Genealogy Forum UK

The Kays Catalogue is celebrating 100 years. The catalogue is a wonderful social history record, showing fashions in clothes, hair, facial hair , even body shapes over the decades.

There probably aren't many of us that grew up in the UK and didn't see one of these books, if your Mum didn't have one, an Aunt, or a friend's Mum would have one. Hands up, who didn't go to the underwear section and have a snigger?

I worked for several years at a sister catalogue, Morses. We didn't do Mail Order, our customer base were those who were unable to get credit anywhere. We had Sales Collectors and they took out a smaller version of the book, would take orders, bring the goods to the customer and then call, weekly to collect the money. They would have been a more modern version of the Tally Man.

My Grandma's Harrold nephews had their own business taking round ladies clothes to sell from their van and made a good living out of it. Many of these 'Rounds' were bought up by Morses, years ago.

You can see some examples of different decades CLICK HERE.

The third page, from the 70s is hilarious. Come on Chaps, own up, who had the Crimplene Jump Suit? And is that Robbie in the Paisley Lace Fronted shirt?

Thanks Lulu - loved looking through those pictures. Saw Noel on the telly the other day (by mistake) and he is still wearing those shirts.

Love the 1950's fashions, I'm designing 1950's wedding dresses for next year and I've just had an order for a very nice wedding jump suit for a lady who doesn't do dresses.

Blimey that brought back a few memories
I am sure that dress Anita Harris had on I have seen that one before.

Great stuff enjoyed that

Gosh, that brought back some memories! I was a Kays agent for years from the 1970's into the early 1990's. I had that brown Anita Harris dress!!!!

I've still got clothes like that in my wardrobe.
That mother and daughter dress was exceptionally cute.

Margarett wrote:Gosh, that brought back some memories! I was a Kays agent for years from the 1970's into the early 1990's. I had that brown Anita Harris dress!!!!

Was it you I saw in it!

I used to love the catalogues
but we only bought from Harrods so I wasn't allowed

Nor me. I got dragged up to Beatties for all my clothes. I hated it

The first thing I ever bought from a catalogue was when I was 19 and working, my Mum's friend let me buy a white gold Accurist watch which took me about 18 months to pay off. I still have it but sadly it no longer works. If I were to buy it today, it would be around £400

Loved that Lulu, it was like a trip down memory lane.

Annie

It was a fib about Harrods

I had most of my clothes from M & S

I remember going to Majorca and one of my dresses was a pink and white dress
and I had to wear my school brown shoes
then me mum said right!...new shoes
we bought some red patent size 3 shoes they were the bestest ever!
I loved them

Northern Lass wrote:It was a fib about Harrods

I had most of my clothes from M & S

I remember going to Majorca and one of my dresses was a pink and white dress
and I had to wear my school brown shoes
then me mum said right!...new shoes
we bought some red patent size 3 shoes they were the bestest ever!
I loved them

There I was feeling deprived because you got lovely clothes from Harrods and most of mine were home made.

Did anyone ever have a knitted bikini

what happened in the water!

I had a crochet one!..........................

I had woolen swimming trunks when i was a kid.Red ones!! Me dad had green ones.
They were so heavy when you got out of the pool you could hardly walk.

Rob wrote:I've still got clothes like that in my wardrobe.
That mother and daughter dress was exceptionally cute.

I thourght you meant the brown crimpiline jump suit (for men) from the 70's