I went to my Mum's last week on my way home from being away and I'd asked her if she had a costume suitable for the Pied Piper of Hamelin (for my production at school! Does anyone have a Mayor's costume for a child at all?!!).
She went up into her loft and got down the costume from in there. It was a Minstrel's costume she made for herself when she went to Kentwell Hall with the Year 4 children on a trip. Red and Green, it's perfect for a Pied Piper. It was in this River Island carrier bag from the 90's- probably about circa 1996.
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It was a real moment of nostalgia for me. In the mid 90's, when I was in around years 9-11, it was THE thing to carry your PE kit to school in a River Island carrier bag. They looked like this but originally, the panel with the logo and the handles were claret red rather than green. Oh how I loved those bags! Finally, my Mum bought me a pair of black loafer shoes from River Island and I gained the hallowed bag. I was so happy carrying my PE kit to school in it. I think I did originally have a claret one, this one came along later. Sad isn't it, how a name or label could mean so much! I wish we didn't get so het up about things like that! Now, I don't really care about this type of thing. Nowadays, perhaps the modern equivalent is a designer bag perhaps so at least, a River Island bag was more achievable.
Such an interesting bag though- all those vintage characters on it and the big cat- I always remember the big cat!
Did you have an equivalent 'sought after' bag or receptacle for carrying any aspect of your school baggage in?
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I remember those bags, I loved them! I'd left school before River Island came into being. I don't think we had an "it bag" back then, we all used ex-army haversacks with our favourite bands scrawled across in biro! x
ReplyDeleteI graduated high school in 1981, and back then there was so much pressure to look like the coolest kids, and have the items that made them cool. We had no money for that -- I was sewing my own clothes when I wasn't wearing hand-me-downs. It was tough. But I think it's better for a teenager not to have all the spoiling things they long for -- just a couple :) It builds character.
ReplyDeleteI was never a very fashionable person and didn't really care too much for being trendy, even as a teenager, but I do remember desperately wanting a pair of the Clarks shoes that came with a little key! I think they were called magic steps. A couple of friends had them in priamry school and we used to use the little keys in games at play time. I did get a pair :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started secondary school which was The Convent Grammar School For Girls, the craze was a Toulouse LeTrec jute bag for all the school bags. Who would have thought it, quite environmentally friendly, mind you it was 1979 :-)
ReplyDeleteAdidas bags were THE bags in my grade 7 class. I had a red on blue one; my brother had a navy/baby blue one. We were the sh*t!
ReplyDeleteWe did not have any trends in bags when I was in school 'way back :-) -- We had the usual hairstyle trends and fashion trends in clothing -- probably handbags, too, but I don't remember that. But we didn't seem to have so much to carry around all the time.
ReplyDeleteWhen we went to college, then people starting using cloth "book bags" which had straps over the shoulders sewn on to a basic sack without a fastening, just an open bag, to wear when you were riding your bicycle. The bookstores would sometimes sell or give them. I sewed one for my husband, but I didn't use one.
In those days no one used backpacks to carry school supplies. And yet no one had straps for their books anymore, either. It was inconvenient when you did have more than a few books to class in secondary school, but only until you got to your locker.
We were only allowed "proper" satchels or briefcases, and PE kits had to be kept in navy drawstring bags. River Island was the rebranding of the great sixties store ""Chelsea Girl".
ReplyDeleteI made a mayor's costume a few years back - get a cheap plain coat from a CS which is a size or two too big for child. Cut off sleeves to wrist length, trim with lace or braid. Cut off collar and trim round neck, down fronts, with strip off fur fabric. Add blingy mayoral chain round neck. Steam an old felt hat till its floppy then stitch up brim at 3points to make a tricorn. Add feather or brooch. Tada!
I don't remember a particular shop's bag being considered an IT bag when I was at school. In fact, my friends and I had those ex-army bags with band names scrawled on them, like Vix's. But I did have similar experience back in January while clearing my parents's house. I came across a discarded PE bag from a legendary independent record shop in Antwerp, transporting me all the way back to those heady times when it was still in business. I did take it home with me as a souvenir! xxx
ReplyDeleteI can't say that I ever had any craving to have any such bag or brand clothes when I was young but we were poor but I remember having dreams of arriving at school with either forgetting a piece of clothing, like forgetting to wear a slip under my thin dress or arriving at school bare foot or other important piece of clothing.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Julia
I do love the print on that old bag. The kitty is so adorable.
ReplyDeleteI remember the bag but don't recall any bag being sought after in this way. I remember Kickers being the thing to wear on your feet but bags were bags. How funny that we all wanted to look the same as children and teenagers but grown up wanting to define our own style!
ReplyDeletexx