The Herringbone Dress
My mother was frugal. She seldom bought clothes for herself. She spent most of her life in a nurse’s uniform. The minute she got home, she headed for the shower. Tossing her uniform into the washing machine, she changed into “work clothes” -- inexpensive paint-stained polyester pants and shirts she made herself. She had one blouse pattern she liked and reused it over the years. She also made skirts and tops. The only “store-bought” dress I remember was a black and white herringbone with a fitted top and straight skirt. It looked very nice on her, but she wore it so often, we all complained. Finally, we all plotted and got rid of it. Dad gave her something equally nice. But it’s strange. After all these years, the one dress I remember Mom wearing is that one.
Did your parents have a favorite style?
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11 Comments to "The Herringbone Dress"
My mother always struggled with her weight. And being short of stature and short-waisted further compromised her ability to get the slim, sleek look of some of the other ladies. I do, however, remember when she started working after she and my father divorced. She wore dresses and had a particular cream colored dress with cardinals on it and a tiny waistband with red belt. She had a pair of red pointed toe pumps she wore with it. For some reason, that dress always comes to mind when I think of her dressing up. Perhaps it's because she worked a good deal of the time over an ironing board to earn money to buy groceries. She no longer has that dress, but I still have the memory of the red cardinals!
OMyGoodness...Mother had a summer uniform: black shorts and a sleeveless, black & white paisley blouse. I actually see this blouse in stores today, 40+ years later! I have stopped myself from buying this blouse to wear with my own black shorts that are now my summer favorite! My mother also owned a favorite striped seersucker dress, white with green, yellow, & pink stripes, in the 70's. Her style was classic, & the colors she wore reflected her mood: the b&w were in bad times, the striped dress were better times.
What a great memory! My mother's style throughout my childhood was the beehive hair and skirts from the 60s (the shorter type, not hippie long). I remember my mother as being almost like Sophia Loren's stand-in. Even today, at almost 70, she's gorgeous. As for clothes though, my momma tells me that her mother could go window shopping (which, with 12 children, was the only type she ever really did) and then come home and duplicate what she saw. Grandma Lou had a unique gift born out of necessity. Since I look nothing like my momma and Ms. Loren, I have been blessed with many of the talents of my grandmother and enjoy many creative pursuits.>>I enjoy your books and look forward to many more.<<
My dad graduated as student body president of his high school in 1966. Back then, his white t-shirt, cut-off jeans, white knee-socks, and sneakers were hip and trendy. He saw no reason to change his attire through the years, and even when he moved to the mountain town in Idaho where he spent the last 25 years of his life, he stubbornly wore shorts and knee socks from April 15 to October 15, no matter how much snow was on the ground. Eventually, his outfit became his trademark. He committed suicide five months ago, and when asked to share memories of him at his memorial service, many locals cited his wearing shorts in snowy weather. He was a brave man in more ways than one!
My mother made most of her dresses and mine. However, the one bought dress that I remember most was red with long sleeves that she wore to church in the wintertime in the early 50's. I wish I could remember the occasion that she got to 'buy' a dress.
I remember my mom always wearing the same outfit when I was a girl. Now I realize she didn't buy herself new clothes because she spent any money we had on clothes for my sisters and me. Yes, I can still picture her in that outfit!
My mom wears cape dresses like the mennonites with vintage style fancy aprons I make and design for her. She has worn so many different styles over the years but this is the one that is the very embodiment of who my mom is to me.
REmembering my mother in my younger years takes some thought...but the memories are still there. Seem to be in hiding sometimes, pushed behind the cares of the day. She liked to sew and loved the color pink. Fusia was the best. Sunday were the times I remember the most, about the only time we ever got dressed up to go anywhere that took any special care. Hair washed and set, clothes ironed, shoes shined the night before and set out to dry overnight. Sunday morning busy to say the least with four kids getting ready including herself. The pink dress with the matching long vest was her favorite. It matched the little dress she had made for my much younger sister. They looked like they had just stepped out of a Sears and Robuck catelogue, the Spring edition. Pretty and proud we headed to church where many compiments would shared and my mother would smile as lovely as ever. Yes, pink is a very pretty color.
In the early 90's my mother fell prey to the stretch/stirrup-pant fad and I hated them. She used to have me help her stretch them out in the mornings because they would shrink up in the wash. I eventually talked her into getting rid of them all, thank goodness. What's funny is that the modern-day leggings that are so popular aren't too far off from the stirrup pants of yore...In fact, I even have a pair of leggings with stirrups!
Funny how calling them "leggings" makes them cool again, ha!
My mom passed away 5 yrs ago, but as I look back at pic's...lol... she wore haulter tops???? I dont really remeber them, but it makes me laugh to look at her choice of style... must have been half off sales.
A friend of mine's grandmother was a young bride when her new husband complimented her on a dress she was wearing. So that was the pattern she used for the rest of her days! She made the same dress in different colors and materials! It did look nice on her! The power of a husbands words!