Pakamac

Hi Elizabeth Anne you can use your brush on me if you wear your nylon mac but have you got one I think you fell in love with yourself a long time ago and have been faithful ever since .

Elizabeth did Sally have an umbrella, or wear a rainhat with her red coat?

Sorry, I disagree with the names requirements. I think anyone can use any ID they like, there should be no formality. Some people may wish to remain anonymous and everyone needs to exercise care in heightened internet security awareness so there should be no imposed rules here.

Main thing is, and I've seen this time and time again, there are nit picking predantic time wasters (I've just joined them!) who rather than post something useful, latch onto the trivial. Let's please get back to what this forum is all about and stop the sniping

Now now Frankie, little boys who make rude remarks about everybody else aren't nearly as big or as funny or as clever as they think, and if you keep it up Mummy will have to go and fetch the big hairbrush and you know what THAT means, don't you?

The late autumn 'Indian Summer' lasted until into last week but we're starting to get that steady day-long winter drizzle that Melbourne is so notorious for. Sunday was a day like ,and Sally (my daughter) called in for lunch wearing a red nylon rain-coat which I'd bought in a Vinnies shop, but passed on to her when I found it didn't fit me properly. I was a bit surprised she took it, I thought just to be polite, and quite amazed she wore it - but she did, and apparently does quite regularly. She loves the color and the comfort, and said it was better than she thought it would be keeping the wind out.

BJ I agree with you about the Glad-wrap ponchos, and about what you said about idiots with umbrellas. They were invented, when, 200 years ago?, and only in the last decade they suddenly become a public menace. Same old story - a few morons, mucking it up for everybody.

(Hmm, internet foruming can sometimes be a bit that way as well....)

Not intending to proliferate rubbish postings, but Frank conversations do appear, that's what a forum is all about in case you hadn't noticed! It's up to anyone to respond to my postings and I've mentioned on a number of occasions I'm not out to be a spammer or steal the show.

A number of themes have popped into my head so I'm happy to share. You will have noticed way back that other conversations appear between other subscribers, yourslef included so no need to post comments which will wind people up; I'll leave it there and you can draw your own conclusions to my mood!

Hi Frank well said mate people should put there name behind what they say or next it will be Mickey Mouse.

Hi BJ why are you afraid to give your full name mummy might know you have been wearing her plastic mac

Hi Susan

Those flimsy plastic ponchos have been around for, must be up near 20 years in Australia. Personally I think they are absolutely hideous, as well as a waste of money and next to useless, but of course I'm biased!

Some smart operator probably made himself a mint, around the same time as they started banning using umbrellas inside sports stadiums and other such places. Around that time it became 'uncool' to carry a proper raincoat or whatever in with you, far too anal and over-prepared, so if the weather turned crappy you handed over your $2 or $5 for your oversized sandwich-wrapper.

There has always been some consideration to umbrellas being a nuisance in crowds, though never the deadly threat to life and limb that some people bang on about today. In the right hands anything becomes a deadly weapon, and even in a football crowd I knew how to position a brolly without poking anybody's eyes out or even blocking their view of the action, so it can be done. It's just that these days there's so many more inconsiderate idiots around who couldn't give a stuff for anybody else - a common problem.

It used to be that outdoor venues were one place you could expect to see more raincoats and plastic rain bonnets than anywhere else, even young women that wouldn't be seen dead in such things anywhere else.

Two or three times over those years I shared my umbrella with a young or young-ish lady I happened to be standing next to, who had put on the rainhat they'd borrowed from Mum, and they admitted that anywhere else but at the football they'd have the brolly up. When the no-brollies rules came in I thought that may bring about a resurgence, but no - the plastic KKK ponchos got in first. (And bang! went my first and last chance of becoming a millionaire!)

Hi is this the steph and Susan show.

Apart from what seems the sole advocater of wearing a practical plastic raincoat over the past two days, wall to wall rain in London, I did notice a young lady in a navy crinkly PVC jacket.

A couple of ladies in satin finish short trench coats, fabric lined, no rubber! Then opposite me on the train, a young lady in a nylon looking trench and black shiny Hunter wellies wearing a short skirt!

I better stop before being too sexist I think!

I was just looking at the news where there were lots of people queuing in the rain for a concert at the Stadium of Light. I was struck by the number of plastic ponchos, in a variety of colours, being worn. Pinks, blues, clear.

Is this an indication of a resurgence. They weren't that far from traditional plastic macs and it shows that the material is not as hated as it may have been a few years ago.

Hi Clare can you email me again please my mistake got deleted

Hi all
I must say it's the perfect day (Tuesday 27th May) in London to wearing a plastic raincoat. I wore my matt black Muji from Liverpool Street to Bank with the souwester. I work in Canary Wharf and took a stroll in heavy rain with the mac turning shiny slick with rain and my rubber souwester keeping me dry. However, a few inches of my trousers legs have got wet, but taking wellies as well would be a bit of a bind unless I left a pair in the office!

Boots is trying to pull in a few punters, but they're selling nylon cagoules and they were selling the awful flimsy plastic ponchos, but a redeeming factor is, when they have them in stock, very capacious net lined visor rainbonnets and brollies with some nice clear plastic domed ones.

Once again, I'm in the minority of one. My coat is dripping nicely in the office wardrobe! It should be dry for home time, and it will stay there until tomorrow's showers!

Laugh at the rain in your Pakamac!

I stand corrected as Susan emailed me about the pale blue Pakamac type mac which went for auction. I also found it on www.pininterest.com and it's a lovely photo. As i've said before, there are lovely vintage ads, a number of them German, of the old style plastic raincoats, mostly posed with models wearing matching rain scarves, as I've said before, these are my favourite. I prefer a mac with a collar than an attached hood.
The poses are lovely, the hair styles of old, footwear too, and some models posing with celar rainboots too, so imagine being totally clad in plastic for the rain!
Today, I fished out my matt black Muji raincoat and black rubber souwester. It's practical, I can stuff it into my backpack and then hang it in the office wardrobe to dry. I guess I'm the only one wearing such attire, but hey who cares?
It would be nice to be in the pale blue mac and headscarf, but in City gent attire, I may feel a bit uncomfortable!

I guess someone wanted the mac badly enough to pay that price. I'm assuming you can still get the near Pakamac style mac from PVC-U-Like in a variety or colours, sizes and PVC micron thicknesses? I saw from the drop down options you can get polka dot material assuming it's in stock.

Suzie from Plastique Unique was selling real 50's & 60's macs years ago; I wonder what happened with her stock over all?

Montcler stuff went to Suzie High and possibly PVC-U-Like as well. Montcler used girls names for their macs such as Steph, Sandra, etc. Quite evocative of 50's & 60's era. She's staying dry in a Sandra raincoat. Another fab garment was the wonderfully long, roomy Serena mac from Plastique Unique, based on 40's styles I guess. You'd have a job travelling on the train in one of those with that full skirt swishing around!

Now capes should spark off some thoughts?!!

I've just seen how much the pale blue plastic mac went for in the ebay auction recently highlighted. Wow, it almost makes me want to sell some of my own, but things aren't that bad. £64.63 is a wonderful price, I would say, and well reflects the beauty of that plastic mac and worth every penny. I did pay more for my polka dot plastic cape but that was a long time ago and long before the recession.

All quite no pac a mac wearing Kangaroos on the loose

www.pininterest.com is a great place to find ads and pictures of plastic raincoats from 1940's to 1970's which capture the gracefulness and allure of feminine garments and hair styles, fashions and poses of the period.

A number of ads are photo enhanced to provide a "falsh sheen" to the garments, but I quite like it!

I seem to have problems with ebay, I can't get to follow that seller. It's a pity because those macs are fabulous and I'm thinking of bidding.

There are some fabulous plastic macs coming up recently. I love the floral 'Fablon' vinyl mac. I didn't realise they had made them.

Gary has also put in an advert for a hooded yellow cape which is very attractive.

Find it quick before it disappears.

Hi Scotty

Interesting that Gary is advretising these copies. My pale blue purchase was deliberate as it brought back memories for me. I do think the pleated bonnets are somewhat more "fun" to wear than the visor types and someone kindly donated me a few from the 1960's with cotton ties, some with platic ribbon ties, in wallets and one in a little hat box!

Hoever, in keeping, the rain scarf is more attractive I think. It tapers nicely behind the neck onto the shoulder and the ties are wide to produce a lovely big bow under the chin and the overall effect of matching the the mac is very fetching and feminine.

There is a demand for "festival macs" in brighter colours, with fancy florals and prints, so nothing will look out of place with bright rubber wellingtons!!

Wow Scotty, those plastic macs on ebay that you referred to, are an absolute dream. Perfect.

Hi Steph and Elizabeth Anne. I just noticed that Gary from pvc-u-like has just advertised two 1960 style mac's, in blue and pink with matching belt and rain scarf on e-bay this week. Its uncanny that we have been recently talking about these.
They are obviously not an original pakamac, however they typify the mac’s that most house wives wore in the 60’s. In my case the blue one is just as I remember my friend’s mum wearing, however she wore a pleated rain bonnet instead of the scarf. Think I prefer the rain bonnet. Lovely raincoat for wearing at Good wood festival this year as would not look out of place.

Gosh Steph

Although I know your history but I've loved reading it here again. I'm fine with your references to me, in fact I love it.

I think it's inevitable that we digress from the subject of Pakamacs, because the history has been well covered in some of the earliest postings. More's the pity that Pakamacs aren't commonplace these days but they have to take credit for being there at the start, for many of us who expanded that love into other styles and designs.

Apologies again, not trying to spam or hog the forum!!
Big apology in advance as this may not be appropriate, but as someone who apprecaited plastic macs, where did this lead you to next?
For me, it was the discovery of "not being alone" through magazines and the internet, to the appreciation of rubber raincoats (I've had a few, they need a lot of TLC as the rubber backing can deterioate) to a wider "appreciation" of feminine garments and "dressing up" although nowhere in the capacity of dear Susan (I hope you don't mind).
It is selfish of me as a male, I know, but some of us do make use of our garments in the rain, the exent for me has been muted colours, and that is "what society expects" together with a degree of boldness.
That said, having broached "I like PVC macs" to broad minded lady friends, they love the idea, although I've never had the pleasure yet to step out with one of them yet.
It would a great "go for it" moment, a lady friend and me in bright coloured PVC mac and rainhat in a public place.
Who knows, maybe one day......!

Hi Elizabeth Jane
The pale blue macs I'm referring to were "straight down", no styling or tapering as these were meant to be worn over other garments, maybe even a coat as they had a "through pocket" feature to access the garment underneath. They were pastel,I remember greens, whites, pinks in semi transparenet material. What's fuzzy is whether they had a matching thin tie belt or not. Copies from PVC U Like do not have pockets but have a tie belt. These were collared garments giving rise to the matching tapering plastic head scarf; nicer as mentioned before than the crackly see through rainbonnet, which in the 60's was pleated, cotton ties in its own little case.
As this fashion has long gone "underground" you don't see them worn on the streets any more!

Apologies, I'm not a spammer! Things just popping into my head!
I may have missed some threads about plastic capes.
Halfords used to sell lovely soft semi trans pale yellow cycle capes.
On the other side, I have an old button through cape from someone in Faversham Kent who's company name I can't reme,ber, button through and attached hood, from the old days of buying stuff from Exchange and Mart.
I have two long massive capes from Coccoon. One soft pink vinyl the other stiff glass clear. Both a re press studded, ankle length and have detachable boxy type drawstring hoods. Not exactly "going out capes"!
Another I miss is a black latex Dolly cape from South Bucks Rainwear. Mandarin collar style, button through. Perished through age...

This is to open a debate about anyone, no holds barred(!), who wears any kind of plastic mac, whether gents or ladies style.

To be typically gent, I've worn darker colour plastic raincoats and once sported a black shiny Rubberette mac in the City London to and from work. My black plastic Muji freecut coat is a world apart from the beloved Pakamac, but is great in all sorts of lengths and its name belies the fact that it can be cut to size. It has a nice rubbery texture to it, but isn't semi trans, although they do sell a clear version. I got two in 2006, a white opague one, larget size for both. They still sell them, which is better than the Top Shop, H&M, Primark offerings which come and go so quickly.

I digressed a bit! I have worn the black Muji often with a black Rubberette souwester and sometimes a clear pleated rainbonnet or rain hood as they were called in the UK. Then sometimes a black shiny PVC visor bonnet worn inside out, matt side showing (a bit of license with the matt black Muji!).

I forgot to mention in 2007 that New Look did fab thick, lined black PVC fashion macs, never to be repeated, why?
I do, however, have an unlined DB, Sandra black shiny PVC trench which I got from Plastique Unique's last sell off in 2010.

So my advice is, take a look at PVC U Like or try Ali Express for 1 piece deals, and you can get some nice soft vinyl coats but be prepared to wait for post from China. I've not tried Ali Express yet!

Hi Jane, Pete's a Man City fan (a family tradition, even though they never lived within 200 miles of Manchester), yes he is full of it at the moment, but he saw your last post and his only comment was, 'Man United???? No wonder she refused!'

Steph, your post reminded me that around 1980 in Australia, for maybe two years you could buy plastic raincoats a bit like the old 'Pakamacs', maybe not quite as long, with or without a hood. I suppose they came in the full range of colors but the one I remember seeing most on the street was a kind of bottle green. Occasionally you might see a blue one. They were kind of half see-through, a look that never really works with me. I'd rather see solid color, and the tinted plastic just washed out whatever you were wearing underneath, but compared with what I remember of the older 60s macs they were more shapely and tailored. I never wore one but they looked OK over the right outfit. Are they the same ones you're talking about?

Hello thank you ladies for all your emails first no my husband is not into plastic macs the only thing he has ever asked me to wear was a Man U shirt one of my friends knew someone who was many years ago it just makes us feel special like a real ladies should and thats all no more emails off men as they go into delete.