I recently watched an old silent movie on Turner Classic Movies. It brought back memories. It reminded me of the photographs of my dad and mother when they were dating back in the 1920s. My, how styles have changed.

Mother didn't have Shirley Temple curls like some of the women in the movies. Her hair was straighter than that. Mother did keep the pencil thin eyebrows of the era. After applying bright red lipstick and adding rosy cheeks, she would dab loose powder on her face with a big powder puff as a finishing touch. At home, mother wore an apron all the time. That was a good idea. It saved on the wear and tear of her everyday dresses.

Dad didn't wear blue jeans. Denim was only used for bib overalls. He did wear those. Old dress pants were utilized for everyday use as well. A blue chambray work shirt was the uniform of the day for a working man. I don't remember Dad wearing anything else unless he was dressed up in a suit and tie.

Dad parted his hair in the middle with both sides slicked back. He celebrated Decoration Day (now Memorial Day) by wearing a white carnation in his lapel since his mother was dead. Another tradition observed by most men was that of wearing a straw hat in public from Decoration Day to Labor day. It was never worn before or after those dates.

Women didn't wear white or flowery prints before or after Decoration day. They didn't wear shorts in public either. I remember the woman next door, in the late 1930s, pushing her baby carriage down the sidewalk wearing shorts. The neighborhood was abuzz with gossip. She was considered a “loose woman” after that. Don't even mention slacks. Katherine Hepburn could get away with it in the movies. Most women out in public could not.

I remember when I first saw a woman smoke. I was appalled. Only men smoked cigarettes back in the day. Oh yes, Grandma Stimer smoked a clay pipe at the turn of the century of the 1900s, but that was only done in private. In the 30s and the 40s all the movie stars were smoking on the screen. I remember seeing women, in 1945, smoking on the street in New York City. I thought, “How cool!” Back home, I lit a cigarette as I walked on a downtown sidewalk. The frowns I received made me quickly drop it and not do that again.

I remember when to be dressed up you had to wear white gloves and a hat, preferably with a veil. When was the last time you saw a woman wearing a hat? You might see them on women on TV showing them off at the Kentucky Derby or pictures of royalty in London. What about skirt lengths? If the fashion was just below the knee, every women wore it at that length. A mini skirt back in the day would probably have had her arrested for indecent exposure. Fashion is much more casual and individualized today.

Today, at ninety-one, I can dress any way I want to dress and wear my hair any way I want to. Gone are the days of blued grey hair and finger waves. I haven't wore white gloves since the 1940s. Good riddance!