THE FASHION CONSCIENCE

            The Fashion conscience of the school is, as a rule, not very high, although a few members of the senior school have a decidedly better taste than most. And, I regret to say, throughout the year the school has witnessed the advent of 'shorty' mackintoshes and pointed shoes. These may grace the streets of London or any nondescript provincial town, but with school uniform they are very much out. Luckily, however, the Headmaster has noticed these innovations and swiftly nipped them in the bud!

Fashion is not only the art of wearing the correct clothes, but knowing when and where to wear them, a point at which most people come unstuck.  I have always felt that the best uniform for a public school is an elegant tweed sports jacket with grey flannels or alterna­tively a corduroy jacket with slacks, a style adopted by Burebank, who visited us recently for a football match. Few other schools, however, appear to have adopted the idea, which I consider a good one: sports jackets - if carefully chosen-wear well, whereas blazers can so often become shabby.  For weekend wear, a dark suit, preferably grey, is advisable.

In winter the most suitable outer garment is undoubtedly a duffel coat, which constitutes a fairly uniform pattern, whilst a gaberdine rain-coat of practical length is suitable for summer wear.

This form of uniform, I feel, would save parents a great deal money, and there would be none of those constant (and well remembered) exhortations to “put your uniform away for the holidays or you'll dirty it."

Hairstyles, too, ought to be uniform, and in this school they tend to get out of hand. More attention should be paid to them!

Shoes also play an important part in the school uniform, for although the 'winkle-picker' is ridiculous, less-pointed shoes do look becoming, especially in black. Suedes should be 'out' for school wear, but, I feel, with sports jackets and grey flannels, brown is a harmonious colour.

These ideas might be acceptable to some, but frowned upon by others. Even if we did adopt them as gospel, schoolboys being school-boys, we would still grumble and consider ourselves 'out of fashion'!

'BEAU'.