# Corporate Uniform - Yay or Nay?



## AngelaY9847 (Sep 30, 2016)

I work on reception for a large global IT company, and as I am a receptionist, I am required to wear a work uniform. 

I spent two years campaigning for a refresh on these uniforms, as I felt they were unflattering and not fit for purpose, and many of my fellow receptionist colleagues from other sites agreed and joined me in the fight! 

The new uniform, which we finally got this year is better in some respects, but I feel now looks more like a school uniform than something you would wear on a front of house work reception! We have sweaters also this time round (I freeze on reception during winter, as I sit neat automatic doors. Joy!) and now I REALLY look like I'm in school uniform.  All that's missing is the tie..........

Anyone else work for a company with required uniform? Do you like it, or not like it? 

Of course I know that there are many people out there who work in sectors that uniform is absolutely required. Nurse, firefighter, police, etc.

I suppose the one upside is that I don't have to pay for it!


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## Owen (Sep 30, 2016)

I wear ask black for my paid job and Green and yellow for my voluntary work. Both help to clearly identify my role. So yes they are fit for purpose.


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## Amigo (Sep 30, 2016)

I'm fortunate to never have had to wear an unflattering uninform Angela but sympathise with you. I totally get the functional and necessary garb worn by the emergency services etc. but sometimes the corporate uniforms are so unflattering and inappropriate for the seasons. Poor you having to dress like a schoolgirl  No chance of jazzing it up with jewellery or a nice scarf?


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## Diabeticliberty (Sep 30, 2016)

For years I wore a 3 piece suit for work. A rather quirky mentor I had when I was in my early 20's suggested that for engineering it worked quite well. It actually did some years ago but to attend other peoples production facilities and go climbing over machines is just plain bonkers. I now wear just safety boots, trousers and plain shirt. IN my second occupation, teaching fly fishing I do dress relatively formally as it is expected by my clients that I have proper fishing attire. Some of this stuff is hellishly expensive but it is the 'norm' amongst my peers. I do have some semi sponsorship from tackle manufacturers but refuse to go the 'whole hog' to maintain some degree of independence and impartiality


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## AngelaY9847 (Sep 30, 2016)

Amigo said:


> I'm fortunate to never have had to wear an unflattering uninform Angela but sympathise with you. I totally get the functional and necessary garb worn by the emergency services etc. but sometimes the corporate uniforms are so unflattering and inappropriate for the seasons. Poor you having to dress like a schoolgirl  No chance of jazzing it up with jewellery or a nice scarf?



I'm not really a jewelry fan, unfortunately! 

I don't really like the 'dress you all the same' mentality of my company, because I sometimes feel they don't trust us to look our best in our own clothes. I mean, I scrub up pretty well  

Thing is, when my boss covers me if I'm off or on lunch/break, she doesn't have to wear uniform and daily wears whatever she wants, and if she's off my other colleague covers my lunch and breaks and wears back of house uniform, which can get right messy if he's been lugging post and large deliveries round!

Double standards, see?


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## Amigo (Sep 30, 2016)

AngelaY9847 said:


> I'm not really a jewelry fan, unfortunately!
> 
> I don't really like the 'dress you all the same' mentality of my company, because I sometimes feel they don't trust us to look our best in our own clothes. I mean, I scrub up pretty well
> 
> ...



Yes I see Angela. I think I might be saying at the next staff meeting that dressing the female employees like schoolgirls could be giving the company a rather perverse image! Lol


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## AngelaY9847 (Sep 30, 2016)

Diabeticliberty said:


> For years I wore a 3 piece suit for work. A rather quirky mentor I had when I was in my early 20's suggested that for engineering it worked quite well. It actually did some years ago but to attend other peoples production facilities and go climbing over machines is just plain bonkers. I now wear just safety boots, trousers and plain shirt. IN my second occupation, teaching fly fishing I do dress relatively formally as it is expected by my clients that I have proper fishing attire. Some of this stuff is hellishly expensive but it is the 'norm' amongst my peers. I do have some semi sponsorship from tackle manufacturers but refuse to go the 'whole hog' to maintain some degree of independence and impartiality



See, I am quite happy to wear a 3 piece, so long as I'm the one that picked it out and I felt comfortable in it for sitting most of the day. I think suits look really lovely, and I've got a 'reserve' one at home myself for interviews and the like. 

We didn't really get much of a say in our refreshed uniform, and were unable to try stuff on to give comment.


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## Robin (Sep 30, 2016)

I hope there's not a requirement to wear heels. It emerged recently that some companies in London required their female staff to wear heels of at least two inches in height. ( I think they should have required all the men to wear heels for a few weeks to see what it did to their backs)


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## AngelaY9847 (Sep 30, 2016)

Amigo said:


> Yes I see Angela. I think I might be saying at the next staff meeting that dressing the female employees like schoolgirls could be giving the company a rather perverse image! Lol



LOL! Oh no, I may have started something with the 'schoolgirl' image thing there! *facepalm*


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## AngelaY9847 (Sep 30, 2016)

Robin said:


> I hope there's not a requirement to wear heels. It emerged recently that some companies in London required their female staff to wear heels of at least two inches in height. ( I think they should have required all the men to wear heels for a few weeks to see what it did to their backs)



I read that! It's so wrong.

I wear flats constantly and no one has ever told me to wear heels. They wouldn't dare.


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## Jonsi (Sep 30, 2016)

with my _sensible _H&S hard hat on...

If your uniform is classed as protective workwear i.e. PPE, then the PPE Regs say that you, or your representatives, should have been consulted about it.
On the plus side, if you are required to wear a uniform for work, unless the company launder it for you, then you can claim a tax allowance for cleaning and maintaining it yourself. It's not megabucks but it's something. It's simple to apply for so you won't need claims firms to do it for you. You may be able to back claim for 5 years too.
As for working in a cold environment, the Regulations say that your work area temperature must be 'reasonable' (13-16 deg C is 'normal but it's not fixed at that level - there is no set level, just 'reasonable'). If you are subjected to an icy blast every time the doors open, this is unreasonable, so the company should install an 'Air Curtain' above the doorway to keep the heat in and the cold out, or some sort of Air-lock vestibule for the same reason.


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## AngelaY9847 (Sep 30, 2016)

Jonsi said:


> with my _sensible _H&S hard hat on...
> 
> If your uniform is classed as protective workwear i.e. PPE, then the PPE Regs say that you, or your representatives, should have been consulted about it.
> On the plus side, if you are required to wear a uniform for work, unless the company launder it for you, then you can claim a tax allowance for cleaning and maintaining it yourself. It's not megabucks but it's something. It's simple to apply for so you won't need claims firms to do it for you. You may be able to back claim for 5 years too.
> As for working in a cold environment, the Regulations say that your work area temperature must be 'reasonable' (13-16 deg C is 'normal but it's not fixed at that level - there is no set level, just 'reasonable'). If you are subjected to an icy blast every time the doors open, this is unreasonable, so the company should install an 'Air Curtain' above the doorway to keep the heat in and the cold out, or some sort of Air-lock vestibule for the same reason.



I don't come under the umbrella of 'protective' workwear. 

The cold reception has been the thorn in my side for the last 3 (soon to be 4) winters. They have done some stuff to try and improve it, but they can't stop people from coming through the automatic doors!

I really should get on that claim for the allowance on cleaning though! I've been doing it for 4 years.


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## Jonsi (Sep 30, 2016)

AngelaY9847 said:


> I don't come under the umbrella of 'protective' workwear.
> The cold reception has been the thorn in my side for the last 3 (soon to be 4) winters. They have done some stuff to try and improve it, but they can't stop people from coming through the automatic doors!


Maybe they haven't tried hard enough...Air Curtains are the blasts of warm air that you get when you walk into large shops like M&S, Primark and the like. They keep the cold out and the warmth in. If you get hold of *http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l24.htm* (download it free) and look at *Regulation 7* you'll see what the company has to do to be legally compliant in terms of Thermal Comfort.


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## AngelaY9847 (Sep 30, 2016)

Probably not! There is a single fan between the two auto doors (I can't reach the switch though) which blows warmish air, but I'm certain on trying it a couple years back, we came to the conclusion that it was 'naff'


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## Jonsi (Sep 30, 2016)

you need to flag this up as an issue with your Line Manager(s) and H&S and/or with whoever does Facilities Management at your place. Global IT companies aren't short of a bob or three so they should be able to put it right. It's not as if you're asking for something that is unreasonable and at present it doesn't sound like they're legally compliant. You may still have to wear a uniform you don't like, but at least you'd be warm in the winter!


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## Stitch147 (Sep 30, 2016)

I used to wear a uniform when I was a train driver, it was ok! Now im office based I can wear pretty much what I like. Most days I wear jeans and a t-shirt, if i have certain meetings to go to I will wear something a bit smarter.


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## AngelaY9847 (Sep 30, 2016)

Jonsi said:


> you need to flag this up as an issue with your Line Manager(s) and H&S and/or with whoever does Facilities Management at your place. Global IT companies aren't short of a bob or three so they should be able to put it right. It's not as if you're asking for something that is unreasonable and at present it doesn't sound like they're legally compliant. You may still have to wear a uniform you don't like, but at least you'd be warm in the winter!



I work as part of the Facilities team.

Trust me, I have been banging the drum about this for a very long time. I will continue to do so. 

It's one of the reasons I asked for sweaters at least this time, so I could at least have some warmth.


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## AngelaY9847 (Sep 30, 2016)

Stitch147 said:


> I used to wear a uniform when I was a train driver, it was ok! Now im office based I can wear pretty much what I like. Most days I wear jeans and a t-shirt, if i have certain meetings to go to I will wear something a bit smarter.



My dad was a train driver, I remember how he always looked so smart in his uniform.

I used to work in an office where you could wear jeans, shame it was only temporary!


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## Pigeon (Sep 30, 2016)

I worked in Iceland as my Saturday job back in the 90s. I had a hot itchy red polysester dress with poppers down the front that if you caught it on a door handle would all come undone and you'd flash your bra at the world


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## Ljc (Sep 30, 2016)

Get this 
For forty years I had to wear nurses uniform 
.
.
.
But I wasn't one


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## AngelaY9847 (Sep 30, 2016)

Pigeon said:


> I worked in Iceland as my Saturday job back in the 90s. I had a hot itchy red polysester dress with poppers down the front that if you caught it on a door handle would all come undone and you'd flash your bra at the world



Really?? You poor thing!


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## AngelaY9847 (Sep 30, 2016)

Ljc said:


> Get this
> For forty years I had to wear nurses uniform
> .
> .
> ...


Oh aye?


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## Jonsi (Sep 30, 2016)

Ljc said:


> Get this
> For forty years I had to wear nurses uniform
> .
> .
> ...


steady on girl !! ...what you get up to in the bedroom is up to you. We're discussing workwear ...or was it *that* sort of work??


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## grovesy (Sep 30, 2016)

I too had to wear a Uniform for 40 years as worked in NHS and no uniform is universally flattering!


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## Diabeticliberty (Sep 30, 2016)

Ladies in uniform...........................................................I must not comment, I must not comment, I must.....I must.......I mus.......I mus........Oh bugger


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## AlisonM (Sep 30, 2016)

The only uniform I've ever worn for work is a business suit and that was only for meetings. At client sites, I was usually clambering over under and round stuff like formula 1 cars and CAT generators, or all through enormous warehouses that might hold anything from razor blades to bits of aircraft, so it was often 'ard 'ats and steel toed boots with my jeans.

Does a Girl Guide uniform count, and how about the ROC?


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## Owen (Sep 30, 2016)

Diabeticliberty said:


> Ladies in uniform...........................................................I must not comment, I must not comment, I must.....I must.......I mus.......I mus........Oh bugger


Down boy, down, stay.....


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## AngelaY9847 (Sep 30, 2016)

grovesy said:


> I too had to wear a Uniform for 40 years as worked in NHS and no uniform is universally flattering!



Never said they were!

I pride myself on looking decent when I am the first point of contact, but I rather feel like the rubbish I'm forced to wear is definitely not that decent.


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## AngelaY9847 (Sep 30, 2016)

AlisonM said:


> The only uniform I've ever worn for work is a business suit and that was only for meetings. At client sites, I was usually clambering over under and round stuff like formula 1 cars and CAT generators, or all through enormous warehouses that might hold anything from razor blades to bits of aircraft, so it was often 'ard 'ats and steel toed boots with my jeans.
> 
> Does a Girl Guide uniform count, and how about the ROC?



I was more looking at the workplace and uniform. 

I was never a Girl Guide.........


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## AngelaY9847 (Sep 30, 2016)

Diabeticliberty said:


> Ladies in uniform...........................................................I must not comment, I must not comment, I must.....I must.......I mus.......I mus........Oh bugger



Hee hee! 

What did I expect, starting a chat about uniform?


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## Diabeticliberty (Sep 30, 2016)

Ljc said:


> Get this
> For forty years I had to wear nurses uniform
> .
> .
> ...




LJC I am only a human healthy very red blooded male. If you are telling me that you have been playing doctors and nurses I might be persuaded to get my erm........................stethoscope out. Remaining strictly within the Hippocratic Oath of course


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## AngelaY9847 (Sep 30, 2016)

Hahaha! This conversation has taken a turn for the.......I don't quite know what..........


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## Martin Canty (Sep 30, 2016)

Personally I think I'm quite fetching in Nomex....


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## mikeyB (Sep 30, 2016)

Pigeon said:


> I worked in Iceland as my Saturday job back in the 90s. I had a hot itchy red polysester dress with poppers down the front that if you caught it on a door handle would all come undone and you'd flash your bra at the world


I didn't dare click on 'Like' for this post, I'd get thrown off the forum


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## mikeyB (Sep 30, 2016)

AngelaY9847 said:


> Hahaha! This conversation has taken a turn for the.......I don't quite know what..........


Yup, Angela, soon as DL arrives on scene, and the slobbering starts, there's no hope for enlightened discussion on the thread.  He only talks to fish in the real world, so he's not up to speed on social norms.


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## AngelaY9847 (Sep 30, 2016)

mikeyB said:


> Yup, Angela, soon as DL arrives on scene, and the slobbering starts, there's no hope for enlightened discussion on the thread.  He only talks to fish in the real world, so he's not up to speed on social norms.



Well, it's certainly keeping me entertained!


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## Caroline (Sep 30, 2016)

Uniforms for front facing (the public face of the company) are a good idea, although much has to be done to many to make them more flattering. As the parent of a special needs child I find it useful to say to him if we are unlucky enough to get split up ask someone who is dressed like this and they should be able to help. If staff are wearing their own gear, no matter how smart, it is not always easy to know who works for a company and who doesn't.


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## Rosiecarmel (Sep 30, 2016)

My student nurses outfit is awful! I'm proud to wear it definitely but the pants aren't elasticated and are extremely baggy all over but especially the crotch! Feel like I'm wearing harem pants lol! 

Part of me wants them to bring back the nurses dresses and tights however I do mental health nursing... Can't restrain somebody easily in a dress while keeping your dignity!!


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## mikeyB (Sep 30, 2016)

Rosiecarmel said:


> My student nurses outfit is awful! I'm proud to wear it definitely but the pants aren't elasticated and are extremely baggy all over but especially the crotch! Feel like I'm wearing harem pants lol!
> 
> Part of me wants them to bring back the nurses dresses and tights however I do mental health nursing... Can't restrain somebody easily in a dress while keeping your dignity!!


In my day it wasn't nurses dresses and tights, it was nurses dresses and stockings with suspenders belts. I remember those days with special fondness.


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## Jonsi (Oct 1, 2016)

mikeyB said:


> In my day it wasn't nurses dresses and tights, it was nurses dresses and stockings with suspenders belts. I remember those days with special fondness.


Oooh Matron!!


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## Mark T (Oct 1, 2016)

Back on topic 

I think a corporate uniform has a use, particularly in some service industries where you don't want to be tapping every other customer on the shoulder just because you are trying to spot an assistant to help you.  However, in any other case I don't much see the point.

The company I work for does not have a uniform, but until recently did have a dress code.  Now that's been significantly relaxed, so we can come in jeans and t-shirts (and many do), because apparently informal wear helps creativity.

Certainly as a receptionist I wouldn't expect a uniform and none of our receptionists ever have (or receptionists at any company I've worked for).  The only person in uniform at the front desk is the security guard (we have both male and female guards).

My pet peeve is actually school uniform.  Schools often say it is to build pride in the school (I don't buy that) but... if that's the case, why doesn't the staff all wear uniforms?  For older (secondary) children I can see a point as if the children cause trouble you can at least figure which school they go to .  I guess the real reason for uniform is that on school trips you can more easily figure which are yours.


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## Jonsi (Oct 1, 2016)

School uniforms are designed and priced so that there shouldnt be any one upmanship when it comes to dress for school. There's also the sense of belonging and pride that's it's supposed to engender.


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## Mark T (Oct 1, 2016)

Jonsi said:


> School uniforms are designed and priced so that there shouldnt be any one upmanship when it comes to dress for school. There's also the sense of belonging and pride that's it's supposed to engender.


That might have been the case once upon a time.  To be fair to my school, they have at least picked a uniform that can be sourced from many places and have not mandated the school logo.  However, I have friends who have children at schools who seem to regard the parents as bottomless pits when it comes to money with mandatory logo uniform which sometimes can only be found at one (expensive) shop.

Also, I'd argue if it was "sense of belonging and pride" then shouldn't the staff at the school also be wearing uniform too?  I've seen teachers at my childs school wearing clothes that would risk being deemed unsuitable even with my employers lax dress rules.  I don't have an issue with that, but I won't allow someone to take the moral high ground over children's clothing if their staff is dressed such.

One-upmanship isn't prevented either.  I knew children at my school who would get changed into their expensive trainers for break times just so they could show them off.


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## Northerner (Oct 1, 2016)

Mark T said:


> That might have been the case once upon a time. To be fair to my school, they have at least picked a uniform that can be sourced from many places and have not mandated the school logo. However, I have friends who have children at schools who seem to regard the parents as bottomless pits when it comes to money with mandatory logo uniform which sometimes can only be found at one (expensive) shop.


That's how it used to be in my day - I think there was only one supplier of official school blazers and ties in our town, priced accordingly. I remember my first blazer at secondary school was quite expensive and my Mum was reluctant to get me a new one when I told her I had grown out of it - understandable, as I'd only had it less than a year. She normally went to work before she saw me in it, but was off work one day and saw me setting off with my sleeves almost above my elbows - that evening I was taken out and bought a new one, three sizes too big!   I grew 10 inches in height between ages 12-13, but then virtually stopped so I never grew into the new blazer properly!  They were a pretty major expense and you could still tell the rich kids from the poor because of the quality and condition of their blazers 

We had one lad who thought of himself as a bit of a Beau Brummel - one Founder's Day, when the whole school trooped up to the local church for a service, he turned up in full Edwardian-style outfit, beautifully well-tailored frockcoat, and wing collared shirt, with a cravat in House colours - looked fantastic! But the Headmaster sent him home to change because it wasn't standard uniform!


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## Owen (Oct 1, 2016)

The cost of uniform for my twins amounted to over £1000 for the pair. This included tracksuits, swimming costumes, blazers, kilts etc. They looked amazing.


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## Copepod (Oct 1, 2016)

One of my jobs is in a ciy council parks department, for which I wear a polo shirt, but have never been issued with anything warmer or waterproof, so often have to cover polo shirt; if it's not too cold, I wear a long sleeved navy T shirt under short sleeved polo shirt. This involves  teaching children about orienteering, woodland ecology, Anglo Saxon history etc, I meet lots of school children, teachers, teaching assistants and accompanying adults (usually parents). Particularly for PE lessons ie orienteering, some teachers do wear tracksuits / polo shorts etc with school logos. Most schools issue ID badges with lanyards marked "staff" or "visitor". It's really helpful to be able to identify an adult's role from behind as well as front.


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## Owen (Oct 1, 2016)

Just remembered, they also wore uniform in 2014 when they represented the UK at the Youth World Cup in Texas. This cost thousands, including riding hats, English and Western Riding attire, Stetson's, again they looked amazing.


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## Owen (Oct 1, 2016)

Just one of the uniforms, the hat and chaps alone cost a fortune, luckily they had some sponsors and did a lot of hard work raising funds.


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## mikeyB (Oct 2, 2016)

There is a dating agency for all you uniform freaks, but I'm not going to post the link. Not that I know it, of course...


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## Rosiecarmel (Oct 2, 2016)

mikeyB said:


> In my day it wasn't nurses dresses and tights, it was nurses dresses and stockings with suspenders belts. I remember those days with special fondness.



Oh I'm sure!!


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## Rosiecarmel (Oct 2, 2016)

Owen said:


> The cost of uniform for my twins amounted to over £1000 for the pair. This included tracksuits, swimming costumes, blazers, kilts etc. They looked amazing.



I remember when I was in high school and going with my mum for my uniform. We had to have blazers with the school logo, a jumper with the school logo, a school tie, white shirts, black skirts, black tights and black shoes. There were only a handful of shops that sold said school clothes therefore everybody starting high school had blazers about two sizes too big in the hope they'd grow into them!!


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## mikeyB (Oct 2, 2016)

I have an older brother, so throughout my schooling I had hand-me-downs, complete with acid burns from chemistry lessons. I also have a younger brother...

The uniform was important, for the lunchtime pitched battles in the middle of Corporation Park in Blackburn with the lads from Queen Elizabeth grammar school, who had light blue jackets. This was, you might say, a class war.


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## AngelaY9847 (Oct 3, 2016)

mikeyB said:


> I have an older brother, so throughout my schooling I had hand-me-downs, complete with acid burns from chemistry lessons. I also have a younger brother...
> 
> The uniform was important, for the lunchtime pitched battles in the middle of Corporation Park in Blackburn with the lads from Queen Elizabeth grammar school, who had light blue jackets. This was, you might say, a class war.



Ha! The boys from my school also had war going on with the school up the road. It was carnage!


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## Jonsi (Oct 3, 2016)

My kids' secondary school had red uniform shirts. None of your 5 for £10 white/blue shirts from the Supermarket (which would have made perfect sense and matched with every other secondary school roundabouts), these were £15 each!! Mind you ...they didn't show the blood...


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## mikeyB (Oct 3, 2016)

Talking of school uniforms, I developed a business in the sixth form. I had free periods around Friday lunchtime so I used to get a shopping list from other lads, who didn't have the nerve. I was going down to the chemist to buy Durex. I used to ask for packs of various varieties, so god knows what the chemist thought of me in my catholic grammar uniform.

I used to sell them on with a 20% mark up, which paid for my pints in the pub at the weekend. I had no use for them myself..


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## Copepod (Oct 3, 2016)

Very enterprising, MikeyB. Reminds me of a friend in 1st year BSc biological sciences who had worked previously as an assistant in chemist shop. It was 1989 / 90, so AIDS was a new and scary disease, and the students union was seeking to understand students' views. We were filling in a questionnaire at adjoining tables. Once question was about how embarrassing we found buying condoms. She answered "not as embarrasing as selling them".


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## KookyCat (Oct 4, 2016)

I had to wear a uniform once, it didn't go well, front of house at a corporate office.  It was s thinly disguised way for the all male board to enforce an image they found appropriate, on a group of employees who just happened all to be female.   The uniform was a dress (knee length), nude tights, black court shoes and a blazer.  I'm 6ft tall so dresses made for "normals" aren't going to cut it for me at thebest of times, most high street dresses barely classify as a tunic on my considerable frame.  This was no exception, it barely covered my vitals, then there was the tights, they don't do tights for a 37inch inside leg, so I had to have stockings.  Do you see where this is going, stockings coupled with a dress that barely covers the vitals is not the corporate image they were hoping for.  I looked like a 70's street walker.  After several unfortunate comments from the clients the manager suggested I wear the only other uniform available, the ushers uniform.  Ushers were basically security and also based at reception, but we're all male.  So the following week i rock up looking fine in a fellas suit, pant legs three inches too short (I'd make a tall man let alone a woman), a shirt 5 sizes too big (I'd make a small man apparently), a blazer with ludicrous shoulders and a waistcoat that fit rather nicely.  I'd quite forgotten the fun of it all.  I lasted about 3 months before I left, never applied for a job with a uniform ever again.  I never even mention that job on applications it was so mentally scarring . I also got suspended from school several times before the injustice was identified, for having a skirt that was too short, the skirt had to come from a specific supplier, and I was 5'11 at 11 so it was never going to go well.  They accused me of wearing the gym skirt instead of the day skirt, the gym skirt was more like a belly button ruffle


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## Northerner (Oct 4, 2016)

All sorts of images @KookyCat !


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## Diabeticliberty (Oct 4, 2016)

@KookyCat................... sorry to be a sexist misogynist pig but MEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW


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## Diabeticliberty (Oct 4, 2016)

On the subject of school,uniform I had 4 older siblings, all big sisters to me. At school my mam didn't have a great amount of money so hand me down clothes were of course a must. I remember my very first day at senior school when I attended in a blue and white spotty dress and a pair of high heeled shoes. I got some fairly strange looks from the other kids before going into my very first class for my very first lesson which was physics. In a cruel twist of irony my teacher had the identical dress and shoes on to me. Good Lord I really don't know who was most embarrassed, me or him


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## Northerner (Oct 4, 2016)

Diabeticliberty said:


> On the subject of school,uniform I had 4 older siblings, all big sisters to me. At school my mam didn't have a great amount of money so hand me down clothes were of course a must. I remember my very first day at senior school when I attended in a blue and white spotty dress and a pair of high heeled shoes. I got some fairly strange looks from the other kids before going into my very first class for my very first lesson which was physics. In a cruel twist of irony my teacher had the identical dress and shoes on to me. Good Lord I really don't know who was most embarrassed, me or him


Images of Grayson Perry spring to mind...


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