I've always been a bit of a clothes nut, and to this day love getting dressed up for football. During my time going I've seen a multitude of fashions on display, here's some that spring to mind.

Scarves- I loved the silk ones that faded purple , one of which I plucked out of my mums loft a while back- used to look the nuts worn with a crombie. Unfortunately mine recently bit the dust- too much beer spilt over it, handwashed the thing but it now longer has the rampant lions visible.

Late 70s the chunky cardigans were popular, often combined with a pin badge and either a Londsdale sweatshirt or similar with Chelsea London replacing the Londdale motif.

Green Flight Jackets- were everywhere in the pre- casual era, as were fiorucci jeans, and the Bermondsey bank robber haircuts- short side parting.

Casual- wildly popular from about 81 to 84. Deerstalker hats, Stan Smiths or Diadoras, Louis jeans, tracksuits take your pick from Tachini, Ellesse, or my personal fave the Fila BJ- Arsenal fans, who I think we're slightly more casual mad than us went for the red ones.

I don't ever remember wearing a coat back then. It would be jumpers if it was cold- slazenger was probably the first and not too prestigious, followed by Pringle, Lyle and Scott, Lacoste, Sangan, Robe de Cappa etc.

After casual it got a bit Chippie, Chevignon etc, then a bit ravey- lots of lads with ponytails and dungarees, then were I to the nineties where Ill end my take on it.

The best for me would be casual- I didn't hear the word casual till about 82- we were soul boys which was pretty much the same thing.

The worse would be donkey jackets. Stand in the shed circa 78 and you'd see a multitude of them, with things like Express Dairy or London Borough of Kingston on their backs.

Any memories?

I was wearing all that casual clobber 82-84, and now doing so again.  Before that Lonsdale and green flying jacket.  The two Melbourne teams here have a load of casuals as do other teams in Australia I believe.  I don't hang around with them due to my advanced age. 

I remember one Saturday morning at Kings Cross Station in the early 80s there was a bit of a piss take of the casuals with a number of lads wearing plain v neck jumpers with a scrap of paper pinned to it with a hand drawm lion with pringle written underneath.

Used to laugh at the northerners in the mid to late 70s with their baggy trousrs and star jumpers see one lad at Burnley with trousers so wide it looked liked he was wearing a ball gown we fell on the floor laughing his reaction was to gob at us and shout cockney w**kers usual northern reponse

Donkey jackets were the bizzo!

I had a donkey jacket.

I was wearing all that casual clobber 82-84, and now doing so again.  Before that Lonsdale and green flying jacket.  The two Melbourne teams here have a load of casuals as do other teams in Australia I believe.  I don't hang around with them due to my advanced age. 

Same here, wearing all the casual gear in the early to mid 80's as a teenager, now back in it in my mid 40's (is it a mid life crises?) sadly not the same size fit though!!! as they say fashions come round, my two lads 18 and 20 wear all the casual gear to football now as well.

Going to football then and as far as I'm concerned now is all about getting your best gear and looking the part, before you set off to station for the game. The replica kit brigade not for me I'm afraid, apart from the children.

Does anyone remember any coats associated with casuals? The ski jackets came slighty later, but if memory serves me even on the coldest day we only wore jumpers with roll necks underneath- maybe Burberry fly-macs but they weren't exactly warm.

We must have been either Geordie or just plain stupid

Or.... begging to borrow a donkey jacket.

I am being a trifle hypocritical when it comes to Donkey Jackets- A lot of my early match going was funded by a milk round- managed to chore an old one with Unigate plastered stylishly all across its back- I only ever wore it in the pub after the round cause it made me look older than my tender years and marginally more likely to get served alcohol. Donkey bleeding Jackets. I've seen more class in a Pollards Hill launderette

Blue Builders bib and Brace overalls and army boots, set of with donkey jacket.

Same here, wearing all the casual gear in the early to mid 80's as a teenager, now back in it in my mid 40's (is it a mid life crises?) sadly not the same size fit though!!! as they say fashions come round, my two lads 18 and 20 wear all the casual gear to football now as well.

Going to football then and as far as I'm concerned now is all about getting your best gear and looking the part, before you set off to station for the game. The replica kit brigade not for me I'm afraid, apart from the children.

 

Sorry to say chi, that if you are bowling up to the bridge in your full 80s caual clobber it does sound a bit like a mid life crisis! Im nearly 50 now but keep it discrete with the odd touch of Lacoste sometimes, but am more than happy with a chelsea polo shirt (old badge natch) if i actually go to a game. Also would never buy a replica top nowadays, which strangely i would always buy back in the 80s but never wear to the actual match.

Early seventies were the days for me.Legions of skinheads all dressed in similar outfits.My typical Saturday attire would be Dr Martins(at least 12 hole and ox blood)Levi jeans or stay pressed,Ben Shearman ,BLUE braces,dog tooth Harrington or velvet collared Crombie.Haircut was a number 1 with razor cut parting,nice!A lot easier to spot the hooligan in those days lol.

Early seventies were the days for me.Legions of skinheads all dressed in similar outfits.My typical Saturday attire would be Dr Martins(at least 12 hole and ox blood)Levi jeans or stay pressed,Ben Shearman ,BLUE braces,dog tooth Harrington or velvet collared Crombie.Haircut was a number 1 with razor cut parting,nice!A lot easier to spot the hooligan in those days lol.

I bet you tied your laces to that fence at the brittania gate! All the skins used to have to do that late 70s anyway

Great thread, I started off in 78 with the donkey jacket, then on to the flying jacket with a pair of adidas samba, then on to the casual,.... Now I'm still wearing the gazelle, lacoste polos, and aquascutum jacket everyday, and I will do till I die, happy days.

Sorry to say chi, that if you are bowling up to the bridge in your full 80s caual clobber it does sound a bit like a mid life crisis! Im nearly 50 now but keep it discrete with the odd touch of Lacoste sometimes, but am more than happy with a chelsea polo shirt (old badge natch) if i actually go to a game. Also would never buy a replica top nowadays, which strangely i would always buy back in the 80s but never wear to the actual match.

Yep, I had all the shirts late 70s & early 80s but if you wore them to away games you stood out like a pork sausage in a kibbutz.

Remember West Ham away in early 80s, everyone mixed up together queuing to get in, Chels & WH, everyone knew others were there but no one was sure until it cooked off... Those were the days (or maybe not?)

1970-72, Harrington or Levi denim jacket, Ben Sherman or Brutus shirt, striped sleeveless tank top, Levi jeans (blue or bleached), and trusty Doc Martens.
Crombie in the winter (too young in those days to afford a sheepskin!).

1970-72, Harrington or Levi denim jacket, Ben Sherman or Brutus shirt, striped sleeveless tank top, Levi jeans (blue or bleached), and trusty Doc Martens.

Crombie in the winter (too young in those days to afford a sheepskin!).

Out of that lot, I had everything apart from a sleeveless tank top, striped or otherwise. Couldn't stand them. I still wear a Levi jacket to this day but never, ever with jeans. Going way back to the '60s, before I could afford my first pair of Doc Martens I used to wear monkey boots. I did, however, manage to acquire a really nice pair of brogues that looked the business with my blue and gold tonic suit.

. I did, however, manage to acquire a really nice pair of brogues that looked the business with my blue and gold tonic suit.

7 years ago, i brought a pair of 'Royals' brogues for £90. In the same shop, they now cost £150!. I had the soles built up (as you do!), and only wear them now on special occasions.

Too expensive now to wear them out and replace them.

Got some churches loafers from a charity shop in Wimbledon Village for not a lot recently.

Not quite in the same league but decent all the same, aquired some Red Wing boots- the long haired general absolutely detested them- said they looked like a casserole dishes- she sold them behind my back to a stranger - had to drive home from a pub with just me socks on

The ones below are very, very similar my old John White's, which would now set you back a mere £195!:

 

 

 

 

A few of us were drinking at the reserve a couple of years ago- all seemed to be wearing similar stuff- Cordings overcoats. cashmere car coats, tassel loafers etc. Rex Harrison terrace chic I guess you could call it

Out of that lot, I had everything apart from a sleeveless tank top, striped or otherwise. Couldn't stand them. I still wear a Levi jacket to this day but never, ever with jeans. Going way back to the '60s, before I could afford my first pair of Doc Martens I used to wear monkey boots. I did, however, manage to acquire a really nice pair of brogues that looked the business with my blue and gold tonic suit.

 

 

a blue and gold tonic suit???  any chance of a picture of that?

a blue and gold tonic suit???  any chance of a picture of that?

With me wearing it? Not a chance! I'm talking about over forty years ago here, and to my knowledge, photographic evidence doesn't exist. This is the kind of thing, but with a slightly different collar, a two-button jacket, and just a single flap pocket on each side:

 

As far as I remember, I only ever wore the suit to football once, and that was underneath a white bib & brace. Reason being that I was supposed to go down to a certain place in Surrey to meet this girl, and I didn't want to get the suit creased or stained. And so, early Saturday evening, I arrived at This Certain Place, only to see this bloody girl being driven off in a motor by some flash git. Shrugging my shoulders, I dumped the bib & brace in a hedge, and had a bit of a session down the pub with a few of the local Chelsea.

More detail, please! Not of the foolish wench, but of the blue and gold - how were the colours distributed?

And why was it called a tonic suit?

Ok, I'll try to explain.

 

In this context, tonic means two-tone. Tone-ic, perhaps? The threads that make up the material are interwoven so that it changes colour according to the light. A suit isn't a flat surface., so you'd have variations in tone/colour as the suit creased or when you moved around.