Neatly and Correctly Buttoned Up

Dear Lorraine

It seems a long time since I last wrote to you but I have been very busy at work this year.

I was very interested in the letter from Francis about the importance of fastening a top button on a raincoat, particularly a schoolgirl gabardine. It was quite right to say that a fastened top button reflected the way in which a schoolgirl behaved. I remember from my schooldays how mature and responsible a girl became when she wore her gabardine raincoat fully buttoned to the neck. I know that I myself felt very adult and I also feel that good behaviour and a fastened top button went together. In fact the mischievous girls in the school were those that unbuttoned their gabardines and their blazers once they had left the school environs and they didn't seem to care about the good name and reputation of the school. When I became a prefect, I made a point of checking every girl I passed in town after school and I can't remember the number of times I stopped a girl and told her to fasten her three buttons on her blazer or to button and belt her gabardine, and sometimes I made the girl fasten her top button if the weather warranted it. I must admit that I did gain something of a reputation when I was a prefect for what the girls though of as overzealous behaviour, but School uniform rules are there to be obeyed and I make no excuse whatsoever to making sure that the good name of the school was always respected as all I was doing: was making sure that the girls were dressed correctly at all times, which I believed to be so important. They had no grounds to complain since I was always neatly and correctly buttoned up, and I would have loved to insist on the girls wearing, their shiny black Wellington boots but maybe this a bit. over the top.

We had a school reunion early this year, for those girls who left in the 80's. It was. a dull day so I wore my full school uniform, of grey blazer, fully buttoned, my grey gabardine,again fully. buttoned with my hood up and my shiny black Wellington boots. Some of the teachers who taught me commented on my appearance and one teacher in particular remembered me as being the girl who in the sixth form would always come to school in her gabardine and Wellingtons. In fact it was this teacher who asked me one sunny day when I was leaving school, if I was not too hot dressed up in my gabardine and my Wellingtons, and I remember replying that since it was quite dull when I .left home in the morning I needed to wear my Wellingtons in case it did happen to rain, and any way it was easier to. wear a gabardine than to carry it over my arm and also it was an excuse (if I needed one) for being fully buttoned into my gabardine and wearing Wellington boots. I think she was surprised and very pleased with my enthusiasm for gabardines and Wellingtons. I also told her that I always kept a spare gabardine and Wellingtons in my locker in case the weather did change during the day if I had only travelled to schooI in my blazer. I only needed a hint of possible rain for me to wear the gabardine and Wellingtons to go home in, despite the taunts of many of the girls. The teacher was not surprised when I told her that I still wear a full schoolgirl uniform every day at work; mid at home and when I go out, as she had to admit that she thought that I still looked so smart in a school uniform and that it really suited me.

I have told readers of our school trip to London in one of my previous letters in which Jenny wore her gabardine and Wellingtons. It was a real surprise to see Jenny at the reunion dressed in her old school uniform like me. She wore her blazer and gabardine, top button fastened; unfortunately she only wore a pair of shoes. She told me that if the weather was bad she would still go out in her gabardine during the day, and that she had been known to wear her Wellingtons.

Another surprise was meeting a girl called Christine, who arrived at the reunion in her grey school uniform gabardine and her black shiny Wellington boots. She had her top button fastened and when she took her coat off, she was wearing her grey school blazer with her 3 buttons fastened.

Apparently Christine, who was three years younger than me, had a schoolgirl crush on me when I was a prefect. She told me that she used to take every opportunity to be close to me so that she could see me in my uniform and that because of me she said that she would never leave a button undone on her blazer, that she always fastened the top button on her gabardine, and that she wore her Wellingtons on dull but dry days. Indeed she decided that when she entered the sixth form she would model herself on me and continue to wear her gabardine, rather than an anorak and her Wellingtons like I did and she did so apparently nearly every day, setting an example to the junior girls by always fastening every button on her blazer and gaberdine. She also decided that when she became a prefect she would be just as strict as I was about checking that junior girls always wore their uniforms correctly buttoned and she developed a similar reputation to me. It was so wonderful to know that Christine had the same feelings and commitment to full and correctly worn school uniform that I had. Christine and I have now become firm friends and we have subsequently met on a number of occasions since the reunion and we have decided that whatever the weather, full school uniform with blazers and gabardines correctly buttoned with every button fastened, and Wellington boots are absolutely essential for our outings. When she comes to my house, she loves to spend time looking at all my blazers and gabardines and we always go out dressed in identical uniforms. We really enjoy talking about our schooldays and how important it is to wear school uniforms correctly. We love giving each other a fastened button inspection at every meeting, and we are now established as two "schoolgirl chums"; our friendship is absolutely fantastic.

I was pleased to note that the girls at my old school still have to wear their blazers fully buttoned when outside of school but it was disappointing to learn that the could leave their buttons undone in school, and unfortunately gabardines have been replaced by anoraks and Wellington boots are hardly ever worn.

My friend Beth whom I met in Norway last year (earlier letter) and who is the owner ofa small private school did meet as she promised to discuss the new school uniform for her school which she implemented from January. She decided to keep the uniform basically maroon. The girls have to wear a white blouse with the school tie and maroon skirt, which must not come above the girl's knees. She decided that the maroon blazer must always be worn with the three fastened buttons, and after the initial shock, the girls have accepted this rule without question. A navy raincoat must be worn every day from October through to April. The raincoat, unfortunately is not the traditional schoolgirl gabardine due to the expense but is mainly a polyester coat. This double breasted coat has to be worn with the buttons and the belt neatly fastened at all times although the fastening of a top button has been made a personal issue although when it is raining both the top button must be fastened and the hood worn up. Wellington boots have been made optional, but Beth has been very pleased with the response as the girls may wear the latest patterned Wellingtons provided they are predominantly dark coloured and apparently at least half the school are now wearing their Wellingtons. Beth is still wearing her maroon gabardine, and she tells me that because I always look immaculate in my school clothes she now fastens her top button at all times and she sets an example to the girls by wearing her Wellingtons. She is also thrilled that two of the younger teachers also set an example to the girls by wearing fully buttoned maroon school blazers. On occasions that I visit Beth at school, it is so fantastic to see the girls looking so perfect. I feel so sorry for the modern schoolgirl, many of whom have no chance to experience the correct wearing of a full traditional school uniform, they don't know what they are missing.

Maybe when I have more time I can write again about the reaction of the staff at work to my Norwegian Wellingtons and sou'westers that I have mentioned before.

Love

Abi.

SHOP | CLUB FOYER | CHILLOUT ROOM | ASK LORRAINE