cpfrog

Yes, my mother always dressed in a dress! even gardening! tho' once she bought peddle-pushers and wore them a couple times, it was not her thing.

I grew up in the 50's into the 60's... but even in the 70-80's our club(s) dressed for the one evening out with the girls, and our refreshments were poured from a silver tea service...with white gloves, I think.

Many of us are now retired and still have those classic suits and dresses left from "business". We are trying to bring back those days... "dressing up" for our meetings and wearing those high heels. The hats and gloves are gone, but what's wrong with dressing up? IT's not like I scrub floors in a sequined cocktail frock.

For that matter, what's wrong with dressing for the Lord on Sunday to church?

Okay, so there are some without "dressy clothes", but even the pioneers had "sunday-go-to-meeting-clothes". Let us be the ones to set an example of decorum. I love my jeans and sweats, but there is a time and place for everything, incl. clothing styles.

sylviasmom

I saw a documentary a few months ago, it was on ironing. The intervees were all Southern ladies. Brought back a lot of children memories. I learned to iron, doing my Dad's handkerchiefs, t-shirts, graduated to my brother's starched shirts. He did not like a double line on the sleeves. I taught his wife how to iron his shirts. All this before age of 10. In the doc, it was discussed how the women dressed, how important it was also how to dress your husband. How one dressed to go shopping, how to dress to attend church. Even dressing your children. Amazingly enough, how to hang your laundry on the clothes line. I used to wear dresses, pants only at home. But in the 70's and 80's dresses became so ugly, I stopped wearing them. Now I notice the shirtdress is making a comeback. I still however cannot get over, no nylons or slips. You are not fully dress without those.

NatalieMacDonald

I'm the one who started this topic about my MIL. Now I'm remembering my own grandmother who was born in 1895 and died in 1982. She never wore a bra but she did wear a tie-up, whate bone corset everyday of her life. I know this for a fact because as a child we shared a bedroom. All your contributions down memory lane has been so fun!

liondenise

I love hats - think they look so elegant = wish they would make a comeback

LovinMySoldier

My grandma always wore hats! She did wear pant suits though :) She was a traveling sales rep and she always dressed for work! She was known as the hat lady. For several years she only had a couple of hats. People were always commenting on the huge variety of hats that she had :) She then would tell them that it was the same 3 hats. She just had a ton of silk ribbons that she always tied on them! Then as the years went by she had quite the collection.
When she passed away, all of her daughters and daughter in-laws, and all of us granddaughters all wore one of her hats to the funeral. It made us all feel like we had a little bit of her with us.

Marge L.

My grandmother wouldn't leave the farm without dressing up and never forgot the hat. Grocery shopping or visiting the neighbors, you would always see grandma dressed up and w/ a hat.

Dee

We always dressed to go downtown or anywhere. Never left the house without looking your best. Times have changed to relax. Its for the good and bad. Some prople look like slobs in the stores.

luckylindy333

We were living in the LA area in the 60's. I was in my early teens. We were on vacation in Spokane and my aunt said we could not go downtown shopping unless we wore dresses- it was just the way it was then. If you were going "downtown", you wore stockings, gloves, and a hat ( I don't think I had a hat with me).

I remember going to high school, I did not wear pants until about 1966, I think it was. Before that, no girls wore them to school. The pants I had were tight stretch stirrup pants- I thought they were very stylish. Oh, and my other favorite outfit was a mini skirt and white go-go boots, LOL!

Oh, my gosh, I almost forgot about my girdle- had to wear that with the stockings, or you had to have a garter belt. Thank goodness pantyhose finally were invented, what an innovation!

Now we are in Seattle, where grunge got started, must admit some people look pretty grungy when they go out. Let's lose the flannel pajama pants for going outside. I know they come in a lot of cute prints, but they are pajamas! That is what I want to say when I see someone wearing them...

selm

I don't remember high heels to the grocery store but do remember the days when it wasn't considered 'proper' to wear shorts, tank tops, flip-flops and the like to anyplace other than your own backyard or to the beach. Now you see them everywhere including in churches. Many years my mother said(and I think she was right) that Americans were becoming a country of slobs. Now days that would include the whole world. I really don't know where anybody is 'fashionable' (that includes me too :) )

jpthequilter

Sure, far enough back, before WWII everybody all over America and Canada wore hats and gloves and a little before that, even had calling cards, because (before everybody had phones) they didn't know if their friends would be home, and they wanted them to know that they had stopped to visit.

Have you ever cooked on one of those big black cast iron stoves? especially in the wintertime? It is wonderful! Just put a few sticks in the box, light them and you have an incredible cooking surface! From roaring boiling to just warm! Soups are a snap! Throw everything into a big pot and slow cook it! In fact, anything in a pot or skillet is so easy!

In later years my grandmother used to complain about the housework! When she was younger, I remember that everybody who lived in the house gave it a complete cleaning once in the spring and fall. Otherwise they dusted once a week and swept when it needed it.
The had a lot more time to quilt and visit with each other!