Thank You Aunt Nell

by Geoff Worton

Madras was hot in 1960s England. The Small Faces started the trend in 1965 with all of them wearing different madras jackets in a publicity photo. I wanted a madras jacket. I had no money. I did, however, have my Aunt Nell who was a professional seamstress and loved me with her big heart. My mum and I went fabric shopping and bought the only madras going in the East London fabric shop she knew. We brought it over to Aunt Nell. She measured, she cut and she sat down at her Singer foot-peddle sewing machine and turned out the jacket in this photo. Man, did I think I was cool.