Rainwear Central Rainwear Forum

This picture taken on the morning of Monday, September 12, 1960 with the arrival of Hurricane Donna was published in the Paterson Evening News. It shows how much the world has changed. There was a time when being cautious and protective in severe weather just meant wearing every bit of raingear that you owned because you still had to go to school. (Did you think school will be closed?) And if you didn’t have rain boots, substitute something like old Ballerina flats so that you wouldn’t your ruin best shoes in the deluge....

And above all, wear your raincoat!

https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?id=5 ... 994ee2d423

And at noon when the storm is at its nastiest you are dismissed early. Get the raincoats and headscarfs on again to go home.

https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?id=4 ... ebb2510d0e

This second picture is from The Record of Hackensack, New Jersey on Tuesday, September 13, 1960.

Ann just been talking about when she was a kid in the 80s her mum sent her to school with her mums plastic raincoat in a storm which was to big Ann say that why she bought us the bin bag because under the raincoat her mum put her in a bin bag and on her feet she had sandwich bags to keep her feet as dry as she could as she did not have wellies

Makes me think if she had not of gone to school like that would we both still be into rainwear today

Nowadays, they appear to take more pride in getting wet ... sigh

mason wrote: January 8th, 2020, 10:34 am Nowadays, they appear to take more pride in getting wet ... sigh

Yes I totally agree but let them spend money redoing hair etc after rain ruins it lol lol

joe wrote: January 5th, 2020, 4:23 am This picture taken on the morning of Monday, September 12, 1960 with the arrival of Hurricane Donna was published in the Paterson Evening News. It shows how much the world has changed. There was a time when being cautious and protective in severe weather just meant wearing every bit of raingear that you owned because you still had to go to school. (Did you think school will be closed?) And if you didn’t have rain boots, substitute something like old Ballerina flats so that you wouldn’t your ruin best shoes in the deluge....

And above all, wear your raincoat!

https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?id=5 ... 994ee2d423

And at noon when the storm is at its nastiest you are dismissed early. Get the raincoats and headscarfs on again to go home.

https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?id=4 ... ebb2510d0e

This second picture is from The Record of Hackensack, New Jersey on Tuesday, September 13, 1960.

Rain wear back then was better becuase many of the coats were heavy rubber.

spitfire617 wrote: January 8th, 2020, 10:37 am

mason wrote: January 8th, 2020, 10:34 am Nowadays, they appear to take more pride in getting wet ... sigh

Yes I totally agree but let them spend money redoing hair etc after rain ruins it lol lol

I could not agree more on the way to work on day is was rain so hard but in the middle of the street two girl where still trying to do there makeup while getting totally drenched

When I was there age all I cared about was staying dry that all cost no matter what I would like

X

I remember being sent to school in my mums navy blue over the head cagoule, i loved it and borrowed it on regular occasions. When she was throwing it out a few years ago i saved it and still wear it now and then, to think its 30 Something years old. She made it from a peter storm cagoule pattern she bought from a mail order sewing catalog, she made a cover for her kenwood mixer with the leftover material and still uses that today!

Here is another photo from the Central New Jersey Home News on Monday, September 12, 1960 of women students at Douglas College in New Brunswick, New Jersey preparing to venture out into the pre-hurricane rains that morning in their raincoats.

https://www.newspapers.com/clippings/em ... =700&h=954

In an earlier reply to my original post, Miss Rachel commented on how much better the raincoats were back in the day. I think another factor was that both high school and college students - even when there was not an official uniform - were often required to wear dress clothing for school. In their mandated dress code of dresses and skirts, female students needed and certainly became accustomed to wearing raincoats and a full complement of rain accessories to protect themselves and their clothing in wet weather.

Isn’t striking how comfortable these college women appear to be in the photo as they wear their long raincoats? I think it was a mark of adulthood back then to be at ease in relying on your raincoat - even in the drenching 3 to 4 inch driving rain and wind of Hurricane Donna!

Also note that in this heavy rain that the women are wearing traditional poplin raincoats that are merely water repellent. No waterproof rubber raincoats or slickers for them. They must know that they are going to get wet.