Monday 10 January 2011

SUMMER SANDALS IN THE SIXTIES

Every kid in the 60's knew when summer had arrived - when your parents told you it was time to put on your sandals. As you can see, they were as common as muck! I think I wore a pair the same style every summer up till I was about 10.
The photo was taken in June 1962 when I was 4. That's me (GG) on the right with my wee brother on the opposite side. The star of the picture though is the little cutie-pie in the middle, Susan, looking dead Scottish in her tartan troosers. She also had ginger hair, completing the - dolly from a tartan souvenir shop in the Royal Mile look!
We are sitting on the kerb in the culdee of Kemnay Gardens by the way.
Another amusing aspect is - see the togs I've got on, well if you forward-wind 20 years to the early 80's, I was wearing similar shirts fastened at the neck without a tie along with similar shabby breeks, when it was a post-punk kind of fad. Then I'd be sitting on the pavie outside the Tayside Bar 10 o'clock at night, lighting up a joint!!
A case of fashion going full-circle!
Changing the subject for a moment, an additional observation in the photo is that the 2 doors in shot are their original dark brown colour they'd have been when Craigie was first built. However, later on in the 60's, a team of council decorators came along to repaint the entire scheme. Some of the lucky ones had their doors painted pale blue, but we were one of the unfortunate ones who got theirs done in pink!
Anyway, got lots of Dundee related fashion items to pop up over the next few days. Some toppers in fact!

10 comments:

  1. a classic pudding bowl cut on show there!

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  2. Hair courtesy of Robertson's in Victoria Street.

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  3. I remember those sandals well, wore them until I saw pictures of Christopher Robin in a Winnie the Pooh book wearing similar and I thought he was such a sap I refused to wear them again, I was ninetee..err... nine at the time

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  4. We a haircut like that you cood hae played in Orange Juice :)

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  5. I recognize wee Dickie... She grew up to be a cracker

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  6. Look how immaculate people kept the outside of there council houses in the sixties. People used to have pride in where they live...

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  7. No prizes, just for fun, who did the telly advert for these sandals in the 60's?

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  8. Probably Start Rite

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  9. The door on the right belonged to the Seivwright's, and used to be a lodging house for Dundee FC players. In the 60's the likes of George Ryden stayed there, and it kept going into the 80's when they had players like Tosh McKinlay, Keith Wright and others.
    I remember playing futba with George Ryden in the culdee when he was wearing winkle-pickers!

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  10. I remember wearing sandles like these as a young child in the late Sixties as well.

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