Pakamac

Lovely to hear from you, Susan, as always! Your expertise! The first hooded plastic mac that I can definitely remember was in the early 50s, a young girl in a beautifully silky, almost sturdy, sky blue, see-through mac, and her mother was actually adjusting the hood. However none of the plastic macs from school had hoods, and when the 1977 Pakamac re-emergence occurred. this was the very first time I really noticed hoods. I love them, far better than those rather silly hats that came with some of the designs of the 80s. Incidentally, it is throwing it down, here in Oldbury, near Birmingham. but I won't be going out this evening. Any macking I do will be indoors! Best wishes to all of you!! Brian.

On the subject of hooded Pakamacs, I can’t find a single newspaper advert in my collection, produced for the Pakamac company, that refers to a hooded version, in the 1960s. However, hooded plastic macs were being advertised in newspapers, as far back as the 1940s. I did find a couple of rainwear shop adverts from the 1950s, that referred to hooded plastic Pakamacs, but I don’t know if they were referring to genuine Pakamacs.

In my own experience, I did get to wear a girls hooded plastic mac in the summer of 1967 but that was the first one I’d ever seen and didn’t see another until the 1970s. I was born in 1954.

Lovely school reminiscences, Mr Doudy! I thought the boys looked terrific, wearing their plastic macs, and, if they were genuine Pakamacs, that added to the excitement. However, the girls "got their own back" with their nylons from mid-60s onwards, and, unlike the boys, they wore them in dry weather too. What got to me most was the sheer number of them, and, when I purchases items now, I am torn between acquiring completely new items, or adding identical ones to those I already have. I call it the "ubiquitous Pakamac syndrome". I am completely mad, of course.

I wore a plastic Pakamac throughout my secondary school years from 1951 to 1958 and recall that boys' Pakamacs did not have attached hoods though I seem to recall the girl's ones did. Of course your hair got soaked but being boys we didn't mind that. I always wore my Pakamacs securely fastened up to the neck so my clothing underneath always stayed dry. I enjoyed my Pakamacs and the sound of the rain beating down on the plastic in a downpour while I stayed bone-dry underneath.

My latest acquisition should be here any day, a short, beige, belted, shiny Hunter nylon mac. Too short to wear, even in my feminine moods, but good to own and look at, packable in the best Pakamac traditions. As for my favourite Stay Dry navy nylon macs, I just keep ordering them, just the same as if the original grey-black see-through plastic Pakamacs were still available.

Don't worry I'm going to keep macking especially as I've just taken delivery of my new Rains fogy black Mac. It's got a lovely crinkley feel and feels great when all the poppers are done up..and unlike the old Pakamacs it does have a really neat hood that can be tied up on rainy days..or any day!

I think people are so fed up with the world today, that plastic and nylon Pakamacs might prove a welcome diversion. They may even develop an interest for themselves.

I was 11 years old boy in the 60s, and my mum always insisted i wore my pakamac no hood attached over my polyester raincoat and buttoned it to the neck with a fisherman type souwester on my head. No one commented in those days i would dread to think if it was today.

Don't let it deter you, Mactim, keep on with your macking! Everyone is saying "Stay Safe!" nowadays, but wearing your plastic and nylon macs regularly will help you to STAY SANE!! Best Wishes! Brian.

I thought that you would say that the early pakamacs did n’t have hoods. It’s just that I have memories of when I was at mixed school that on rainy days that many of girls would wear what would like a hooded packamac over their school gabardine macs and I used to think how sensible that was so that unlike the boys they did n’t get their gaberdine macs drenched! But clearly the hooded plastic macs were n’t pakamacs!

Many lady's plastic macs, including genuine Pakamacs, did have separate scarf-like hoods, similar to the pleated rain bonnets beloved by Sue.

I don't think they did. Hats and caps were worn more frequently then than in subsequent years. and hoods were presumably deemed unnecessary. A pity.

Can anyone confirm whether the early pakamacs of the 1960’s had hoods?

Hi Brian you are so right a rolled or folded up mac is so exciting .

No one, absolutely no one, rolls up plastic and nylon macs like Susan. No matter how voluminous the mac is, she can always fold it down to that lovely, neat, sexy Pakamac size. There is a black-and white-image, on Flickr, showing a rolled up, male, see-through plastic mac, which is an absolute classic. Best wishes yet again, Sue! xxxx

Thanks to Susan for her comments on men's buttoning plastic Pakamacs. I used to wear those in my teen years back in the 1950s and recently to my delight was able to acquire one again. I find the button fastening so much more reliable and secure than press-studs, the bottom press stud in particular I find can pop out of the plastic and be next to impossible to repair. Buttons are best and give your Pakamac a more traditional look and feel too!

I shall be eternally grateful to Brian, for reintroducing me to men’s buttoning black plastic macs, particularly Pakamacs, as a result of our conversations and photo exchange. This has led onto good quality men’s buttoning nylon macs, particularly Pakamac and Quelrayn. My collection of both now almost rivals my ladies raincoat collection.

Thank you Brian

My regrets too Brian. It’s possibly a lot further.

Hi Brian that's fantastic take some counting .

I love Susan's highly professional approach to Pakamcking. I also wish she didn't live 200 miles away. Many regrets.

Just to let you all know, my wardrobes and drawers now exceed 1000 items.

Has no one been out in their macs lately i know i do as much as possible, i love the sound and smell mmm, curtsy from jenny

Ok Old friend, maybe I will start the ball rolling. Anyone who has conversed with me in the past, may remember how I used to go out wearing ten ladies navy blue nylon macs. They were all the same design from Rainstar. I used to wear a couple of size 18, followed by a couple of size 20 and so on up to size 24, with an extra couple where the manufacturer had been overgenerous with the material. The look was incredible and the swish, deafening.
However, I outdid myself during lockdown, by putting on 12 nylon macs, in increasing sizes, followed by 2 nylon capes. 14 layers of rainwear in total. The photoshoot should appear on Flickr and videos on YouTube before the New Year.

Why someone doesn't try for a Guinness world record of wearing the the most mac's.

I love all this talk about wearing more than one mac, to go out in. The swish of wearing more than one nylon mac is exquisite. The more macs the better.
Now that I own many genuine Pakamacs, I’m now able to enjoy the extra frisson of layering up in them too. I for one don’t mind the looks I receive wearing macs fully buttoned no matter the weather. Especially when I undo the button of the top mac to advertise that I wear more than one mac. This goes whether I wear multiple plastic macs, nylon macs or even a mix of the two.

The worst thing i have found about going outside wearing something under your raincoat is you are left with mac fastened if it stops raining and turns sunny, then you get strange looks. I know it was me with my bri nylon ladies overall with plastic pinny on.

Having been urged insistently to wear my plastic Pakamac on top of my nylon one rather than underneath I've decided to go along with this suggestion. If onlookers spot the nylon raincoat through the plastic one I don't begrudge them the same thrill as I'll get from wearing two Pakamacs.

Mr Doudy. I have tried to respond to your email, but it keeps being returned to me as undelivered. Please contact again.

Yes indeed. However if the plastic pakamac is on top, the nylon can also be seen. Giving the on-looker a special thrill.

I still do indeed wear my nylon Pakamac fully buttoned up, it somehow doesn’t feel right worn any other way. Hugh's idea of wearing my plastic Pakamac over it as a special treat is great, that too of course fully buttoned-up. However as my plastic Pakamac is the longer of the two, having 5 buttons to the collar as opposed to the 4 of my nylon Pakamac, it might be better to wear the nylon Pakamac over the plastic one. That way the bottom of my plastic Pakamac can still be seen, sticking out from beneath the nylon one, adding to the pleasure of wearing the two Pakamacs together in this way.