Did you have to wear school uniform?

[Campbell Soupe]

Double strapping a rucksack, you'd definitely have to transfer to another school in another area.  Or pretend you were a French exchange student.  Ironically, there was a phase where you could use your standard Head bag's handles as a double strapped rucksack and that was fine...

Bag etiquette was a minefield

[Gulftastic]

At my school (I suspect this was a general UK thing?) if you wore your rucksack with both straps you were an absolute twat, you were supposed to have it hanging off you by one strap, affecting an air of slacker disaffectedness. I noticed Japanese kids never, ever did this.

The fad at my school was to buy a small rucksack from Army & Navy stores. One of these:


But yes, only one strap was used as for shoulder carrying. The other was rigged to be a handle.

[Campbell Soupe]

Only Fields Of The Nephilim fans went army and navy at my school; that was considered a bold statement.

[Jockice]

The fad at my school was to buy a small rucksack from Army & Navy stores. One of these:


But yes, only one strap was used as for shoulder carrying. The other was rigged to be a handle.

I had one of them, only a sort of fawn colour. But I also had a briefcase at one point. A soft brown one not the hard black variety. I don't think I got any stick for it though. It was seen as acceptable. Can't remember any bag strap etiquette either. It may have existed but you have to remember I'm very old and only have a limited amount of memory left.

[JesusAndYourBush]

I had one of those.  A lot of us with those bags would write names of bands on them, but some of us went further and painted the main 'flap' of the rucksack in gloss paint first and then when that dried we'd paint the band name on.  There was a really horrible maths teacher who'd tell you to paint over it if she saw it though, so there were some great creations but they didn't last long.  (My 'Sex Pistols', and two other kids' 'PIL' and 'Saxon' bit the dust in this way.)

[Gulftastic]

Mine had the traditional Leeds Rugby League colours (blue background, one fat amber band, sandwiched by two thinner ones) and a big Yorkshire rose in the middle.

[greencalx]

Even I was a single-strapper. I think double-strapping is ok now though. I'll take a look when the schools are back.

Wearing a coat, even when it was shitting it down, was a no-no in my day, and if you did have some sort of jacket it was essential that it was aesthetic rather than functional. Again, I see local kids here walking to school in sensible rainwear. Maybe it's being a few hundred miles further north that does it.

[dr beat]

Mine had the traditional Leeds Rugby League colours (blue background, one fat amber band, sandwiched by two thinner ones) and a big Yorkshire rose in the middle.

Wot, no myrtle and flame then? ;)

[JesusAndYourBush]

and if you did have some sort of jacket it was essential that it was aesthetic rather than functional.

I had a Harrington.  The flimsy thing wouldn't protect you from rain or cold.

[greencalx]

I would have thought tartan and huge sideways pockets would be the epitome of uncool.

I understand literally nothing about fashion.

[Jockice]

I had a Harrington.  The flimsy thing wouldn't protect you from rain or cold.

I had one too. As usual I got it the exact moment they went out of fashion. I was used to that sort of thing by then though.

[Gulftastic]

Wot, no myrtle and flame then? ;)

South of t'river, mate. Northside forever...

[monkfromhavana]

Never had to wear a school uniform at any of my schools. Couldn't wear jeans, but other than that, go for it.

[Noodle Lizard]

Yes, at 3 different schools from age 3-16 before I transferred to a 6th form college. They got worse as you got older as well. One of them was so horrible that I (and plenty of others) used to bring a change of clothes for getting the train to and from the school to avoid being yelled at. So much for the "uniforms reduce bullying" argument. The blazers also smelled strongly of wet dog as soon as you got even a little bit of rain on them. The entire school would reek for half of the year.

Here in the US it seems to be an incredible anomaly to have to wear a school uniform, reserved mostly for the preppier Catholic institutions.

[Gulftastic]

I did used to like how I'd start each year with my blazer sleeves nearly reaching my knuckles and end each one with them halfway to my elbows.

[El Unicornio, mang]

Here in the US it seems to be an incredible anomaly to have to wear a school uniform.

Thank goodness

[JesusAndYourBush]

For the 4 years I was at middle school we had to wear a uniform, but it wasn't overly strict.  Black trousers (any black trousers, didn't have to be special ones from the school shop like I hear some fascist schools enforce), white shirt (not even sure it had to be white as long as it was deemed sensible, although you'd have had the piss taken out of you if you'd have worn a yellow or pink shirt or something), any shoes/socks as long as it didn't stand out as something over the top, tie.  The tie was the main thing, and that you were supposed to do up the top button of your shirt.    My mum bought me a blazer because it must have been on some recommended list or something, but I wore it once, never wore it again once I discovered nobody else was wearing one.

[petril]

we had them all the way. secondary I remember most because there was a sliding scale of options and casualness per year. first year was strict royal blue jumper, blue shirt, blue tie and navy trousers. as you went up you got 'allowed' to go for black bottoms, navy jumpers and white shirts when you got to fourth year. in theory. there'd be bollockings and letters and threats of exclusion, as far as I know it never had to escalate to the latter for first and second years. and it was probably bollocks. the Fear of Big School in action. in all likelyhood the staff weren't arsed, but going from the last year of primary school, where you feel like you run the whole nick, to the bottom of the big scary school, that's a big psychological jump.

PE was the same, first year boys issued with a navy cotton shirt with saltire, and those cheap nylon shorts that were like small tents. strictly enforced by an adult just saying things like he's not a primary school teacher. by third year, everything was fair game at PE, except the silly tit-for-tat list of sensitive football shirts excluded to avoid sectarian pish. by fourth year most of the dickheads had left and even that was relaxed. you could tell what year everyone was in at our secondary school really reliably by the clothes. and they could tell your family income to the penny at a glance. it was school.

[holyzombiejesus]

I was grateful for the uniform ( grey suit, black tie with red, white, blue or green diagonal stripe depending on which house you were in) as my school was full to the brim of Little Lord Fauntleroys and at least it meant I didn't feel like an utter pov. I think I even wore my uniform for own clothes day and pretended I'd forgotten.

Talking of own clothes day, I will never forgive my mum for forcing me to wear a Strawbs sweatshirt she'd bought me as a present (?!).

[spaghetamine]

I know life now isn't too great but school was fucking shit wasn't it?

[petril]

depends on what home life was like. for me home life would swing wildly, so school less shit by comparison and I became more fond of the little nice bits.

[Norton Canes]

Remember getting a shitload of stick from the 'cool' kids at one school because my trousers weren't Sta Press. The early 80's mod revival had a lot to answer for.

[JaDanketies]

We were relatively blessed in that we had a collared shirt, a sweater and school pants, plus a load of auxiliary bollocks like plain black shoes with no markings and plain socks with no markings. I think that kids who have to wear blazers and ties seem less likely to wear coats when it rains. I don't even know how to tie a tie because I've only had to wear one about a dozen times in my life.

I still hated it though. I remember some occasions where the teachers would actually inspect every student's sock after assemblies as to ensure that they didn't have markings on. So many kids got sent home for ludicrous reasons and I am still far from convinced that missing a day of school is a proportional punishment to having patterned socks. And of course regardless of the uniform rules, kids still found a way to police the clothing of other kids and mock them for not having Rockports.