The Good Ol' Days

When I was small, my mom wore the beahive hairdo and crazy colored, wacky patterned dresses. I missed the hat and glove era. However, I've done my best to cherish it all the same.

When I was pregnant with Shayne, my 16 year old - very pregnant - my then husband was a Youth Minister and we went to a big shindig for Youth Ministry where they had a party for all of the Youth Ministers and their wives. The theme for the evening was '50s, and we were all supposed to dress up in period clothing. He wanted to be a nerd, but I insisted he be the Fonzie type, because I figured that there would be plenty of nerds in a room full of Youth Ministers.

I, on the other hand, didn't feel comfortable showing up in a poodle skirt made for a 7 month pregnant woman, Keds, and a poney tail. So, I had made this blue and white polka dot dress that had a straight skirt (as "straight" as it could be) and a tent blouse with a sweetheart top. That would do. I borrowed a pair of horn-rimmed glasses , a hat to wear on my beahive hairdo, and a pair of gloves from my friend, and off we went.

Can you believe it? My husband was among about 100 Fonzies and I was voted best dressed! Ha! The nominees were asked to walk up on stage to parade before the whole crowd, and I think it was an audience vote that cinched the deal. When I walked on stage, I was shy - after all, I wasn't singing, just walking - so the natural thing for me to do was to do a parade wave. Everyone thought I was Jackie O. I didn't even know who that was at the time. I won a stuffed horse on a stick that whinnied for my baby boy, though, and it was a fun and memorable night.

I think that must have been the catalist for my passion for '50s fashion, though. I began to wonder how it was to have to put the whole outfit together, including the hat and the gloves and purse to match. Well, I had some idea, because that was pretty much how I was raised. Excluding the hat and gloves. No, I was taught to wear the hose, the girdle, the slip, the french cut push up bra (which came before the Victoria Secret bras), and the shoes had to match the purse. So I did have some idea of what it was all like, but, since I had gone so far, I figured it would not be bad to add the hat and gloves - and I loved that look.

I also loved to watch the fashions on "I Love Lucy" and the old movies. LOVE IT!! I just missed my era.

So now, on the 25th, we honor these fashions by wearing or displaying our hats at the Spring Tea. It'll be a good day.

Another fun thing that we're doing is an apron display. I hope women will bring their aprons, or their grandmothers' aprons, to display at a special place during the Tea this year. It will be fun to see what people come up with.

I remember my Nannie and Papa wearing aprons in the kitchen. My Papa was a fun loving man and he loved to cook. Was pretty good at it, too. Nannie had made two aprons - one was black and white gingham with white crosstiched flowers, and the other was a pink and gray gingham with a neat pocket of some kind. Papa was a big man, but he'd drape that apron around his front, pulling the ties around his chest, and wear that thing like it was armor. And it was, I guess. Nannie hated for him to soil his shirts, and he did quite often do just that. So, I guess he was trying his best to save Nannie a little more work by saving the splatters from his shirt - only to drop something on that big ol' belly that I loved during dinner. What a funny man he was. I just loved him so much.

I think Nannie gave me one of those aprons a few years ago, but I don't really remember if she did or if we had just talked about it. I'll have to go through my cedar chest to see if I can find one. I hope she did. I really do.