Mother and Daddy were by no means financially wealthy. After all, Daddy was a brick mason, and Mother didn't work outside the home. So they had to be judicious with their money. But they knew good fashion, quality clothing, and the fashions of the times. Sometimes by overt statements but mainly by their example, they taught us kids some important fashion lessons.
Mother wore plain and simple house dresses when she was at home. She certainly never dressed like June Cleaver or Harriet Nelson in their respective TV programs. No pearl necklace or fancy dresses for her while she cooked, gardened, or cleaned house!
But when she went out, whether to church or just to do grocery shopping, she dressed well. The accompanying photo must have been taken when we were headed to church, and it shows her typical Sunday attire: nice dress, hat, gloves, and a purse that matched her shoes.
The hat was never wide and ostentatious. It often, however, featured a thin, wispy little veil. (As a kid, I could never understand the function of the veil, unless it was to keep flies or mosquitos away from her forehead and eyes.)
Daddy, too, was a dresser. Although he never seemed concerned with how he looked when working--wearing pocket T-shirts until they were holey and faded--he did dress up whenever he went out. On our visits "uptown" to Millers on Henley Street or the various stores along Gay Street in Knoxville, he always was dressed much as he is in this photo. In the winter, he might have worn a hat or driving cap. In the summer, he might not wear a tie, but that was the extent of his nod to comfort and casualness. His hair might not always be combed neatly, but he was dressed up!
Whenever they went out to celebrate their anniversary, they both dressed up, too. Daddy would save all year so they could afford to go to the Regas Restaurant uptown. (That's the upscale restaurant in Knoxville where Dave Thomas got his start in the food industry long before Wendy's was even a thought.) Daddy always wore his best suit and Mother her best dress, earrings, and necklace. And, if the weather warranted it (after all, it was December), she would put on her winter coat with the mink stole.
From as far back as I can remember, our parents had us dress up for church or any special occasion. We were not uncomfortable wearing dress shirts, ties, sport coats or suits (except the wool one that made me itch), and dress pants and dress shoes.
And as we grew older, they taught us important lessons about appropriate dress. We often heard the command, "Tuck your shirt tail in!" To this day, I feel a little ill at ease wearing my tail outside my pants, but necessity sometimes requires it. For example, I'm told it helps hide my more-than-ample spread, and it surely makes possible concealed carry!
Daddy taught me rules about suits that I still try to follow today, even if most people don't. Suit pants should be just long enough that the crease breaks when the cuff touches the shoe. They should be lose enough that one could get them on even when wearing shoes. (Daddy would never have been seen wearing the "skinny jeans" in style today. Neither will I!)
The cuff of a suit coat or sport jacket, he taught me, should reveal about an inch of the shirt cuff. And the coat should be just long enough that its hem fits within the crook of the middle knuckles when the arms are held at the sides.
Daddy also taught me to trust the fashion wisdom of the makers of Wembley ties. The label on the back of every tie, their advertising bragged, included a "Color Guide that tells at a glance what color suit the tie goes best with." I learned to ensure that my ties always matched by reading on the label "Blue, black, or gray" or "Brown, olive, or tan."
Whenever Daddy bought a suit, it was always the best. When I went to college and needed a high-quality suit, he gave me one of his Hart Schaffner & Marx suits. I'll bet I was the only freshman (or maybe even male student) on campus who wore a Hart Schaffner & Marx suit! Like the ad said, it made me feel as though I had "arrived!"
Another important lesson our parents taught us took into consideration our family finances. "You might not have the most expensive clothes, but you can always be clean." For them, cleanliness was, indeed, next to godliness!
"And don't forget to wear clean underwear. You never know when you might be in a wreck!"
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