I have absolutely no idea where the inspiration for today’s memory challenge came from unless it is from the mountain of laundry waiting for my attention. How two people generate so many dirty clothes is always a mystery to me.

But clothing is the thought for the day.

When I think about the clothes of my childhood I think of my grandmother because for many years she made most of my clothes. I remember a blue corduroy dress that had the best skirt for twirling, it would spin out around me like a cape.

Because we weren’t allowed to wear pants to school she made me dresses and jumpers. Oh how I hated those boring jumpers – scoop neck in front and back, a button on each shoulder, a blouse underneath. They hung straight from the shoulder with no give for running or jumping or spinning.

I remember needing special shoes when I was younger for some reason – I don’t know why – but we got them at the Stride Rite shoe store.

I remember white lacy anklet socks that folded down with a ruffle around the edge. I was only allowed to wear them on Sundays when we went to church.

I remember dotted swiss, lots of dotted swiss for skirts and netting underneath to make the dress stick out from my sides (and made it tough to sit down.)

My grandmother would buy her patterns, material and thread from BeeDees store downtown. I can remember going with her to sit on the high stool while she looked through the pattern books. I looked too but my vote never counted. She was a fan of rick rack trim and I had it on more clothes than I care to remember.

In elementary school, when we did buy clothes, it was always from Rhodes department store. Every once in a while I got to pick out something fun.

I remember my Brownie uniform.

I remember in 7th grade we were finally allowed to wear pants and I got a pair of white jeans. Beautiful white jeans. I couldn’t wait to wear them to school. Well you can imagine (at least if you are female I bet you can imagine) what happened to me the very first time I wore them. Sigh. They soaked in a bowl of bleach water after school.

I remember that for high school my mother and grandmother wouldn’t let me have a navy pea coat, even though that was what EVERYONE was wearing. I got stuck with a nylon windbreaker with red and white stripes. Not even in the same comfort zone for warmth.

I remember once I started skating competitively that my grandmother was aghast at the skating outfits I wore.

She also wasn’t too fond of my first day of high school outfit

nor the succession of mini skirts that followed.
 

But when I joined Little People, an offshoot of cheerleading, and needing a uniform in 24 hours, she whipped out that sewing machine and made it for me.

And I remember the bright green formal I wore for my first formal dance.

Your turn. What do you remember of clothes from your childhood?