Oh wow, a rebel! I was so NOT.
One of the things that hits me from time to time, is that back then, even for someone who grew up middle-class, we had so few possessions compared to now. As kids, we had toys but weren't INUNDATED with them. I think we valued them more, too.

When I was in high school, I had the clothes my mom bought for me, but added to them with the things I bought myself, and each purchase had to be saved up for. A simple oxford shirt represented fourteen hours of babysitting money, or seven hours of working at the snack counter of a department store. A record album cost about half that. So each of my purchases meant something to me.

Anne, your red maxi coat had to be FAB. I had a navy pea coat which was the height of style for less dressy moments. Wore it with a 'tam' and a long striped scarf in the winter. Back then I hated carrying a purse (still do, but even more necessary now), so I carried the smallest one I could find. I vividly remember one with a leather patchwork design.

Carolyn