Have We Come a Long Way, Baby?

In the 40's and 50's little kids wore sturdy clothes, but little girls usually wore dresses.  Take this photo from the Village (courtesy: Arlene Gouveia) Arlene is on the far right.

Even little girls wore hats, like their mothers and grandmothers. 

 Here is my Grandmother Souza with two of my cousins, probably late 40's.
 Like the sweet capes? 

 Grandmother Delphina's hats were always her trademark.

                   Christmas, my mother always made us velvet dresses, often with trimmed collars.
Many mothers made their children's clothes, my husbands mom even
made trousers for her boys.
Actually, my sisters and I often had the prettiest outfits.

                                  Here are my sister Kathy and I in matching homemade dresseswith some of my classmates,  my little brother Frank far left.  The late Sonny Mador, back left

and the late Beverlyann Martin, second row far left next to me.
On the other side of me are Cynthia Luz and Caroline Jardin.

When you went to Church on Sunday, it was de rigeur that you dressed in your best.
 I remember theselittle girls suits.  I even wore little white gloves…
Photo from  Easter 1946, my sister Kathy left, little brother Frank in the carriage,
myself in back of the carriage and cousin Helena in front.

 Ready for the Easter Parade.
 Note the old fashioned baby carriage.

              Then we went on to high school and into another era…though not far removed.

When I look about me now I join the majority of folks my age….  what youngsters wear today would be outlawed back in our youth!  I also ask myself why young women continue to wear fashions that constrict and bind.  Seems, too, that the shock value index has risen as well.  Only the hippies went for total comfort, that is for sure.

Take the case of the crinoline.  Here I am ( top right) with two high school friends and my little sister Mariellen just below me. Notice how those skirts just balloon out? That was the effect of starched, stiff, multiple crinoline under skirts. I can still feel how they scratched and irritated.  But…fashion is fashion.

                    You wore a regular slip underneath but that scratchy feeling found you anyway.

Two of us are also wearing little hats, another style statement of the times.  

This was taken around 1955 or so. Next to me my friend Janis 

and below another friend, the late Lorraine Toledo.

Nylons with (ugh) garter belts were another bit of under-fashion history. If they were not attached tightly enough they would sag.

In those more frugal days, if you sustained a run in your nylon, you repaired it with 

clear nail polish rather than go and buy another pair.

Finally, crinolines were ancient history, unless you were going to the Prom.

Along came the poodle skirt, no crinoline needed.  

When you went to a dance, say at the Taunton C.Y.O (Catholic Youth Organization)

the skirt would swing around your legs.  Weekly Friday night dances at the C.Y.O. were something to look forward to as a teen.  Remember Father O'Connor and "leave room for the Holy Ghost" during the slow dances?  No poodle dancing swirls then.  For awhile even poodle hair cuts were the thing.

The the boy's fashions:

There were two ways to go: the "bad boy" look and the Pat Boone look.

Here is James Dean sporting that bad boy look.

The bad boys often sported black leather jackets and the inevitable D.A. haircut

Sometimes the girls sported that haircut as well.

The Pat Boone look often included raised collars, v neck sweaters over shirts,

chino pants. Here is the man himself.

From my 1957 Taunton High School yearbook here are some of my classmates wearing the inevitable sweaters often in sets, longer skirts and loafers with slumpy socks.  One of them may be wearing a class ring on a chain around her neck signifying she was going steady. 

 Jumpers were also in vogue then, too.

Recognize anyone?

I could go on and on with such things as dirty white buck shoes for boys and girls.

But, you all can fill in….

Have we come a long way, Baby?

Photos from Arlene Gouveia, Souza archives,

Taunton High School 1957 yearbook and Pinterest.