Oh Carol! Thanks for the memories.

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posted by Babs on Monday, 8 December 2008

A little bit of background information, just to set the scene.

Back in the early to mid sixties, and before the mini-skirt hit the scene, some of the fashions were ridiculous. The skirts were just on the knee and so tight that you couldn’t walk properly. In order to climb even the smallest step, you had to stand side-on and swing your leg up behind you and walk up sideways. After climbing a flight of stairs, your skirt had usually made it’s way up your thighs and had to be yanked back down. It wouldn’t drop down on it’s own because it was far too tight!

Shoes (*Winkle pickers) with pointed toes, so long that they curled up after wearing them a few times.

Hair that was back-combed and piled up as high as you could get it, using so much hair lacquer, that your hair was rock solid and could be used as a lethal weapon. Great for pushing your way through the crowds in the rush hour. One swipe in your face with a **Busby and believe me, you moved!

The ‘French Pleat’ was fashionable and generally, girls that had their hair pleated and piled up by their hairdresser, went back the following week to have it tidied up. Not restyled, just tidied up! They then went back the following week to have it washed and put up again. There were many who went a month without even having a comb through! I heard all sorts of stories about insects making their homes in them. One girl didn’t know until blood trickled down her forehead. That’s what the newspaper article said anyway.

I had one such friend called Carol. She wore her skirt so tight that she couldn’t walk. What she did was, sort of shuffle, and hope she moved in the right direction. She wore winkle pickers with a 3 inch heel, and had a white blond French pleat, with a good ten inch busby on top!

One sunny morning I was standing at the bus stop across the road from Charing Cross station. This was the Strand, in the centre of London, in the rush hour, so it was very busy. The road, being very wide, had a central island so you could wait until the traffic cleared.

I need you to picture this. Rush hour. A crowd of people standing on the central island. Carol standing in the middle of the crowd, couldn’t be missed with her hair towering above the others. Carol also grasped in front of her one of the latest fashion accessories. A picnic basket! Well, it was supposed to be a handbag, but it was very large, round, had a handle over the top and was made with wicker. The only way you could hold this thing was out at the front of you. This drawing is almost as good as a photo of carol!

Are you picturing this? Good. Suddenly the crowd surged forward to rush across the road, carol was swept along, probably by her picnic basket. Carol couldn’t rush! Carol couldn’t WALK! The top half of carol moved with the throng, but the bottom half could only shuffle.

CRRRRUUUUUUUUNNNCH!

The crowd oblivious to Carol’s plight, went on their way leaving her, laying flat out, in the middle of the road, on the somewhat squashed picnic basket, and I had a front row seat, along with all those in the bus queue, who were watching and stifling laughter. Carol, not looking up, stood up as ladylike as her skirt would allow (not very) turned a ruby red, which showed her white hair off a treat, and tried to squash her picnic basket back into some sort of passable shape. Too embarrassed to look up, she continued to look at the floor, for which I was thankful. Once she regained her composer, she shuffled off up the road. She never saw me there, and I never told her I witnessed it. I didn’t want her embarrassment to be made any worse. I don’t know how I kept my composure, once I got in the office and came face to face with Carol and her picnic basket!

It was one of the funniest things I had ever seen. It resembled a sort of obstacle race, like ‘See how far you can get with your knees tied together’ I laughed for weeks over that. I’m even giggling while writing this! Sometimes a near photographic memory can be a great source of laughter!

* Winkle picker shoes got their name because the points were considered sharp and long enough to pick winkles out of their shells.

** A nickname given because of the similarity to hats the Queen’s Guards wear.

EDIT: I have added an image of a plate of Winkles for your info. You used a pin to remove the little curly inside. Very tasty with vinegar, but I wouldn’t eat them now!

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40 Comments for “Oh Carol! Thanks for the memories.”

Kathy | 8 December 2008 at 0:48

LMAO!!! Carol and her pic-a-nic basket! OMG. Rolling! Babs, what a story and yes, I’m sure you get a lot of mileage out of reliving this story in your head. I know I will. You painted quite a picture.

Kathy´s last blog post..I Made a Rookie Mistake
Joe | 8 December 2008 at 0:53

Not sure what they called that hair style in the States, (maybe a beehive?) but my Mrs. claims no knowledge of anything like this. I’m sure she is in complete denial, as I have seen some photographs.

Joe´s last blog post..Kick Back Sunday
chat blanc | 8 December 2008 at 0:56

haha! I don’t think I could have contained my laughter! I love your drawing too.
Vic's Momma | 8 December 2008 at 4:19

OMG poor thing!!! YOu are SO nice to have kept that from her. you were talking about embarrassing things and I thought I would not be embarrassed… oh hello you got me!!
Good on Carol for handling it like such a lady )

Vic’s Momma´s last blog post..They say it’s my birthday…8th December I am 2 years old!
Omer | 8 December 2008 at 9:45

Ha ha very interesting – I can imagine your situation..trying not to laugh but still laughing inside!!

Omer´s last blog post..Weekly Feline News
Lee | 8 December 2008 at 12:04

“* Winkle picker shoes got their name because the points were considered sharp and long enough to pick winkles out of their shells.”

Thanks for the explanation, Babs, but it would be more effective if I knew what a “winkle” was! :0)

This is a great story. I get a smile on my face whenever I think of some of the things we wore back in the 60s and 70s in the name of fashion. When I was in college, I had an electric blue crushed velvet outfit (pants and vest) that I wore with a lavender ruffled shirt. I turned a lot of heads with that suit whenever I wore it out. One of my friends called me the Tooth Fairy whenever I wore it.

Lee´s last blog post..PhotoHunt #139 – Breakfast
beetle | 8 December 2008 at 13:05

Kathy: There were other similar stories involving my friends and the ‘tight’ skirt. A stupid fashion, then a lot of things we wore in the name of fashion were stupid

Joe: Yes, Beehive was what it was called here too. The Busby was another nickname for it. I searched for a photo of Carol to post but I couldn’t find one.

Chat Blanc: It was very hard not to laugh. Many a day I sat on the train on my own, envisaged that incident and laughed out loud! People must have thought me mad

Vic’s Momma: You know everyone has something that could cause embarrassment. A similar thing happened to me once. I fell down a flight of stairs at the train station. EVERYBODY stared, and not one single person asked if I was ok

Omer: Oh I was laughing inside – so much!

Lee: I have added a pic of a plate of winkles to the post. I forgot that they are a British thing I bet you looked very ‘dapper’ in your crushed velvet suit! I had turquoise, velvet hot pants that had a bib & brace!
Eric and Flynn | 8 December 2008 at 16:07

Haha we can picture that so clearly! Our mum had a beehive and winklepickers but not the very tight skirt. Her best friend used to wear a very very tight skirt like Carol and she carried her wicker basket everywhere.Mum thinks it was called a Gondola basket because of the shape.

Eric and Flynn´s last blog post..Mancat Monday
granny grimble | 8 December 2008 at 16:08

That was so funny Babs! Thank you for sharing.Fashion was certainly a hazard in those times, wasn’t it? I remember stopping off on my way to the office to get my lunch sandwiches. I was wearing a tight pencil skirt and shoes with ankle straps and platform soles that were about three inches high. I went to pay and dropped my half a crown (12. 1/2p) a lot of money in those days.My skirt was too tight for me to to bend in,and the shoes too high off the ground to bend from the waist.Because of the ankle straps I couldn’t kick them off. I just stood there looking pathetic and very embarrassed!

granny grimble´s last blog post..EARLY DAYS OF BRITISH TELEVISION
beetle | 8 December 2008 at 17:45

Eric & Flynn: I never wore the really tight skirts either. I had one when I was fifteen, and soon stopped wearing it! I liked the chisel toe shoes too

Granny Grimble: Ha ha! I can just see you, standing looking at you half crown. You could get twenty ciggies with that!
Grace | 8 December 2008 at 17:55

Hi, it’s so nice to find a blog as informative like yours. I enjoyed reading your blog. Have a nice day.
Liudmila | 8 December 2008 at 18:14

I remember that hair style but I’ve never seen something too high. Imagin the poor girl, surely it was unpossible to have compassion for her…

Liudmila´s last blog post..7 Things About Myself
Shinade | 8 December 2008 at 18:34

What a picture you do paint with your wonderful writing. I can just see it happening. I am trying not to laugh…but, it’s not working.

Oh my you Brits are so much more fashionable than we are. Over here in the 60’s the hippie movement was in full swing. And they hardly wore anything.

And would never ever dream of having their hair actually done at a salon. Most never even washed their hair.

And I can’t vote for you anymore right now. They cut me off.

Message: Okay we get the message you like Babs!

I hope you have a fantastic week!:-)
JD at I Do Things | 8 December 2008 at 19:13

Oh, what a great story! You described it so well, I didn’t need the drawing — but the drawing was perfect! I had to look up pictures of “winkle pickers” (tho I guessed correctly why they were named that), as well as a French pleat, which I couldn’t find. LOVED THIS!

JD at I Do Things´s last blog post..I Eat Cereal Marshmallows so you don’t have to
beetle | 8 December 2008 at 19:14

Grace: Hello and welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.

Liudmila: She was a lovely girl actually, even though her dress sense was poor ;O)

Shinade: Oh we had the hippies too, but they came a bit later, and not as many as the US. I do believe that Britain lead the fashion world back then, thought the tight skirt was not one of it’s best creations
beetle | 8 December 2008 at 19:18

JD: Oh, I’m sorry. I must try to remember that maybe the US hasn’t heard of these things before. A French Pleat is when the hair is rolled up in a bun that looks like a sausage roll on the back of your head. Please don’t say what’s a sausage roll ha ha!
Janice | 8 December 2008 at 19:21

I’m alittle younger than you Babs, but I recall my mother picking me up from school and as she held my 5 year old hand, we passed a woman with a beehive hairdo “Ooh look mam” I said ” that lady’s hair looks just like candyfloss” My mother dragged me into the nearest shop.

Janice´s last blog post..TREES, TINSEL AND TEMPERS.
meleah rebeccah | 8 December 2008 at 22:33

I am CRYING I am laughing so HARD at this story. OMG! This is toooo funny.

I think one of my favorite lines was

“She wore her skirt so tight that she couldn’t walk. What she did was, sort of shuffle, and hope she moved in the right direction.”

meleah rebeccah´s last blog post..Tags, Memes, And Awards
Sandie | 8 December 2008 at 23:44

I saw a video taken of me not long after we were married, and was amazed at how high my beehive was!! How embarrassing! I also remember the great difficulty we had trying to bend down and pick things up whilst wearing those tight skirts. The only way I could do it, (and only when I was at home alone) was to hoist it right up to my thighs. The things we did for fashion. I am far more comfortable in my clothes now I am getting on in years:0)

Sandie´s last blog post..A Littler Bit Of Art
beetle | 9 December 2008 at 0:07

Janice: ha ha! Now THAT was funny! Candyfloss is a good description of it too

Meleah: You can see why I laughed for weeks after seeing it. It was begging to be written down at some point ;O)
beetle | 9 December 2008 at 0:10

Sandie: Either hoist the skirt up, or squat right down (which usually made it ride up your thighs anyway) and hope nobody was looking up your skirt at the time
Black Cat | 9 December 2008 at 1:49

Oh Babs, that’s such a great story! I remember those fashions so well! I had a tight skirt (but not that tight, lol!) and used to backcomb my hair to within an inch of its life!

I’ve read back a way. Are you writing a novel or did those things really happen in that London house?!? Very eerie, ooooo! xxx

P.S. I’m on Skype but not Twitter. Looking into being a Twitterer!

Black Cat´s last blog post..Home Alone!
beetle | 9 December 2008 at 3:01

Black Cat: One good thing about back-combing was that your hair went wherever you wanted it to.

Yes it all happened exactly as I wrote it. No fiction.
Maureen | 9 December 2008 at 4:09

Ah hahahaha! But poor Carol indeed. What some women will go through all in the name of “fashion”. Great drawing and story… and gah, are those snails???? Ewwwww….

Maureen´s last blog post..Merry Christmas, Maureen
Maureen | 9 December 2008 at 4:11

OH, and I LOVE your festive header!!!!

Maureen´s last blog post..Merry Christmas, Maureen
Ana | 9 December 2008 at 9:56

It’s amazing how you are drawing images with words… although the illustration was also great! Love your holiday header! Happy Christmas Time!

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Babs - beetle | 9 December 2008 at 12:34

Maureen: Nooooo! Not snails EEEEEUUCK!! They are very small sea creatures with a tiny soft inside. I wouldn’t dream of eating them now, but I remember them being very tasty.

Ana: That’s a very nice compliment Ana! Thank you

Babs – beetle´s last blog post..Oh Carol! Thanks for the memories.
Ivanhoe | 9 December 2008 at 15:55

Oh my lord, poor Carol. I cannot believe what fashion will make people do & wear. You did great on the drawing.
As for the snails – no, thank you )

Ivanhoe´s last blog post..Bits about Sam
Shinade | 9 December 2008 at 18:13

Oh i love your header…especially your hat!:-)

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Margaret (Nanny Goats) | 9 December 2008 at 23:41

Oh dear! Poor Carol. Discomfort for the sake of vanity. I’m glad I’m over all that now. Well, mostly anyway. Besides which it can be so dang expensive!

Margaret (Nanny Goats)´s last blog post..The Bigger the Man, the Bigger Their Ego
Babs - beetle | 10 December 2008 at 2:12

Ivanhoe: I know. I was always careful to be comfortable in what I wore. If you’re not, it’s very obvious!

Shinade: Thought it would be cheery for Christmas

Margaret: I may have been a ’swinging sixties chick’, but now I dress for comfort!

Babs – beetle´s last blog post..Oh Carol! Thanks for the memories.
Swubird | 10 December 2008 at 16:43

Babs:

That is a fantastic story. Your character reminded me of a girl I used to date – big, puffy hairdo and all! LOL. The 1950’s, of course, were famous for the so-called sweater girls. They wore super tight tube skirts with tight sweaters and pointy bras. Fabulous. And, like you say, they couldn’t walk. In fact, in my picture album I have a shot of one of my high school friends in her tight sweater and big hairdo. Great shot.

Thanks for sharing this wonderful little peek at the past. I also love the art work. Hilarious.

Happy trails.

Swubird´s last blog post..RUN IT!
Swubird | 10 December 2008 at 20:07

Babs:

I can’t understand it, I wrote you a long comment this morning. But now it’s gone! The mystery of cyberspace.

I enjoyed you article very much because I remember those days so well. Tube skirts, tight sweaters and pointy bras. My Queen and I have pictures of those days and it’s a great laugh when we look back at those big, high, puffy hairdos. Those were the times.

I love you art work. Well done.

Happy trails.

Swubird´s last blog post..RUN IT!
Christa | 10 December 2008 at 20:36

Winkle pickers. Winkle pickers. Winkle pickers

I am trying to say that 10 times fast.

Now I want to say, pinkle wickers, pringle wackers, wickle pingles.

*laughing*
beetle | 10 December 2008 at 20:47

Christa: Ha ha ha! Giggle on girl! :O)
jakill | 10 December 2008 at 21:26

Very funny story. Takes me right back. And then the winkles. My grandmother loved them. When she was coming to tea we used to have to go down to Corbyns Head beach and pick them for her off the rocks.

jakill´s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday – New Forest Foal
beetle | 11 December 2008 at 0:00

Swubird: I’m sorry, but somehow your comment got caught up in my spam filter! I’ve no idea how that happens. Men may have liked those fashions, well they were meant to attract the men, but they were very uncomfortable for us girls ;O)

Jakill: Oh my! I never had freshly picked winkles! We used to have them for Sunday tea when I was little. Lots of vinegar and bread and butter – lovely
Baseball Regulation | 4 February 2009 at 8:31

You fell? You’d better be careful next time. =) My friend had an injured knee due to a fall while playing baseball. Now we lost a player
Susan | 31 December 2009 at 16:37

I just ran across this post and it is HYSTERICAL!
Thanks for giving me a good laugh–sorry Carol