Fashion, then and now

O P I N I O N BOOMER LIFE By Annette Kurman Have you taken your daughter or granddaughter clothes shopping lately, leaving Amazon behind so you can have a “girls” experience? Did you have to pick up your jaw from the floor after seeing what was available? Remember “Mom” jeans? I wore them in … Read

by Annette Kurman

Updated August 18, 2024

O P I N I O N

BOOMER LIFE

By Annette Kurman

Have you taken your daughter or granddaughter clothes shopping lately, leaving Amazon behind so you can have a “girls” experience? Did you have to pick up your jaw from the floor after seeing what was available?

Remember “Mom” jeans? I wore them in the ’80s and early ’90s when I was, um, a mom. I really didn’t like that they were so high-waisted, because you often had to hold your gut in to zip ‘em up.

According to my research, Mom jeans became popular again in the 2010s, thanks to celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Rihanna who began wearing them as fashion statements. Some people view Mom jeans as being unsexy or unflattering, but others appreciate their comfort and practicality.

Do I wear them now? Hell, no! At my age, who wants to hold their gut in all day. My preference are my jeans by the Gap, which they no longer make because I bought them like 20 years ago.

Target calls them “crotch snap” apparel, but they are shirts, tops, bodywear that snap at the crotch, allowing easy (?) “tinkle” access. I remember my fashion statement in high school was an awful orange; it’s hard for me to think of anyone whose “best” color is orange.

Or the crocheted ponchos our moms or grandmoms created for us (or we bought at the teen shops; my was Maryanne’s in Philadelphia). They were “in”, and we felt very comfortable in the junior high school crowd.

Well ponchos are back, too, even among designer brands. Clint Eastwood famously wore a poncho as the lead character in each of the films he starred in for Sergio Leone (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). This gave him a distinct look in comparison to other cowboy characters in Western films, who usually wore dusters.

Pleats Please Issey Miyake $380

Or the platform shoes that brought my wobbly walking feet down the short runway to the Chuppah in 1975 to become married to my betrothed? . (Of course, all of this may have been that I have never worn platform shoes in my life before then)

Or the Quina tea-length off white nylon dress I wore under that Chuppah that was supposed to feel like silk but had that triple polyester feel to it. It had quite a bit of cleavage showing, so I had to do what any middle-class bride did and used a safety-pin to keep my boobs from popping out.

Pedal pushers or Capri? Pedal pushers are calf-length trousers that were popular during the 1950s and the early 1960s.^[1] First seen as Knickerbockers or “knickers”, they were baggy trousers that extended to or just below the knee and were most commonly fastened with either a button or buckle.I remember a photo of my mother wearing petal pushers; such a fashion statement. Capri pants followed the slim, body-conscious silhouette of the 50’s, Now we call them crop pants and are happy to wear them when it’s too hot for pants but it’s inappropriate to wear shorts wherever we’re going.

When I was in high school, hot pants were the thing. We had just revolutionized the school when they allowed us to wear pants, so hot pants weren’t going to make it to class. But, yes, to everywhere else!

And of course, let’s not forget our miniskirts. I remember mine being so short (and I was tall), that I had to crouch sideways to pick up something off the floor. I can’t believe my parents let me out looking like that!

The ’60s and ’70s were a time of great change in America. The Vietnam War was coming to an end, and the Civil Rights and Feminist movements were gaining momentum.

Young people were craving freedom, self-expression, and rebellion. This was the time when music festivals were born, and also when most of the current retro fashion trends became popular.

Mini skirts
BIG hair (afros, bouffants, and beehives)
Boho style
Bold prints (geometric, polka dot, animal – the list goes on!)
Bright colors (neons and tie-dye in particular)
Batik

Did you have one (or many) “poorboy” sweaters? The poorboy sweater was so skinny and small, it looked like you couldn’t afford a sweater that fit. The skintight style fit right into the swinging 60’s, and with its too-short sleeves and super-tight style, this skinny ribbed knit body sweater was a sure hit.

Did your sweaters feature a “circle pin”?

Have you seen the fishnet stocking young girls are wearing now? Remember how exciting it was to have hip-to-toe smoothness (remember garter belts?) covered by high-rise stretch vinyl and patent leather boots. Hated the fishnet stockings; after sitting in school all day, my legs had those spidery weave patterns all over them. Did sport those “go go” boots, however.

My granddaughter sports a fun fur vest reminiscent of Sonny Bono with Cher. Fun! But I did have a maxi-coat and corresponding 10-foot-long maxi-scarf. Every escalator in town warned its customers of the perils of having their coat or scarf caught in the escalator mechanisms.

Bell-bottoms became available for both men and women in the 1960s in Europe and America. In the 1970s, they became a mainstream fashion, and they were so popular that they became a symbol of the decade. Famous stars like Cher popularized bell-bottoms by wearing them on televisions and concerts. They are usually made from denim, bright cotton, and satin polyester and feared from the knee down, with bottom leg openings of up to two feet. They were usually worn with Cuban-heeled shoes, clogs, or Chelsea boots.

Prom dresses