Dear Lorraine
May I say how much I enjoy reading the letters regarding rubber-lined mackintoshes, a subject dear to me as I have very fond memories of some lovely macs from my youth.
The type of mac that I like is the single texture rubber-lined cotton mackintosh, the type worn by ladies and girls years ago and now sadly no more.
My preference is for old well-worn mackintoshes and only ladies' and girls' ones. For me there is nothing nicer than an old grubby mac that has been worn to death by its owner.
One such mackintosh was a long red one lined with red rubber belonging to one of my mother's friends - one I didn't like very much.
The mac was years old and filthy dirty from a great deal of wear, the seam tapes were falling apart and it stank of old rubber - but I absolutely adored it.
One day the woman was at our house visiting mother when they decided to go shopping in our car. She left her mac hanging up as they were going in the car and off they went.
I was fifteen at the time and alone in the house. I got the mac and took it to my bedroom. I had a few hours with it - I knew they would be gone for ages. Needless to say I put it on and although far too big for me it was wonderful to wear.
I lay on my bed with the long mackintosh over me and my face buried in the rubber lining. It was a huge turn on for me and very exciting.
I had about four hours with that lovely old mackintosh and I played with it for ages. Ii explored every inch! And I wore it until I heard the car pull up in our drive.
With much reluctance I took it off and hung it up.
Later I watched the woman walk home wearing it, as I watched her I thought to myself if only she knew what I had done with her old mackintosh.
I kept thinking about that mac and how I longed to have it - but of course I could never say anything.
The next time that she came to our house she wasn't wearing it! A new coat instead. I overheard my mother and the woman talking about the new coat and how nice they thought it was. My mother mentioned the red mackintosh and to my horror the woman said that she had got rid of it.
I heard her say it was an old smelly thing and that she had burned it! I was heartbroken hearing that. I couldn't believe the horrible woman had burned that beautiful mackintosh.
Ever since then I have wanted another old rubber-lined mackintosh, though I never found one despite searching everywhere.
I wonder if you can give me some idea where I could get hold of an old tatty mac? There is nothing on ebay or in charity shops.
I wonder if anyone has an old mackintosh that they no longer want and they might sell to me? How I would love to have another one like that beauty that I loved years ago.
What do ladies do with their old mackintoshes when the are old?
I would also love to have a girls' old school mackintosh lined with rubber. Again something that I loved when I was a youngster and now never seen. It would be lovely to think that a lady has still got her old school mackintosh.
DJ
Dear Dave
Lovely to have your letter - so good to have you doing for others what they have done to you!
The good news is that rubberised mackintoshes are still available new, though they can be very expensive (like the ones we sell!). And you can also buy second-hand ones. There is at least one secondhand shop on-line, and there are usually adverts in the magazine published by the mackintosh Society - which you might consider joining - and there is also a club called mach2. When you see an ad though it will probably not stress how old and trampy an article is! You will have to read between the lines, or, probably better, look at the price. mackintoshes are not like wine, I should say: the older the lower the price they attract! Your focus on the old and decrepit should see you sweetly mackintoshed for very little outlay.
Now the bad news. mackintoshes are mortal. In the end they become stiff as a board and enter in such an outlandish state as to be unattractive even to the most devoted. This is why you don't see any old ones about. There comes a point when they actually can't be worn and have to be allowed to make their way, creaking, to the great Coatrack in the sky. This applies to all rubberised coats, but double-texture ones last longer. The sort you like, single textures, give their intense pleasures only at the expense of a brief sojourn here below (years, but single figures).
Just for how long they will continue to be available is difficult to say - problems getting hold of the material grow by the week. Don't leave it too late!
And thank you again for writing.
Lorraine
Thank you so much for your lovely reply to my letter, and of course for publishing it.
As you said not many of the old mackintoshes from years ago have survived, sadly, and I would think that if anyone has one from then they would be very reluctant to part with it.
I love reading the letters about macs and peoples memories of them, it reminds me so much of the mackintoshes that I loved and it brings back many memories of them.
As a lover of macs both rubber-lined and shiny cotton-backed PVC macs I have always been interested to know exactly what ladies did with their old macs when they finished wearing them.
I have read about them but never heard what became of them - especially girls' old school macs. A few ladies have written saying how much they loved them but where they went they never said.
Did any of them ever keep hold of the macs they loved? I know that a lot of women got rid of their old macs such as my aunt and that woman and her lovely red mackintosh. Maybe ladies are not as sentimental about them as us guys are...
I wonder if any one would like to reply to this and discuss what they did with their macs? Has anyone still got an old rubber-lined cotton mackintosh or a shiny cotton backed PVC mac from the 1970s?
I have a small collection of PVC macs from then but they are so hard to get hold of these days. As for the old rubber-lined mackintoshes they simply don't exist anymore.
Oh how I wish I could have one - even if it is falling apart! Just to hold it and smell that wonderful aroma that only an old rubber-lined mackintosh has.
I remember as a youngster borrowing my cousin Helen's old green school mackintosh several times, wearing it with the hood up was very exciting and the smell was fantastic.
Helen wanted me to have it but my mother wouldn't let me keep it. She said it was because it was a girl's mac. Sadly, my aunt eventually threw it out.
I was about twelve at the time and even then I knew that there was something very special about it - and the other rubber-lined mackintoshes that came later.
I hope that someone may like to share their thoughts with me and contact me, many thanks for the great work you do in our club.
Yours sincerly
Dave
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