Playing Dress-up
These are the ladies I aspired to be.
The last time fashion was actually pretty.
I always looked forward to growing up and getting to wear hats and gloves and crystal beads and big shiny brooches, big full skirts with narrow belts and crisp lacy slips underneath, carrying a pocketbook and an embroidered handkerchief. I loved to look at the illustrations on the patterns Mom had, and I couldn’t wait until I would fit into this dress. I was sure it would last me until I grew up.
my dream wardrobe
Unfortunately for me I grew up in the Twiggy era, and dresses became nothing more than tubes with armholes. Very disappointing.
At least I could play dress-up.
These ladies knew how to dress.
I still own a dress that my mom had for a Bo-peep costume in the 1940s –
1940s Bo-peep costume
Later her cousin wore it in a high school production of Little Women, and here I am dressed in it in the 1960s.
A second generation in the costume.
I know nowadays I could dress any way I like, and I could sew some beautiful New Look dresses for myself – but since only the sheep see me most days, I think it would be a wasted effort. Maybe I’ll just pin a rhinestone brooch onto my cowboy hat!
Me too!! I used to buy vintage gloves and hats, and I still sew vintage-style dresses for myself for special occasions… but I’ve come to terms; those days of living in dress-up are gone. And I guess it’s fine, I really do love my jeans and flip-flops. Those pictures of your mom’s Bo Peep dress are amazing 🙂
I’m not usually a “life was better in the good old days” kind of a person, except for fashion! My family isn’t one of those that keeps everything they ever owned, but we do have a lot of our old clothing and textiles. I guess because they don’t take a lot of room to store, and they don’t break!