularly "on trend" but who was back then?

If I didn't wear hand-me-downs, I wore clothes my mam made. She was pretty nifty with the sewing machine and I remember she actually made my two brothers Liverpool strips for Christmas presents and we all had handmade Dublin jerseys to wear to the matches.

Only really got my own clothes in the 90s.

/puts tiny violin away for another day.

Teyla Emmagan · 07-01-2014 09:16PM

Candie wrote: »

One of my earliest clothing memories is of those woolly tights you get for little girls. I don't know if it was the way I was made, or if they were too big or too small, but instead of going all the way up to waist height, they tended to work their way down my legs until the crotch settled somewhere around my knees and the waist elastic cut off the blood supply to my bottom. My legs would be halved in size and I'd be scrambling along trying to keep up with the adults. I remember crying when they were put on me, ostensibly to keep me warm, but I'm starting to think they were to make running away impossible.

If I yanked them up in public I'd get given out to for showing my knickers. I couldn't win. Not only did it leave me effectively hobbled, I also looked like a very small M C Hammer.

YES!!! Crappy pre-lycra wool tights!!

Badly Drunk Boy · 07-01-2014 09:18PM

I was 3 or 4 when punk was at its height. This isn't a Johnny Rotten look...

DickieBow.jpg

Stavro Mueller · 07-01-2014 09:21PM

Red dungarees with white oval shaped leather knee patches

07-01-2014 09:32PM

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

YES!!! Crappy pre-lycra wool tights!!

The terrible thing is I don't think they were pre-lycra, I think my mum deliberately sought out lycra free ones to torture me, or else I was just a peculiarly shaped little girl!

I laughed at the balaclava one, that's a trauma I'd blocked out until now :P

boobar · 07-01-2014 09:36PM

Going to school...national school

Duffel coat to keep me warm...with a clear plastic rain coat over it to keep me dry. Long motor bike gloves as well...

My mother was fu5kin deranged!

nervous_twitch · 07-01-2014 09:39PM

Candie wrote: »

I laughed at the balaclava one, that's a trauma I'd blocked out until now :P

Though they did keep us warm, you'd arrive at school feeling like this.

Awful clothes you were forced to wear a child?

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