Back when people used to dress up for everything

[tvguy]

With the coronavirus TV is digging into the archives to rerun old programming and I have noticed that people used to dress up to go the baseball games, and when they flew somewhere. Men in suits, women in dresses.
Someone just posted on a "Things I Remember Growing Up" Facebook photos from the 1950's from the California State Fair, men in suits, women in dresses, all in 100+ degree weather.

I'm 62, and it dawns on me, I don't think my dad ever owned a pair of blue jeans. He always was wearing slacks, usually a tie, and usually a sport coat. When he worked in the yard, he wore slacks that had gotten ratty, but were good enough for yard work.
Even a family friend who was a heavy duty mechanic work slacks.......but in his case, they were under his coveralls.

Do you remember dressing up, either you, your parents or grandparents?

 

[Christine]

Well, sort of. I mean, I grew up in the 60s versus the 50s so I think there was a big shift between decades.

When I was in elementary school, all girls had to wear dresses. It was a big "win" when we got permission to wear shorts underneath. That changed in about 3rd/4th grade when we were allowed to wear pants.

Otherwise, no...I think all that was overwith by my childhood. I don't ever remember my grandparents owning ANY denim. But my own parents did (late 60s).

 

[PRINCESS Sweet Pea]

Hello! I am no big fan of looking back at the bad things of the fifties. But, I have to say, I don't really like the lame pajama's and sweats out everywhere anytime either. You won't see me like that!

Ohhhh and remember jeans were only dungarees for men who worked outside and got dirty until after people like teenagers like The Fonz played made them mainstream.

 

[maxaroni]

Oh my, dress up??? Absolutely! Going out for dinner was always a dress for my mom and I. My dad would always wear slacks with a button up shirt, if a tie was necessary he’d wear one. He had a number of sport coats, too. Restaurants would also have spare jackets/ties to rent if a man forgot.
To this day, my dad does not wear jeans - 84 yrs old. He has nice slacks, now that he lives in Florida it’s usually shorts. No, t-shirts for him ever. He wears polo shirts.
I have a picture of myself at a pool with my grandparents. They had taken me away for the weekend and my grandfather was in long slacks, short sleeve button up shirt and socks & shoes.
Of course, back then girls couldn’t wear pants to school, so had to have enough dresses/skirts. Pants started in School when I was in 7th Or 8th grade.
Church for us was always dresses for my mom and I, dress shirt for my dad.
Sunday dinner at my grandparents was a school dress for me.
Holiday were always dresses for my mom and & I, dad in a dress shirt, slacks & tie.
Birthday get together with family was always dressed up.
Extended family Saturday evening get together was always nice clothes.
We kept the nice clothes for holidays all the way through the years. We have relaxed it a bit now but never jeans.
Getting on a plane? Had to dress up.
Now, it is for comfort. My mom looked at us one time as we were heading to the airport and asked if we were changing. Nope. LOL

 

[PixieLily]

It takes effort to make yourself presentable when you go out but its worth it. I dont mean dressed to the nines, but just putting on something that makes u feel good when u go to the grocery store etc. It is depressing to see specially women with that old raggedy tshirt and ugly shorts. Just like we make our home beautiful we should do the same for ourselves.

 

[FigmentSpark]

What I remember is that really old jingle for A&W, which was a drive in burger joint back then. It went:

Let's all go to A&W
Food is great at A&W
Hop in the car
COME AS YOU ARE
to A&W

It was part of the advertising that you could come as you are and not dress up, because they'd bring the food to your car on a tray that sat on your window. Remember that? Remember root beer in a thick frosty mug?

 

[Kittyblue]

My mom always dressed up for outings and work when I was a kid (and before). She wasn't much for dresses but always wore heels and nice slacks and blouses. She relaxed her wardrobe a bit as she neared retirement age, but she has never owned a pair of jeans or a t-shirt.

I dress up on occasion, like special events, date night, etc, but not for everyday things. I mostly wear jeans.

 

[loves to dive]

Yep, I'm over 60 and southern so dressed up was a way of life. I have a picture of my Mama in the 50s taking a turkey out of the oven and she has on a dress and pearls. On Sundays when we went to church I always had to have on my gloves and hat, patent leather shoes and crinolines under my dress. I wasn't allowed to wear pants to school until I was in high school and never around my great grandmother. My Daddy was a little more casual than Mama because he was an engineer and was often out on job sites so he got dirty and dusty. He did always have a handkerchief in his pocket though, I had to iron them.

 

[Skippy918]

I don’t recall my grandparents ever owning jeans. My grandpas wore slacks even when they were in their 80s/90s and grandmas wore house dresses.
My parents wore jeans and tshirts around the house and for work my dad wore suits and my mom wore business casual clothes.
I mostly wear athletic wear around the house and running errands and business clothes to work.

 

[lorimay]

My dad would not wear shorts outside the house, except at the beach on vacation.

My grandmother wore a black dress and hose everyday of her life (yes, Italian) after my grandfather died. I asked my mom about what she wore before my grandfather's death, she said she wore dark color dresses then too.
My grandfather wore black slacks and a white button down dress shirt everyday.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I laugh when I look at crowds at baseball games back in the 'old days' - pants, shirt, tie for a ball game. And all the games were day games then. Not sure I'd want to be out in pants and tie at a ballgame in July!

 

[MarkLT1]

My mom worked for an airline and growing up (and through college) we would fly stand-by all the time. This was in the 80s and 90s. In order to fly standby, company policy was, slacks/shirt/tie at a minimum for the men, and whatever dressy clothes existed at the time for women (blouses? giant Michael Jackson Shoulder-pad blazers?). So whenever we'd go on vacation, for our flights, I'd be wearing a blazer, dress shirt, slacks, and a clip-on tie.

Now-a-days you are lucky to see people in something dressier than PJs at the airport. Though with how uncomfortable flying is these days, I cant exactly blame people.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Do you remember dressing up, either you, your parents or grandparents?

Here's my dad and his girls at Disneyland 1957



EDIT: Just adding, I never wore jeans. Still don't. Just don't find them comfortable. That was one of the major blowups my daughter had with me - "You don't let me wear jeans!!!!!" Truth was, I never thought about it. I didn't like them, so I never bought them. I didn't think about buying them for my kids. I told her - just tell me you want them (she never did until the blow up), we'll go get you some.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

That is just an awesome picture. Thanks for sharing.

 

[georgina]

Never met any of my grandparents, I think my dad maybe had some jeans toward the end of his life. I was born in '62, prefer casual dress so glad I missed out on most of the dressing up days. Of course 12 years of Catholic schools required uniform skirts, but I still rarely wear a dress. How I feel about myself has nothing to do with what I am wearing, and I long ago learned not to care what other people think about how I look. I save a lot not buying fashionable clothes, coloring my hair, having my nails done, buying makeup...people put too much emphasis on the wrong things.

 

[apirateslifeforme]

When I was in elementary school (early to mid 1980s), I wasn't allowed to wear jeans, except for the occasional PE class. We had PE once a week; my mother made me go find the teacher and ask what we were going to be doing. Only if we were going to be playing in the dirt outside (like kickball on the baseball diamond), she grudgingly allowed me to wear jeans. Otherwise I always had to wear a dress/skirt or pants. I was literally the only kid in school who didn't wear jeans. I will never forget the day the art teacher went off on me for wearing "such a nice dress" the day we were going to do tie-dye. Hey, it wasn't my choice...

As an adult now, I do wear jeans, but they always look "nice" (no holes, not faded). I refuse to wear sweatpants, lounge pants, sweatshirts, slippers, etc. outside the house. I wear nice jeans and a top, even just to run errands. I feel funny just dropping my kid off/picking him up from school if I'm not "dressed." But as a SAHM, I don't own anything dressier than jeans anymore. Certainly no skirts or dresses...and when I go to DH's company holiday party once a year, I have to borrow a pair of black pants from my mother

DH works in a bank and he is having trouble wearing jeans to work. He's used to a dress shirt, dress pants, and tie, even though he doesn't meet with customers. The banks have steadily become more "business casual" and more people wear polo shirts and jeans. He's okay without the tie, but he still likes his dress shirt and pants. He was always told "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have."

 

[BrianL]

Not much, but we did have to wear nice clothes to get on an airplane. It was considered a very classy affair. This was in the 80's and not much else required that except for church.

 

[terri01p]

I can vaguely remember growing up and dressing up to go places, what I do recall most of all, is my mom dressing up every day of her life , never ever wearing her p.j's out of the bedroom. She was a SAHM and everyday of her life she dressed , did her hair and was dressed as if she was about to have company over. I hate to admit this but some days I don't even get out of my p.j's. Although I am getting better with age.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I can remember my Mom dressing up to go to the doctor. But this was out of the ordinary except for Easter and Christmas because it was the 70s and I was part of a blue-collar neighborhood in South Philly. When someone on the street got dressed up for a banquet or a party or dance or whatever, we all used to come out and watch them leave.

 

[MillauFr]

Now-a-days you are lucky to see people in something dressier than PJs at the airport.

I consider myself lucky when others are wearing the yoga pants. I prefer that look.