Housecoats.....so retro they are trendy again?

[liath]

Dearest MIL, bless her cotton socks has given me a housecoat of all bloody things ! In her defence I was looking for a pinny last time she stayed so she thought she was being helpful (I presume) but this thing is polyester and a revolting check design.

Thing is, I'm wondering whether to wear it, just in the privacy of my own home, as I always spill flour down my front when I'm baking.

Any closet house-coat wearers out there?

[BettySpaghetti]

lol! not a housecoat wearer but I will have to confess to recently investing in a (tasteful ) apron as I'm forever spilling stuff down me when baking and cooking.

My Grans used to wear housecoats of the sort you described

[ViciousSquirrelSpotter]

Where do you actually buy them? I've never seen them in mainstream shops.

There was once a shop in my neighbourhood which had a big sign on the window saying "warm dresses" and they sold housecoats, you won't be surprised to know. Unfortunately that shop has now closed down, otherwise I am sure I would have been a regular customer.

[filthymindedvixen]

no liath. Step away from that thought. Wear an old t-shirt if you like while baking. You are not 97.

[ViciousSquirrelSpotter]

What about a kimono?

Would that be more acceptable?

[liath]

Hmm, there's a point - where did she get it? The same shop that sells those pull-along shopping bags on wheels that little old ladies use? Although they do look useful too.....

Argh!

[ViciousSquirrelSpotter]

I think you'll find the shop sells warm dresses as well

[liath]

WTF is a "warm dress" ?

[bookthief]

pmsl at housecoats! I actually remember my mum wearing one in the 70s. She'd have been all of about 30 poor soul.

[filthymindedvixen]

[ViciousSquirrelSpotter]

A warm dress sounds like a practical and stylish solution to the need to keep our boilers down because of global warming...

[Housemum]

Ikea is selling shopping trollies too - I just can't do it, I'd rather cripple my shoulders!

Liath, did you get 3 curlers and a headscarf too so you can be Hilda Ogden?!

Seriously, I would love to go all retro and do things like wearing a pinnie or housecoat but would feel too daft. I do have a Cath Kidston apron from their outlet shop and figure that's OK! I can pretend I'm a mixture of Nigella Lawson/Anthea turner/Bree van der Camp...

[Housemum]

Housecoat Wearer of The Year!

[Rhubarb]

Sherlock Holmes had one.

It's just an mc dressing gown.

[Nip]

My DH always says i should get a housecoat cos i always end up with dribble/food/crap all down me.

I want one of those Mile for Maude/Mumsnet ones... anyone have the address?

[Nip]

I meant i want to get an apron not a bloody housecoat

[portonovo]

I've got half a dozen aprons, all lovely cotton ones. Some for cooking jobs, a couple for messy cleaning jobs. Wouldn't have polyester though.

And I've got a shopping trolley - got it as soon as youngest child gave up the pushchair at age 2. Had to put my shopping somewhere!

[MrsMuddle]

Er, what is a housecoat? Is it the same thing as a dressing gown? Excuse my ignorance.

[liath]

Does Cath Kidson do housecoats? Maybe our generation is ready to re-embrace the housecoat - but in cheery polka dot or flower prints!

[Housemum]

MrsMuddle - watch a 1950's/60's film - the sort where the woman stands on the doorstep chatting to the neighbours wearing a cotton/poly flowery thing over her clothes. Or imagine Les Dawson when he dressed up as a woman doing the chatting over the fence bit. Got the idea?

[MrsMuddle]

Yep, got it now. Thank you.

[NorksDrift]

How about these?!

[liath]

My word - I could get one for me and one for dd. DH would come back from work to find me & dd resplendant in matching 1940 style pinafores and run for the hills !

[portonovo]

Funny though, because what you're describing would never be a housecoat to me, it would be an apron or pinny or similar.

A housecoat is definitely a dressing-gown sort of thing to lounge about in during the day!

[portonovo]

Yep, a quick Internet search has brought up masses of sites offering dressing gowns, kimonos, negliges, wraps etc. But no aprons!

[filthymindedvixen]