Thursday 24 August 2017

Famous blue raincoat

Living in a country like Belgium, a girl just cannot have enough raincoats.

At my last count, I had no less than five of them in my wardrobe.

There's the chocolate brown vintage one, bought on my first ever visit to Blender Vintage Shop back in October 2013.

It was a warm and sunny day, but I still insisted posing in it. The bag and gloves were bought at the same time.



Next up is a pale beige vintage trench, which I picked up in a charity shop. I don't wear it often, as it makes me feel a bit washed out, but it's such a classic!

It was only after I'd worn it a couple of times that I noticed that the buttons on the cuff and shoulder straps are beige, while all the others are green!



Although there are many examples of glamorous ladies wearing a similar trench coat (Marlene Dietrich, Jackie O, Catherine Deneuve, to name but a few), the one which instantly pops into my mind - and I will say this only once! - is 'Allo 'Allo's Michelle Dubois!


Don't ask!

Oh well, I guess I'll unearth my black beret then!

Both the chocolate brown and the beige coats are made from Tergal fabric and have a Rainsafe label, a brand I could unfortunately find little or no information about.



I've got a short green raincoat one as well, also charity shopped, but new-to-me rather than vintage. You've already seen me in it, as it's the one I'm always taking to Wales to wear with my jeans.



It was at Think Twice that I found this vintage raincoat, in an almost pinkish beige sprinkled with tiny white polka dots.


Although I have no idea of its age, I think it's quite 1950s in shape.


Posing in the rain presented the perfect opportunity to break out one of my vintage rain bonnets.

They came in these cute little doll-sized suitcases and treasure chests, which I came across at a flea market last Autumn. Obviously, I had to buy them in all available colours!


Having been packed tightly inside one of the little suitcases since the 1960s, it wasn't easy to unfold the bonnet itself, as the plastic was sticking together. And surely, one little gust of wind would dislodge it, as it didn't fit snugly at all.

I remember my Mum making me wear a rain bonnet on several occasions, which I absolutely hated.



Then, earlier this year, I came across the raincoat of my dreams, a deadstock 1960s one, in exactly the right shade of green I'd been looking for.

The green is a very hard shade to photograph, and in the photos taken outside it turns out much lighter than it actually is. The actual shade is more like that of the green coat in the vintage pattern below.




The only problem is that it is just a tiny bit too wide, which you can't see in the photo, as I'd nipped in the half belt at the back with a clothes peg. I'm trying to find a more permanent way of taking it in, preferably one I can do myself.





A couple of weeks ago, I was sat at my desk in the office, when it started raining heavily, with wind-driven raindrops splattering the windows, Antwerp's main shopping street strangely deserted and generally looking as if the biblical deluge was imminent.

In other words, a typical summer's day in Belgium!



In spite of having that many raincoats to choose from, I'd left the house in a jeans jacket, having listened to the weather forecast and been assured that it would remain dry. Having come to my age, I should have known better!

Staying inside during lunch break was no option, as it was at the end of Think Twice's sales, when everything goes for the silly price of € 1. It is surprising what can be picked up on such a day, if you are prepared to wade through mountains of tangled and often grubby stuff.



So, I clutched my umbrella and made a run for it ...

And there it was, beckoning me from among a jumble of shapeless and crumpled items: a royal blue raincoat, mid-length, trimmed with white stitching, with white buttons and belt buckle, and with a little split at the back. Serendipity!



I wasted no time grabbing it and as I made my way to the till, having picked up a couple of other items along the way, I realized I had no idea what size it was, nor had I tried it on. At € 1,- I decided to take a gamble, but I needn't have worried as it fits like a glove!

Now there's a little demon at the back of my mind whispering I should have a red one as well ...



I am finishing this rainy post with a photo showing a group of friends back in the early 1950s, posing in the rain on a visit to Bouillon in Belgium.

My Mum and Dad are on the far right, both wearing beige raincoats, and I could swear my Mum is wearing a rain bonnet!

Linking up with Tina's Pink Friday!

32 comments:

  1. What a great way to make the most of a washout summer!
    The green and the blue ones are both fab; my favorite photo though has to be the 'allo 'allo' one, genius, it made me laugh :) xxx

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    1. Thank you Sally! I just had to do the 'Allo 'Allo one and I'm glad it made you laugh :) xxx

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  2. You have a good number of raincoats to choose among !!
    I love the green ones: it is a bit unusual colour for a raincoat but very nice!
    Beautiful old photo of the group of friends ...

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    1. With my love of green, I just had to have a green raincoat, and now I even have two! xxx

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  3. You definitely need a red raincoat now. I have a similar blue raincoat with white stitching and I find it gets more wear than any of the others-something about a cheerful blue coat on a rainy day that makes me reach for it first.

    Allo allo- That was funny.

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    1. While I'm waiting for a red raincoat to turn up, the blue one is my current favourite! xxx

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  4. Tetlex!!! What beautiful coats!! Serendipity at its best!! You look mah-velous as usual.

    Happy thrifting (hold the rain). ;)

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    1. Thank you, and serendipity indeed. I think all thrift shopping is a little serendipitous ... xxx

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  5. Oh you look amazing in this royal blue raincoat, bah you look amazing in all that raincoats :) I love the pinkish little polkadot coat ♥️.
    Ann this little suitcases for bonnets are soo cute. I have never seen before .I wish you a great sunny weekend :)
    XO Tina

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    1. Thank you Tina! I remember the little suitcases from when I was a little girl. I seriously wanted one to use as Barbie luggage ... xxx

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  6. That blue raincoat is lovely, and I don't half envy you your green ones. If you've had luck finding those, the red one must be out there waiting for you somewhere.

    I found a beige Aquascutum one in a chazza, but in the end had to concede it wan't my colour and re-donated it. Beige seems to work best on very dark skinned people or very icy blonde ones, and I'm neither - it just makes me look beige too.

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    1. That's the trouble with beige. It doesn't agree with me either. The only thing that works is wearing it with bold accessories. I do prefer my blue and green coats, though. xxx

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  7. Such a fabulous collection!!, I'm loving every raincoat!. A beige raincoat is so classic and lovely, even if I also look washed in beige!. But you managed it very well, wearing a cute beret and a colorful scarf!, like a woman of mystery in an old film!
    The pinkish raincoat is also very cute, and the green one looks amazing, and the blue one is really stunning, lovely stitching! So many fab pieces!
    So delightful to see all those labels of Tergal, and the cute rain bonnets (oh yes, I hated them as a child too!)
    besos

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    1. Thank you Monica! I'm always happy to see Tergal and similar labels. They're the true mark of a vintage piece for me. xxx

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  8. but who is kneeling in the rain? and why???
    fab new blue raincoat!!! i had such a model for my first school day in 1975 :-)
    i love me a good raincoat - best with some kind of hat or beret because i don´t like to carry an umbrella. but a plastik rain bonnet does not come onto my head - puh! sadly my vintage mac is not really waterproof, its more of a duster - but the pale beige its to classy to not wear it anyway......
    can i - virtual - help you with the tightening of the gorgeous green coat??
    hugest weekend hugs! xxxxx

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    1. I have been wondering the same thing, but there's nobody left I can ask ... I never wear those plastic bonnets either, but of course I was itching to take one out to see what it looked like. I've a friend who can probably help me with the green raincoat, if I don't find a creative solution myself ... xxx

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  9. No better feeling in the world when things like that come along. I don't own any raincoats! The only waterproof jacket I have is my work one. I'm rubbish I keep thinking I must get a waterproof jacket....

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    1. Oh, now you remind me that I have another raincoat: my black waterproof walking jacket. Not one I like very much though. Whatever possessed me to buy a black one, I'll never know ... xxx

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  10. Beige is the colour I would go for. I like both of yours Ann. But the Green and Blue look amazing on you xx
    www.vanityandmestyle.com

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    1. Thank you Laurie! I should definitely wear the beige one more, as it's such a classic model. xxx

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  11. What a great collection! I love the navy belted one especially although the Welsh wonder is such a lovely shade of green, isn't it?
    I don't own any raincoats although I do have a few on my rails. I did have a wonderful dip-dyed 1970s Dannimac in green but Liz loved it so much I ended up giving it to her and it went for a ride on the Orient Express this year - a far better life than I could give it! xxx

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    1. That green coat is going to be known as the Welsh wonder from now on! Seems your green Dannimac has been having the time of its life ... xxx

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  12. Oh my! I'm simply drooling over all of your raincoats! Especially the green and blue ones. I've been on the hunt for one lately and have come up with nothing. It seems that here they sell only winter coats. Often I find that the trench coats sold here are not meant for the rain at all.

    I fell deeply in love with the vinyl trench coat that the lead character in Atomic Blond wears...a white one. Like you though I can't wear white without it washing me out completely. I've found a place on Etsy that makes them. I'm seriously thinking about plunking down $250 for a custom made blue one. I'm always nervous about buying stuff online. Quite ironic since of course I sell vintage online. Ha!

    I've never heard of a rain bonnet but I love yours! So very vintage and much better than wearing a plastic bag on your head which is what I sometimes see people doing here.

    I can see why you had to have one in each colour. The packaging was adorable.

    bisous
    Suzanne

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    1. Thank you Suzanne. I had to gulp when I read the price of that custom made raincoat! The rain bonnets were quite common here when I was growing up. I think they've lost their popularity, but they're definitely better than plastic bags! xxx

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  13. Lovely raincoats Ann especially the green one, like Vix I don't own any, but I remember my mum wearing those rain scarves back in the day, of course I wouldn't be seen dead in one at that time, nowadays I'd wear anything if it kept my hair dry!
    Crikey, didn't realise that 'Allo 'Allo had crossed the channel. xx

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    1. Thank you Fiona! You'd be suprised at the number of your series and shows have made it across the channel ... xxx

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  14. That is one gorgeous collection, Ann!! I especially love the dream trench coat, the short green one, and the denim one. I also have a few (not vintage though), but I don't wear them much, even though we are famous for rainy days here! :) Antwerp looks beautiful from your office window! <3

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    1. Thank you Natalia! Will have to do a proper post on Antwerp sometime ... xxx

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  15. Oh, I got confused, sorry! It isn't denim (but it has the typical 1970s denim look, it seems) - the last blue coat. Simply beautiful!!

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    1. It does look trickily like denim, doesn't it? xxx

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  16. i love the rain coat and the hood, i have one of those hoos too

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