Clothing for cultural dress day.

[CulturalConfusion]

I work in a school. We have a regular Cultural Dress day, where staff are also expected to dress up, which is coming soon. Some staff have national dress, some wear cultural clothing as appropriate. British staff flounder about in a variety of wellies and England tops if various sports. We really celebrate our cultural diversity as a school and the kids will be making an effort.

Last year, I wore a 50s dress and make up, but it felt quite strange. I was brought up on traveller sites and I'm really not very ladylike or 50s style at all! I'm considering site clothes, but they are perhaps not work appropriate and it's no longer my world, really. It's what I feel closest to, if asked to dress to my culture, though.

What would you wear for English cultural dress? Any ideas?

Where I live, a grey tracksuit, hair in a bitch bun, can of red bull and a fag. Somehow I don’t think you’ll want that, so:
Gypsy
Pearly Queen
Morris dancing costume
Milkmaid
Mary Poppins
Prim suit, hat lace up sensible shoes, hat.
Edwardian lady
Flapper
It’s really difficult!

I’d probably do English country estate - tweed, khaki jackets, flat cap, probably with legging because I don’t have jodhpurs and tall black leather boots.

But culture is what we do every day - and the wear our “normal” clothes every day. Other cultures wear their cultural clothes as their every day clothes - so it is a bit harder to do cultural clothing day in your home country.

Chimney sweep
Children In Need t shirt and jeans
England football shirt and track suit bottoms
Pearly Queen
Furry ears, duffle coat, suitcase and a marmalade sandwich

This is very much the issue. Last year, I felt very much in a costume, while everyone else was wearing general clothes. In fairness, I was not in my own in this, it was an issue for everyone English, so maybe I just need to get over that.

I'm clearly not missing some obvious English clothes.

“Jeans and a nice top”

I would wear the site clothes as you say that’s what you feel closest to culturally. Great for the kids to learn about a culture they may not have considered before.

I have Scottish heritage, so would probably wear a kilt or tartan dress. It's not an easy one!

depends what part of country you're from, I'd go regional and specific - could do viking related, miner (repurpose a victorian child world book day costume lol) countryside chic

Traveller would be cool!
Suppose it would all be in the props

So the idea is dressing for what you feel your culture is? Wouldn't most people just end up wearing the same stuff they normally wear every day? I'm probably missing something.

I would say something related to your traveller heritage if that’s what you feel more comfortable with, good thing for the children to learn about anyway.

@EmeraldRoulette when our school have done this, the focus is more on food, but it's about celebrating "special" things in different people's culture. I always reflect on the fact that British culture has historically not needed to celebrate itself as we steam-rollered over everyone else's.

That doesn't help the OP though - I would either go regional, or just buy a union jack waistcoat or scarf maybe?

My workplace did this recently. I meant to wear my suffragette scarf but I forgot. A Jamaican colleague wore a regular skirt, top and cardigan but put together in the Jamaican flag colours. I thought that was a good idea. You could wear an outfit in a red, white and blue (or white and blue) combo.

Most of our families aren't from the UK, my class only has one child who's not EAL. It gives them a chance to celebrate their own family culture in the form of clothing; admire and discuss each other's outfits; talk about anything of specific importance. They're in school uniform the rest of the time, so don't get to share this side of their home lives otherwise. Some of our communities can be very closed off, so it's a nice way to encourage them to share.

Just a bit trickier for me!

@CulturalConfusion oh I see

Makes things hard for staff though possibly

tbh I would struggle with this because some people find it hard to accept a non-white person as British.

I'm also wondering if some kind of punk rock outfit would be acceptable for a staff member 😊

Aw they have this at my kids’ very mixed secondary school and it’s truly a beautiful event! Makes me well up seeing how proud all the kids are of their cultures. Love it!
You should definitely go traveller style OP. Are you Roma? Or Irish maybe? What would traditional dress look like?

Oh, God, it's work. Pick anything. Honestly, if you don't want others to know your background then pick something stereotypically British. 60's mod, perhaps?

I quite like the red, white and blue idea. Possibly with some red rose hair things.

This seems the least like dressing up, while still obviously making an effort.

The kids at our school can dress in as many cultures as they like. Some are of mixed heritage, some have grown up in another country… they do a big fashion show with kids and staff in national dress, and they all strut down the catwalk together with music blaring out from their respective countries, waving their flags. There’s at least 40 different cultures represented and then they have food afterwards from different nations. It’s honestly so moving. Makes me proud to be a Londoner 💛

A Gerri Haliwell union jack dress?

Twinset and pearls?
It's difficult to dress culturally for the UK context.

My two have the easy option of wearing sports tops/ hoodies with their other national identity on them.

If they were soley British, they'd opt for regular clothing.

Any clothing for bands or hobbies if you want something less regular? They're culture.

Half new age, half fuck knows. We were mostly on the road. We moved with agricultural work, so didn't stay anywhere very long. We spent a lot of time on Romani sites, but also some completely new age. I'd dress how the women around me dressed when I was young, for 'fancy': headscarves, lots of gold, long skirts and big boots. Some kind of leather or heavily embroidered top (with a beige t shirt underneath, to make it school appropriate).

It's changed a lot. There were long established new age groups who travelled traditionally, worked with horses, hunted, knew traditional crafts and music and were intermingled with other GRT groups. We were part of them. It was a similar look to Romani in many ways, but also distinct. They don't exist in the same way now because it's very hard to actually travel and kids can't be on working farms now either.

How about a 1940s style floral frock and a cardigan that looks hand knitted, with stockings and a pair of sturdy brogues?

Otherwise, I like the red, white, and blue idea.

This is so interesting! The clothes sound good too.

headscarves, lots of gold, long skirts and big boots. Some kind of leather or heavily embroidered top (with a beige t shirt underneath, to make it school appropriate)

This sounds absolutely gorgeous. And a great way to talk about distinctive minority cultures within the UK that are not also nationalities of other countries.