To be pleasantly surprised (Girlguiding uniform)

I was a Brownie then Guide in the early '70's. Our guide Captain must have been very forward thinking. Most weeks between Easter and September we were told to turn up in camping uniform if we wanted. That was navy shorts and light blue polo shirt. Quite liked to smart skirt and blouse though

To be fair the pale blue that was the main front of the Rainbow t-shirt tended to go a washed out grey after 3 washes. Pink will wash better with red. I like the Rainbow colours on there too. I can see the appeal for 4-7 year olds.

The leaders uniform is underwhelming. More impractical cotton t-shirts in a slightly different shade of blue. I may as well stick with my faded ancient ones. (Apparently not for tumble dryers either )

The "snugby" and hoodie are a bit more interesting. The downside of the snugby is the collar to lump over the collars on the polo t-shirts which looks awkward.

I like the look of the sash bag. That's different, and useful. More space than a badge tab and not bouncing around litterally getting on your tits. It's a practical nod back to traditional sashes which is nice.

Brown and yellow are the traditional colours though.

It's rainbows turning pink which is the move away (and really fucking annoying) but the members chose it so 🤷

I’m not at all keen on that pink for Rainbows, so stereotyping. Shame they kept the yellow and brown for Brownies. Really like the Guide one and DD is going up in September so nice excuse to buy some new stuff!

It's all great, so practical

I really like all of it. I'm a leader and mother of a rainbow and I think my bank balance is going to suffer somewhat 😅
I agree with those that say practical and comfortable is more important for the weekly activities, rather than the one day a year we might go to a parade. Those who talk about parades make it sound like we do that every week! We've always got our Guides and Rangers to wear their school skirts etc with their uniform tops for Remembrance and they look very smart. And they're always much warmer than the Girls Brigade beside us!

@Oscillatingi am jealous of you as I never had the purse on the belt 😖

Yes, your leader should have told you. My daughter started at her unit in Jan of this year and in our welcome email, the leader said not to buy uniform if we didnt want to due to the new stuff coming out (obviously I knew as a leader anyway but this was a general email to all the new starters). There is no pressure to change though - HQ have said girls can wear the current uniform for as long as it fits. If she is really desperate, maybe you could just buy her a new tshirt and she could wear her current one for camps / residentials?

I still have my old brownie tunic! I took it in to my daughter’s Brownies when she enrolled.

Yes, my daughter has just started brownies and the leader made it very clear that no new uniform is required. I only bought her a T-shirt and she had a hand me down hoodie, so I may splash out on some new bits for her now. I expect she’ll be in the minority at her unit though!

In my Brownie pack the girls were all wearing their tunics with a brown skirt by their third year. 😄

Oh my goodness, I was there! I was in guides by then but still freezing in my uniform. Loads of people ended up with hypothermia!

They've been really clear throughout that old uniform will remain acceptable until it's totally worn out! They're expecting a few years at least of a crossover where kids will wear both styles

My brownie really likes it. I was at the Zoom meeting this evening where the uniform was showcased. We like that the sash has a pocket! And she loves the stripey top. I like that thought has been put into making the fabrics soft, easy to care for and without itchy tags. I also like that the shorts and leggings have been designed with being active in mind. My daughter's brownie experience is so outdoorsy compared to mine, clothes for a variety of outdoor weathers are so sensible.

Surely no one wants to wear that any more. I was embarrassed enough in the 1980s with the uniform aged 7.

My daughter started guides in January and had new uniform for this - clearly this has been in the pipeline for a while and I’m rather annoyed because it would be quite expensive to re-buy everything when she’s only just got it all and only wears it 2hrs a week!

They repeatedly said that no big logos was one thing that came out in all the consultation work though?

I wasn’t allowed the 1990’s guides trefoil hoodie because my mum said it was common. I got the sweatshirt with the tiny logo on. I bought the retro one last year

I think the guides look quite scruffy and too casual.

Bring back the 90s big logo jumpers too- they're fashionable right now.

Yes these need changing it’s not the 1950’s!
My son is a beaver and is shortly going to cubs and I will be chopping his jumper up to sew as sleeve panels on his camping blanket!

Im a rainbow and a brownie leader and I love what ive seen so far. My own 5yo rainbow is excited for her stripey sleeves! Today has been a great day for comms and in the all-member zoom this evening, it looked even better in the flesh than the photos. Its nice to have something positive for a change! I cannot stand the resistance by some of the leaders to any form of change - if the organisation wants to stay relevant, it has to move with the times and i think this uniform does that. Plus there are so many pockets!! 🥳🥳🥳😅

I prefer Guiding uniform to Scouting shirts (leader and scouts). Despite my gripes about soggy, heavy cotton, at least there are more options for layers and you don't need a massively over-sized shirt to under-layer to have smart uniform on top in cold weather in a 7⁰C unheated hut on parade.

Is it too much to hope that leaders have finally got an active-wear t-shirt that's suitable for hot/ wet weather, adventurous activities and can cope with being washed and dried on camp...
Bonus points for being woman shaped...

The "teasing" from HQ has been annoying, just bloody launch it, and it's irritating that the girls' uniform has been disclosed in mass media before the leaders get to see what their options are and before our "sneak peek" this evening. Who needs thousands of volunteers to make the organisation happen eh. (Not my only bone of contention with HQ recently)

I like the Rainbow uniform. It's an improvement on the previous pale blue that rapidly looked washed out. Brownies isn't vastly different. I liked the old accent colour stripes on the previous long sleeved top. I can see the more muted colour appealing more to Guides. I'm sure Senior Section Rangers changes every time I blink. They've had a few redesigns over the years. Brownies was the oldest uniform from the early 2000s, but I think it has aged well.

How sensible that “Under the new, pared-back approach, members will only be required to wear a top from the new range to be considered "in uniform".”

Good for those on limited incomes, i imagine.

I don’t think it’s 30 per section, 30 overall perhaps?

eg brownies have:
shorts or joggers
tshirt or long sleeve tshirt
gilet or hoodie
cap
Badge sash

thats what was released today anyway. Can’t see another 23 pieces released tomorrow?!

In the stuff I’ve read they’ve deliberately made it ‘mix and match’ style, to make people feel more comfortable, which I think is good. Much like primary school uniform really - and secondaries with formal/non flexible uniforms often get a lot of stick on here. My daughter is fussy about what she wears from a sensory point of view and a shirt or formal dress would likely mean she dropped out.