FastFreddy2

Cover, March 1948. The late forties gave us the 'nipped in waist'. It carried on throughout the fifties, which as you rightly say, gave us the pencil skirt - which to my mind was always calf length. What the modern retailers would describe as a "fitted midi skirt". (I am shaking my head as I write.) During both periods, a 20-22 inch waist was common. Even in my time, a girl with a 25/26 inch waist was considered overweight. At the time, mine would have been 26/27/28" and I seldom found 'thick waisted' girls attractive.

I wouldn't have been out of short trousers at that time, and 'well travelled', I wasn't. While I will agree that a fairly high stiletto (4" or more on a size 5 or 6 shoe) would be the very epitome of 'the look', my fav is the slim build, nipped in waist and constricting long pencil skirt. As seen in the Time images above. Seamed fully fashioned stockings, evidence of the suspender clips showing through the tight skirt and a high heel, all doing their bit to enhance the look. A bit of mascara, and red lipstick .... (I may need to lie down again. ) During my rather frustrating search for images, I have discovered one that looked perfect, but dated 1960 - I think. That doesn't mean the outfit was from that date, though it does rather seem the style I like lasted longer than I thought. That said, the outfit was on an actress, and it could have been an image from a film, set in an earlier time. Where is a Vogue expert when you need one?

New York Style in 1954 – by photographer Nina Leen

Gene Tierney in a stunning off the shoulder red dress -1948.

I have tried to use Google to find images, but obviously they must have a share in Pinterest because just about every image I'm offered, comes from them. I'm not and don't want to be a 'member' of some forwarding robot, so I'm struggling to get images of the era I'm trying to reproduce.

That might well be true, but generally, a high stiletto would not have been as common as 2 or 3 inch one. Sure higher was available, but not generally worn. I was about then, and I had an interest from about the age of 5 or 6. Can't confirm the age of this picture immediately but you get the idea... Heels this high would have been considered "fetish", at best.

I think you need to re-read my post? MY fav period was late 40's to early 50's, which would have included anything from around 1946 upto around 1954, but I did not specify stiletto's anyway - only heels. Your fav period can be the later years if you have chosen them to be. The picture shown in my post and yours, is a modern copy of a style. Those shoes look like a fairly modern product.

AFAIK, an actress. (In old parlance.) Think they are all called 'actors' now, regardless of sex. She's been seen doing some PR work at places like Comic-Con so she's certainly done some voice work. Other than that, she's becoming increasingly unwise in her choice of clothing. "Grunge" suits no-one.

I've always had a thing for them. They ought to be useful/practical for older women, as they hide the turkey-neck we older folk sometimes acquire. I'm growing one ..... Perhaps why they were popular in Victorian times across all ages? (Of women.) A thick/heavy choker was this years accessory. For a while, Kendall Jenner was seldom seen without one. Some images from a Natalie Chapman (choker designer) article that includes celebs wearing her products: Full article >> here << And to bring the thread right back on track, a picture of the designer (note leggings).

I tried to find some reasonable quality images from Buck Rogers, and couldn't find anything other than low quality screen shots. UFO and Space 1999 were British contenders for the 'close fitting' clothing prediction. It's been some time since I've seen a body that would suit a catsuit, with the possible exception of Bella Thorne. Both these pictures were taken a couple of years ago when she was 17. This one when she was 18. Not sure when this was taken. She currently has over 26M followers on social media. Sadly, she now has piercings that include her septum, which I always see as excess liquid dripping ...

I'm not overly sure. She's been in the media enough for me to think she's done a reality show, and may have done Strictly. But her claim to fame is that she's known. Well, amongst the Instagrammers I suppose. She's a Social Media-ite?? Probably does Twitter? As to the choker, I can see why you might think it's "bondage" inspired. That said, every 'bandage' dress I've ever seen, scuba skirt/leggings, strappy top/bikini etc etc etc. also has some 'bondage' connection it would seem. Punks would say a choker/dog collar was just a fashion statement, like tight trousers, winklepicker shoes, and makeup in general. That's one expensive throat accessory. Sold by a world famous retail group, not usually known for it's taste in bondage gear.

Surely you mean "classic" rather than old? Hippy? The first generation of a post-war era. They witnessed regeneration and investment in infrastructure not seen in the UK (since the Roman visit 2000 years before). New social housing created on an industrial scale, new towns and new manufacturing built to support the increase in commerce. A time when young people thought the world a great place, where social migration was easily achieved by those who wanted it. Jobs a plenty. Government money providing a world-leading health service that was free to those that needed it most. If ever there was a point when Utopia was within sight, it was then. In the mid-sixties, science and fashion forecasters thought we'd all be wearing lycra based catsuits that showed off our perfectly formed slim/fit bodies, results of better eating and moderate exercise. Both results of the anticipated continued increases in the 'quality of living'. The forecasters did not anticipate personal entertainment centres (phones/tablets/video consoles) that would keep the populace hooked to their wifi connection, nor the advent of cheap easily available fat-foods. This two-part combination keeping the would-be lithe millennials, too fat for lycra catsuits to be anything other than unattractive. My 'fav' period during the last century, would be the late 40's early 50's. Everyone skinny (unless you worked in a canteen or a butchers). Women in long tight pencil skirts, heels, nipped in waist with wide belt, tight blouse with pointed bits, heavy eyeliner, and red-lipstick. I think I need to lie down ..... And an image by the greatest fashion photographer ever: John French.

But for the (slightly weird) choker, I might not have bothered. The link below automatically brings up a video with her being interviewed on a TV show, again wearing a choker, so maybe she has a thing for them. (As I do.) Full article >> here <<

The geometric difference will be negligible. In fact fatter 26" tyres and rims, can produce the same 'rolling radius', but brings with it, unwanted mass. (Rolling resistance.) The larger wheel size does the same thing to a lesser degree, provided I use 'regular' sized tyres, which I will being doing. The increased resistance is there, but somewhat mitigated over a fat 26" wheel/tyre combination. Whether 27.5" is an improvement sits with the rider, not the bike. I don't do any 'clever' woodland stuff any longer, as it produces punctures. I'm more of a 'trek-racer', or off-road trekking racer. A slightly larger wheel will help with stability, and my gearing. This notion I have to increase the wheel size, isn't a five-minute-idle-fantasy. I've put a not unreasonable amount of work into investigating whether it is in fact worthwhile. At the moment, I'm still (effectively) sitting on the fence, but am determined to land on the 27.5" side of the fence. I like my bike, but it's a bit front heavy. Changing the front fork for an air model makes sense. If I want the benefits of the larger front wheel (stability), I may as well buy a fork suitable for a larger wheel - providing the rear wheel can also be changed. I may well know by the end of today. I have a wheel and tyre combination here I can trial fit my full-suspension bike. Mrs Freddy is still not fit enough for adventures, so I am at home all day today. More news as it arrives.....

Sometimes useful for heart arrhythmia, though I wouldn't recommend it, any more than Puffer would. By a circuit breaker possibly, but I'll bet £100 to any taker, that they can't let go of anything in 1/100th of a second. I'd even challenge the notion that an electro-magnet could effectively release something in that time before a following cycle kept the object held in place. (As with an A/C motor?) Without doubt, that light bulb helped me to survive, as it effectively became a resistor in the circuit, limiting the amount of amps I received. But as the video suggests, even low amps over a period produce effects prejudicial to maintaining life .... There was enough power going through me, to burn the skin on the palm of my left hand. It looked like 'arc' burns caused as the wire was kicked from my grasp.....

I understand the 'theory' of AC. I can tell you from experience, I even felt the 'buzz' of the cycle. However, 50 cycles a second gives 20 milliseconds per (each-way) full cycle and 10 milliseconds per hand for the letting go bit. I was fully conscious, and if it were possible, I'd have been very happy to let go of the thing that was killing me. While amps will cause permanent (burn/cook) damage, volts are what cause the heart to stop. Five minutes of 240 volts directly through my upper chest would not have been healthy, thankfully, I believe I had about 3 to 4 seconds. I've been zapped a number of times by earthing a live feed, once or twice doing electrical work in the house, once or twice with screwdrivers inside computers. The 'zing' going up my arm from these, very much NOT in the same league.

And PVC trousers today .... Even more >> here <<

Yes please.

I embraced technological change. Especially when after tine, it proves to be an improvement. The current version of my bike has the larger wheels, why wouldn't I want to own the latest version without 'latest version' expense? I'll not be doing anything of a permanent nature, until the upgrade is known to work. It's simple enough. Swap wheel off one bike onto another, let pressure out of air shock, sit on bike and bottom out wheel travel. As to handling, heavier revolving mass should make for better stability. (Centrifugal force.) As before, nothing decided yet.

Before I commit my bike to the larger wheels, I'll be checking clearance by deflating the air shock. The picture of the B'twin bike might be an optical dillusion. The tyres on the bike in the shop didn't look so 'oversize' and I don't think Decathlon would sell a bike with the rear tyre likely to scuff or rub part of the frame. Maybe the tyres on the retail version are a tad smaller....

This is the current version-ish of my (current) bike. Mine has a rear air shock - which I plan to replicate with an air shock at the front end too. This version has 27.5"/650b wheels. I measured the rear swing arm length 'in store' the other day, and it appears to be the same length as the one on mine, which bodes well in upgrading to a slightly larger rim. That said, the fat wheels shown on this picture, does look like the rear one might touch the seat tube with the rear shock at full compression ....

I would have been around 14 years old when I next escaped from the Reapers grasp. As I mentioned before, I spent most of my youth, wandering the immediate countryside whenever it was possible. As we grew older, we perhaps became more interested in socialising with the opposite sex, and taking an interest in our appearance, but none of us were quite at that stage. For some reason I/we had become interested in hunting stuff. It may have started when my idiot brother tried to pick up a rat he thought was dead, only for him to find out, it wasn't. It took us months, but catapults, bows'n'arrows, and makeshift spears were used to hunt the thing down over a period of months. (We think we got it, but we did for it with our feet. We then buried it, marking the grave with a wooden cross. Yeah, nuts.) During this (hunting) period, I maybe spent too much time wondering how easily electricity might kill. I made a rig with a copper wire grid on a board perhaps a little over 12 inches square. None of the wire on one side, touched the wires coming from the other. The thinking at the time was, anything alive treading on the grid would get stunned (or worse) if it got 240 volts run through it's feet. Living close to school, I decided I would try out my electric trap one lunchtime, while my father slept (he worked nights) and my mother was at work. The grid was connected up to the mains and I had also included an electric light bulb in the circuit to confirm there was a completed circuit when I 'threw the switch'. To test the circuit, I had placed a poker across the grid, to temporarily complete the circuit. When I switched on the power, the lamp did not light up. Unfortunately, youthful exuberance got the better of me, and I ran out into the garden to check everything was okay. Yes, the lamp was switch on, but one of the wires had come unjoined. Without any hesitation I grabbed the two wires, one in each hand. Instantly, I realised I hadn't turned off the power when I left the garage and walked into the garden. It's possibly the one and only time I was absolutely convinced my time was up. I could feel the electricity pulsing through my body, and as many will know, muscle spasm pretty much ensures anything you are holding, stays held. I was locked, holding a lead in each, with my body conducting electricity to complete the circuit. At the time I would have been around 5-6 stone in weight (built like a stick), with a fairly young heart. From nowhere, my subconscious took me from the Reapers grasp, and instructed my leg to kick the wire from my hand. Honestly, it didn't come from me. That light bulb undoubtedly helped save my life, restricting the amperage I was subjected to. My hand was burnt where the current arced, but I was alive having thought I was to die. Returning to school I probably acted like it was just another lunch break. Inside, was an extraordinary sense of euphoria, almost like being born for the first time. It lasted for a day, and it really did feel like I'd escaped Mr Reaper. Authors note: These days, any form of hunting is seen as somewhat barbaric. This took place at a time when it wasn't so, and many people around at that time had personal experience of killing the food they ate. I didn't have any comprehension of the rights/wrongs of unnecessary animal death at that time, but I've had a mammal free diet for 30 years, so I've done my bit to compensate.

The second event that could have taken my (then) young life, was me jumping out of a tree. Growing up, I spent a good amount of my life wandering fields, hedges and ponds with others of my age. In summer, we would sometimes follow the combine harvester moving in and out of the falling torrent of straw belching from the high point of the machine, completely unaware of any danger. When the farmer had left, the older kids would pile straw up against a tree they could climb, and many happy hours were spent tossing themselves into the huge pile of straw constructed under the 'launch' branch. Eventually I grew old enough to get up that tree, and have a go with the taller boys. Looking up, it seemed like quite a way to fall, and of course looked even further when looking down. My first couple of jumps were a mix of fright and exhilaration. My last, neither. We would have been about 16ft off the ground, falling into twice my height of straw. The last time I left that branch it seemed plain to me the pile was offset. I couldn't hold on long enough to to tell anyone and have them move it, my little hands just let go. It wouldn't be hard for a 6 or 7 year old to have their skull pierced by their spine falling for that height, if they kept their legs and body rigid. Luckily I knew to 'bounce' from PE lessons at school, and some of the straw was in the right place. I mangled my left ankle (and cried as I limped all the way home) but I lived to tell the tale. I went to the doctors who wanted me to have it X-rayed, but I was insistent it wasn't that badly injured (it was). I can remember being left on our front porch in a chair while I recovered the use of my foot, friends stopping to chat while I recuperated. I doubt I'll ever know, but I wonder still to this day, if I actually broke something. My left foot has never had the flexibility of my right, and when my ankles begin to get tired walking in a heel, it's always my left ankle that gives up first.

It's nearly time .... Article >> here << with lots of pictures of Gemma....