In 1972 Bob and I got married at Reigate register office and I designed a dress especially for the occasion. At the time there was not a lot of choice in dress fabrics and I was very keen on using furnishing fabrics for clothes so when I found this fabulous red brocade I bought plenty to be sure of having enough. In fact there was so much left over I made a tablecloth out of which lasted for a long time, and generating a lot of teasing from the girls that I got married in a tablecloth!
Do you remember the fashion for flared trousers? I made my own with extremely wide bottoms which flapped a lot when I walked but a girl has to wear what's in doesn't she! The lapels on my blazer were as wide as the shoulders too, quite over the top by today's standards.
The gipsy skirt was a favourite for a long time as it was so easy to make with strips of fabric gathered onto the next layer and a good way to use up odds and ends for the girls too.
I still had a love affair with jumpsuits and this one was a bit of a head turner in it's bright colours, especially when I wore it with my bright pink leather jacket or a short white one I bought on holiday in Majorca. I had a gorgeous pair of pink shoes with a matching belt which I wore a lot too.
Every year Bob and I took a week's holiday on our own while the girls stayed with their granny and we toured the south of France a few times. On one of these trips I came across a little boutique in Juan les Pins selling knitwear which inspired me to knit this little top in cotton ribbon. I also bought a chunky necklace that I still wear occasionally.
After starting work as a telesales girl for a local food supply firm I got promoted to sales rep and soon had to smarten up my wardrobe when I moved on to work for a finance company. I made all my suits at the time and must have saved a fortune on the cost of buying ready made.
The finance company I worked for held their annual conference at a large training centre over 3 days and it was a challenge every year to make a complete set of clothes to wear for day as well as evening. This top and skirt was an all time favourite in a fine wool fabric I bought in Liberty of London and I still have the skirt now re-modelled in a flattering flared style.
One year there was a formal gala dinner to celebrate a record year and we were told to make a special effort, all the men had to wear bow ties and posh suits and we girls all looked amazing in our sparkly shiny frocks!
Well that's it for now, we're off on holiday next weekend so I'll be drawing some different things for a while but I will be back to continue this series until I get right up to date.
A bientot!
