IT'S NOT JUST ME!

[PVCLOVER]

I have loved plastic and pvc raincoats since I wore a plastic mac as a child in the mid 60s.I also went through the gaberdine and nylon mac era,but prefer pvc even now. I love to see women wearing shiny pvc on the street or in photos.For years I thought it was just me that had a strange "interest" in all things pvc until I found this site recently.Its good to know there is wide interest in plastic/pvc.

[merv]

I think alot of us developed this interest in the 60s and 70s when plastic macs were the norm. I suppose we all did alot more walking/waiting for public transport then than we do now so needed the protection of something waterproof rather more than the current generation who even have parents driving kids around on the paper round in inclement weather.

[matron69]

Yes I think you are correct.
PVC was the way to go now it is politically incorrect to wear it.
Even though it is the best protection in bad weather be it rain or snow.

Paul

[kulshan]

I too was a product of the 50's and 60's when "plastic was practical and proper". Clear slicker on the bicycle. Plastic rain jacket if it was a wet day skiing. Poncho for the football game in the fall. You took your rain jacket with you if there was a threat of rain as you did not want to get wet (what a concept!). I still wear a pvc parka or poncho as it DOES keep you dry. Never had a negative comment.

[rainfash]

Yes, I absolutely agree. But I don't think that wearing PVC macs is "politically incorrect". In businesslife and job, maybe. But in the spare time, at outdoor activities, it's not "uncool". I was at several outdoor festivals, sport events and concerts, and many people wore that thin, flimsy cheap plastic ponchos. So I wore my clear red plastic mac with hood, was properly dressed and protected against the rain, and nobody complained. Maybe some people could think, that the male person who wears a shiny PVC glass clear red PVC raincoat is "gay", or a cross-dresser. On the other hand, I never got soaked and wet. Others did.
I really hate the feeling when cheap nylon jackets get wet, and rain is coming through the wet nylon. I really hate this feeling. With my PVC mac, I never had this experience and feeling.
Many people buy expensive nylon jackets, but they aren't as good as they cost.
At the end, everybody gets wet in nylon. Definitely. So VC macs are the only choice not to get wet.
And in the 70s, shiny vinyl raincoats were fashionable. Why they aren't in fashion any more, I don't know.
In the 60s and 70s people did not have that "arrgant" behaviour like today, just to wear the best and most expensive quality clothes. They wore raincoats, because it was practical and reasonable. At that time, the young girls even complemented each other who has the most beautiful shiny raincoat. Even mothers did buy the same raincoat for her daughters, many mothers and their daughters had the same nice shinyl vinyl or PVC raincoats. And they were proud of.

[Peter Haaswijk]

Yes ,I agree.
I am from the forties and began with rubber lined coats (I had not ) In the fyfties it began with a Big Ben PVC raincoat (It came from England ).So it went on.
And it stayed ,even as I got married ,it went on. Now with internet I discovered ,like everyone ,that there are others ,who have the same ''feeling'' about plastic rainwear.At first it was a shock ,now I am glad with it.
But not everybody! My wife does not like that wear. This week we go to G.B. by coach , and in Wales and Scotland rain is expected. I want to take my PVC Mac with me (From PUL ),but my wife says that such a coat is for walking in nature ,and not in the town and menaces not to walk next to me .
But what do you think she has taken with her ? An ''emergency raincoat , or throw away coat! I dont want to wear such a ''thing''
You see, sometimes there is trouble !
Greetings ,see you in England/Wales/Scotland!
Peter

[hotwilly]

Enjoy your visit to England / Scotland & Wales Peter
I think you have a good chance of getting wet or having to wear your rainwear...plenty of rain on this mornings forecast - for today & Saturday!

I remember my mother having a variety of pvc macs in alte 60's early 70's. Always kept one handy on kitchen door so if she needed to go out it was there.
Whenever I got the "opportunity" use dto try them on -just to see how they felt...lol

[Peter Haaswijk]

Hello all.
I am just back from a round trip through England, Wales and Scottland by touring coach.
Before we went , I had looked at the weather forecast for the coming weeks.
There was an expection of rain in Scotland, but not so much.
When we went from Caernarfon (Wales ) there was a little rain untill Carlisle, but not much .
The next day we went to Oban (SW Scottland.
In the morning it rained that whole day (10 August ) heavily. I saw most people with umbrellas, some women with rain boots.We were sitting in the coach ,rainwear was not needed.
Underway to Oban there was much rain along Loch Lomond ;water cascades in the mountais and much water on the road.
In Oban I saw only two persons wearing real rainwear ,a man and a woman wearing long nylon rainmacs.
I have not seen rain boots ,only umbrellas.
On the isle off Mull you could buy typical rainwear in a shop at a castle.
The rest of the tour it was dry.
So we have only used the umbrella ,not the throw away raincoats or my blue PVC Mac.
On TV we saw , that had rained very much in South Scotland wen we were in the North of it.
That was the tour, not good as a PVC rainwear fetishist like me.
Greetings ,
Peter

[WealdenMac]

Bad Luck Peter-or just bad timing. My wife and I went on a vintage coach tour to the Inner and Outer Hebrides in September 1982 because we had heard that it was the best time to see the heather etc and the weather was likely to be good. After 13 weeks unbroken sunshine, it rained virtually the whole week. Fortunately I had taken the precaution of buying my wife an emerald green hooded plastic mack from C&A and it got much more use than we anticipated. I also had an enjoyable time buying it too because a helpful lady-seeing me looking it up and down on the rack and-offered to put it on so that I could see what it looked like being worn. Very considerate, but unfortunately the only time anyone has done that for me. As has been remarked before, C&A stocked macks like this for quite a long time in the late 70's/early 80's. Another shop that sold quite classy plastic macks in pastel shades around that time was Van Allan. These had an attractive semi-circular yoke at the back and appealed to a rather younger and more fashion conscious clientele.

[Leatherbabs200]

Bad Luck Peter-or just bad timing. My wife and I went on a vintage coach tour to the Inner and Outer Hebrides in September 1982 because we had heard that it was the best time to see the heather etc and the weather was likely to be good. After 13 weeks unbroken sunshine, it rained virtually the whole week. Fortunately I had taken the precaution of buying my wife an emerald green hooded plastic mack from C&A and it got much more use than we anticipated. I also had an enjoyable time buying it too because a helpful lady-seeing me looking it up and down on the rack and-offered to put it on so that I could see what it looked like being worn. Very considerate, but unfortunately the only time anyone has done that for me. As has been remarked before, C&A stocked macks like this for quite a long time in the late 70's/early 80's. Another shop that sold quite classy plastic macks in pastel shades around that time was Van Allan. These had an attractive semi-circular yoke at the back and appealed to a rather younger and more fashion conscious clientele.

Aah. C&A and Van Allen. I still have purple and green Van Allen plastic macs, although most of my C&A PVC macs have now perished. Those two outlets were great for picking up my rainwear. Hubby remembers C&A in the late 60s having racks and racks of PVC macs. He used to spend hours in there, or so he tells me.