At the start of a new school year the cost of the school uniform is a worry for many families. In the elite public schools uniforms represent an ostentatious display of wealth – money no object. There is still an insidious competition of blazers, scarves, hats, buttons, coats - all the insignia of power and privilege.
Eton is of the course at the pinnacle of this obscene rivalry and one-upmanship. The cost of the basic uniform runs to about £1,000, there are also those little extras like cricket whites and 'formal change' as its known, then there are the boat fees (£295). Eton has its own bespoke tailor, Tom Brown, that has supplied clothing for over two hundred years.
| Eton Uniform | Cost | Total |
| 2 tail suits | £170 each | £340.00 |
| 7 white school shirts | £12 each | £84.00 |
| 7 white school collars | £6.50 each | £45.50 |
| 6 front and back collars studs | £1.50 each | £9.00 |
| 1 blue blazer | £95.00 each | £95.00 |
| 2 pairs smart trousers | £45.00 each | £90.00 |
| 1 pullover | £45.00 each | £45.00 |
| 2 smart shirts, collar attached | £22.50 each | £45.00 |
| 2 white (rugby) football shirts, long-sleeved with collar | £23.50 each | £47.00 |
| 2 navy (rugby) football shirts, long-sleeved with collar | £23.50 each | £47.00 |
| 2 navy football shorts | £8.00 each | £16.00 |
| 1 Eton College track suit | £60.00 each | £60.00 |
| 2 white polo-style shirts | £18.00 each | £36.00 |
| Total |
| £959.50 |
Uniforms were introduced into Rugby School by Thomas Arnold in the 1830s in order to inculcate discipline and obedience and to tame the dissolute sons of the gentry and landed aristocracy. Uniforms became symbolic trappings of fealty and dominance that projected the image of the institution. At the end of the nineteenth century each house had its own particular colours and badges, each sport could award blazers and caps.
Most schools in Europe don't have school uniforms, it is regarded as a rejection of militarism and conformity. In England schools spend inordinate amounts of time enforcing petty rules about uniforms. It's another example of how the public school ethos has infected the state system, schools seem to believe that sweaty blazers, a heraldic crest and school tie is a sign of a 'good school'.
Eton and the exclusive public schools with their cripplingly expensive uniforms is a way of enforcing the social hierarchy and keeping the riff-raff out. For everyone else there is of course Tesco with the complete school uniform at £3.75. Just don't turn up to Eton with it.
