Okay.
I admit it. Sometimes the blog muse slips away for a while. I’m a bit
obsessive, so if I find tasks in the real world to be demanding – whether they
really are or not – the muse just goes away. And it’s not just the blog muse –
also the sewing muse, the crocheting muse, the study muse, and to some extent,
the cooking muse. So, with the approach of the regional P.E.O.
Founders’ Day luncheon, I found that all the muses had disappeared. As acting chairperson, I was in charge of
registration with positive duties prior to the deadline and negative duties
afterwards. (“You mean she can’t come?” asked Mike incredulously as I refused
admittance to one who had overlooked the registration deadline.) I was also the
detail person and the liaison between my chapter (host for the event) and the
event center.
The Founders’ Day event was yesterday and I feel so relieved that it’s over! Now I’m
making the effort to coax all the muses back to work. Our luncheon theme was “Hats
Off to P.E.O.,” and so I’m posting pictures of some of the vintage hats that
decorated the luncheon tables. I think it provided quite the trip down memory
lane for our guests, many of whom are in their 70s and 80s.
I
was a young adult in the early ‘70s when it seemed that our collective attitude
toward clothes began to change, but I remember the day when the quality of one’s
wardrobe was important. I grew up in a small town (some would call it a village),
but my mother wore a dress to go down town and dressed even more carefully when
she went to the bank. Mother believed that the quality of her appearance was
reflected in the service she received. We put on our dresses to shop in
Lewiston. We dressed up even more to shop in Spokane, wearing Sunday dresses
with full accessories – shoes, purse, gloves, hats. If my sisters were going along, we would ask one another what we planned to wear and coordinate accordingly.
To
tell you the truth, I wasn’t sorry to see that kind of formality disappear. It
makes my feet hurt to think about it. And tell you what – our feet did hurt. Ridiculous! And I don’t
miss the time and thought focused on physicality – because it did take a lot of
time, both planning and shopping. My mother was devoted to both her wardrobe and
mine, and my body (my "figure problems") were thoroughly scrutinized. My mother stood guardian of what I
could wear and what I couldn’t, and she wasn’t wrong. In fact, she was quite
good at wardrobe planning, right down to the jewelry. It’s just that I really do enjoy not having to think in those terms.
Sure,
you can say that women’s wear today does include style and accessorizing, but
it’s simply not what it used to be. One guest at the luncheon pointed out that
buying the right shade of nylons was important, a point I had forgotten. I don’t
regret that that kind of detail-oriented dressing has disappeared. What I miss is
the sense of being “put together” for the best personal presentation. On the
other hand, my feet are so happy! KW 
4 comments:
I surely don't miss those days of stockings and dressing up to go shopping. And my feet hurt, too! I remember it all well. Our mothers were kindred spirits in the wardrobe department--Mom would never go downtown without dressing up, always something with a skirt. I can't remember the last time I wore anything besides pants.
Now you can get back to whatever you choose. You did your job well and it's behind you.
Yes -- she was "neat as a pin" and so were you.
I wore a dress when Hallie got married. I have one skirt in my wardrobe -- I've had it for 15 years. Now and then I have call to wear it. I keep thinking I should replace it, but then I ask myself why. I see many in the catalogs just about like it. Oh -- and I wore a skirt to the centennial farm presentation -- and wished I hadn't.
Where did you get the hats?
I am not an event planner in the least little way. I'm having my Tupperware party tomorrow and will be relieved to have it over. In retrospect, I don't know what I was thinking.
One of our chapter sisters collects hats and accessories. She used paper cups to support the hats. It seemed like almost instant decorating.
I wondered if you knew what you were thinking. It's easy to get carried away in the moment. And you liked the hostess gift.
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