If you were at secondary school in the late 1980s ...

[fivestarperformance]

... was the fashion at your school to wear a long skirt almost down to your ankles?

It was at mine. We wore a long navy pleated skirt, with opaque tights in winter and white ankle socks in summer, and of course thought we were very cool and 'alternative'. 😁

It struck me that the current trend for "branded" school skirts not only fails to stop skirts from getting too short (because they can be rolled up), but also prevents girls from rebelling by wearing a long skirt. Shame.

I left secondary school in 1989.

We wore a black long pleated skirt with white ankle socks or a black long tube skirt, again with ankle socks. No blazer just baggy 80’s style cardigans and a white shirt. We didn’t have to purchase our ‘uniform’ from a dedicated place like we are forced to do now, as long as the cardigan/jumper/trousers/skirts were black, the school were happy.

My dd16 rolls her school skirt up so damn short you can see the bottom of her butt cheeks, I’m forever getting her to roll it back down but I know she hitches it back up as soon as I’m out of sight.

I’m glad I grew up in the 80’s when baggy was a trend. I’ve never been one for showing off too much flesh, even more so at 51, wouldn’t want to subject the world to that horror lol!

Yep, I remember long skirts being everywhere at secondary in 1989/90. I had one but I think it got in the way. Then in the early 90s everyone had long tasselled skirts from the hippy shop in town.

Yes and I also remember people being sent home to change as their skirts were too long 😂

Yes- long pleated skirt was the trend, and an oversized charcoal cardigan from the men's dept at Markses (as it was known then).

My mates mum bought her a new cardy as she had holes in the cuffs, so she gave it to me. I was THRILLED (we were too poor for M&S!)

And yes, teachers and parents thought we looked ridiculous

This thread explains the school brochure photos. I wondered if the teachers had been ridiculously strict but it was actually the pupil's choice of skirt length! We rolled ours up as was typical in the 90s! The difference a decade makes!

I really wanted one of those ankle length navy pleated skirts but my mother wouldn't buy me one because it wasn't on the approved uniform list. So I used to roll up the approved skirt into a belt instead. 😄

I had long unbleached cotton skirts and baggy shirts. I know I looked great because I was chatting to an old friend about it and he was reminiscing fondly.

I also had long black knitted tube skirts, and tight micro-mini skirts with a blazer (that was longer than the skirt.)

Happy days.

The almost ankle length skirts were also in fashion around mid 70s as well, just after the rolling over the waistband fad finished. The girls with wealthier parents had them specially made, the rest of us just pulled them down as far as we could past our hips ( without the whole skirt falling down) 🤣🤣

In the posh schools, yes
In the bottom scheme schools, no.

I started secondary in 1988 and some years long skirts with a flat top and then wide pleats were in and some years ones that were barely mid thigh.

I was at a secondary modern (failed the 11+) in the late 80s. I wore an ankle length skirt in a sort of jersey type fabric. My friend wore pencil skirts.

Love this thread, was just telling my Dd13 that I'd wear a Lycra pelmet one day get bollocked then wear an ankle length pleated skirt the next with my then boyfriends purple cardigan none of which were vaguely uniform! Often with red or purple tights underneath!

No I was at a private girls school. Skirts were meant to be knee length but most of us wore them about bum length

I left in about '86 and I have to say I wore quite a long tight black skirt that had several pleats about half way down the skirt . It did come a long way down my legs . Probably a long way past my knees oh and tights , I wasn't into the ankle socks 🙄 .

I started high school in 92. I remember all the sixth formers wore long skirts and doc martens and we thought they were so cool.
By the time we got to that age it was all mini skirts and crop tops.

I wore long school skirts with a slit up the back - and stilettos. What was I thinking?!

I left in 85. We wore kilts which were supposed to be knee length but we wore them as long as we could get away with. (Our school had the worst uniform in the world).

Me! I left in '87 and in the fifth year, as yr 11 once was, I wore a really tight skirt with a single pleat from the knee down, blue dolly shoes, ankle
Socks and a huge baggy jumper with a pattern over mud shirt and massive knotted tie. I had a bag from army and navy with badges and patches!

I also had massive hair crimped and back combed with masses of black eyeliner.

My not mud

Same. I was at a convent school, left in '88 when I was 18, although we didn't have to wear actual uniform in sixth form, just tops/blouses and skirts in the appropriate colour scheme. From first to fifth form our skirts were knee length or just below; we had to get them from a particular supplier, so no maxi skirts for us. Quite a few girls did roll them up. I didn't though. I notice that in some private schools like e.g. the Dundee High School, the girls wear pinafores so there's no chance of rolling their skirts up. Maybe they tack the hems shorter, who knows. 🤷‍♀️

I left in 1989, the skirts were fairly long but not ankle length. My school uniform was a grey skirt, the really cool trendy girls wore very pale grey skirts with either a split in the back hem, or tight at the top with pleats from about half way down. I never found out where they bought those skirts. Mine were always "sensible" dark grey box-pleat skirts from M&S or BHS. We definitely all had the baggy jumpers/cardigans though. And over-the-knee navy socks which were always wrinkling down around the ankles

Late 80's going into the 90's.

We wore skirts just below. the knee. Long white socks, but pushed down. Tie worn with the thin side at the front and as short a possible.

My DD liked to wear as long as possible school skirt in primary as it kept her legs warm. This was in the 2010s. In secondary she wore them to her knees as they didn't come longer. Skorts were worn underneath a lot if the time to protect their modesty.

Yes long skirts were definitely the more popular style.
Often with thick black tights with different colour ankle socks (sometimes mismatched ones) and clumpy shoes.
Cardigans/jumpers were massive and baggy and we did that pulling the cuffs over our hands thing.
No blazer and tie was required.
We didn't have to wear uniform from 4th year (year 10 in modern) onwards but long skirts were still the trend.