My friend, Sheryl, of A Hundred Years Ago shares her Grandma’s own words (from her diary 100 years ago) a about shopping for new clothes and finding a gray suit. Her Grandma’s young-girl excitement in 1913 over the new additions to her wardrobe got me thinking about yesterday’s fashion trends.
1950 Cover of Vogue
It doesn’t seem so long ago I was looking for my first job and hats were still in. It was the 1950’s and we wore gloves too, “for special” (even in Florida). We wore short gloves for daytime and long gloves for formal occasions. A matching purse and shoes were required to complete the picture.
At the junior prom I actually wore long white gloves and they went all the way to the elbows. They were slightly difficult to peel on and off. Note: The fella in the pic was a boyfriend named Bobby. My to-be, long-term husband, Bill, showed up later.
Dor at Junior Prom
Note Long Gloves
From the Prom to the Beach
And what about Bathing Suits? The most popular bathing suit in my teen years was always a semi modest one piece! There were two piece versions for the slimmer girls and I suppose there were bikinis but I don’t remember seeing any. Maybe “foreign women” wore them. Very short shorts were risqué enough, even in the Florida sun.
Dor in 1-piece Bathing Suit
Back Steps 1956
A Vogue Magazine Model 1950s
And I rolled my jeans up. Did you? Ooops… the hairdo needs some help from modern day beauticians!
Dor in Rolled Up Jeans
And Before That?
Are you watching Downton Abbey? Aren’t the styles delicious?
And Before That?
What about the long bouffant skirts ladies wore in the Civil War era? Did you know that false hems were loosely attached with big stitches?
Those delightfully swinging skirts would swoop along the ground picking up dirt and mud. The dirty (false) hem could be removed, washed, and basted on again. Voila! Now you would not have to wash the whole dress every time – just the hem!
Looking back at fashion trends is fun, no matter how far back you go. I tend to dress for comfort now, but keep a pair of short white gloves tucked away in case I ever need them.
I don’t much like the skinny jeans and other unflattering looks today, but who knows what we will think a hundred years from now?
Virginia Views 