Mamaw's Place

Have you ever noticed how styles change over the years, but some things reappear with new names. I remember in my younger days laughing at some of the clothing worn by my mother's generation. I remember my children doing the same to me. And I'm sure their children will do the same. No matter how much humor we find in fashion changes, some things keep cropping back up with new names. The very things we laughed at are created with new names and become all the rage. Here are some examples: Farmers would stick them in their back overalls pocket and call them handkerchiefs. Women would tie them around their hair to clean house and call then kerchiefs. They even showed up around necks as bandannas. Now cyclists tie them in a new fashion and call them doo rags. In the 50's they were known as floppies. They were cheap and made of rubber. You'd run and play or wear them around the house. If they tore up, they were easily replaced. In the late 60's and early 70's they were more stylish and had adornments and were called thongs. In the 80's and 90's they became flip flops (some still call them that today). Now they come in all colors and styles. Some have added small heels to give them a dressier look. Some have added doodads and beads and call them sandals. Flip flops that were once used for play are now considered acceptable for work, church, school or just everyday comfort.

Back in my day, we called them coulottes. They had big, comfortable legs. They were more comfortable than a skirt. You could wear them for play or for dress, depending on how they looked. Some were shorter, some were longer. Now they call them gauchos. I really can't see any difference other than the name.

The one that cracks me up is pedal pushers. We wore them growing up and we loved them. They were all the rage. But let your kids see a picture of you in pedal pushers and here you say that name and they die laughing. But in the late 70's to mid 80's, they reappeared as crop pants. EVERYBODY had to have a pair. They were THE thing to dress up in. I remember my daughter and I having crop pants and you just HAD to wear them with jelly shoes (remember those). That fad faded and was buried away. Crop pants were no longer "the thing." Now, here we are in the 21st century with Capri pants. Is it just me or are we right back to pedal pushers again? I can't see a big difference.

I didn't even cover mini-skirts, the midi, hot pants vs. daisy dukes. But you get my drift. The very things we saw our mothers wearing in public are the very things we rush out and buy off the rack. I even saw some flip flops this year that are made out of the jelly shoe material.

Do designers really think they have come up with a new fad or do they just sit around looking at old photos until somebody says, "Check this out. Pedal pushers. Hey, let's reinvent those and call them capri pants."

I've often heard the saying "The more things change, the more they remain the same." If you don't believe that, look at fashions.