FASHIONS
Articles collected from September 8th, 1950 - March 24th, 1955

WOMEN'S DRESS
It might be interesting to think about the dress of the people who lived and moved and had their being in those days about which we have been reminiscing. Well, when I was a kid, we didn't see quite so much of the female sex as we do now. Not by a long chalk. Schoolgirls, for instance, wore a plain skirt and waist and long stockings. When they dressed for a party, they had their hair "frizzed," and a ribbon tied about it. Usually they wore a sash about the waist and a starched dress that rustled and crackled when they walked. And of course, one mustn't touch them when so attired for fear of mussing their dress. Skirts were knee-length and shoes were buttoned. I haven't seen a pair of buttoned shoes in a dog's age. Women's dresses were long, sweeping the ground, over several petticoats. They of course, wore "stays." And a hat and a veil. Don't overlook the veil, for goodness sake. The darlings wouldn't think of spoiling the complexion by getting tanned. And freckles were not to be thought of. Sometimes the dresses buttoned down the back and sometimes they adorned the front. I have a picture of my mother, in which she wore a one-piece dress, with long sleeves. It was buttoned up close to the throat; it was form fitted about the upper body and about a million buttons all the way down the front. What a change has come o'er the spirit of the female of the species. Nowadays, it would almost seem to a mere male, that the dear creatures were only too anxious to see how little they can wear without being arrested for indecent exposure. It used to be, for instance, that the law required one going bathing to be "clothed from shoulder to knee". There is this to be said, however, that the modern female garb is very attractive and when not too daring, is an improvement on some of the old styles.

[From September 25^th, 1952:]
To resume our dissertation about the female sex, I was thinking of the changes that have come about in women. What set me thinking on this line was the sight of some pictures of people of a bygone day. I don't for a moment mean that there have not been changes in the male sex, but men have not changed very much. Now the dear ladies. How many remember the long form fitting dresses of our mothers' day. I was looking at a picture of my mother with my youngest brother. Mother was wearing a full-length dress that touched the floor and had about a thousand buttons all the way down the front. Then there came the dress, still full length, with huge puffy sleeves known as "Leg of Mutton," and we poor males had to assist by tucking in the sleeves when a coat was to be donned. Of course, we didn't mind helping the dear ladies out to that extent. Shoes were well up over the ankles and were buttoned. I came across one of the old buttonhooks the other day. I saw some ladies on the street the other day and were they tanned. In the early days, for a lady to get even a suspicion of a tan was unthinkable. Veils and sunshades were a necessary part of Madam's equipment when she sallied forth. Sometimes she used a little face powder and one who used rouge was regarded as a hussy.

To expose even a very little of the lower limbs just wasn't done. Bathing suits were long enough to extend from the shoulder to the knee, in fact the law required that in both men and women. Hats in my time varied from those about a yard wide to something resembling a hood. I have wondered what some ladies of that day would think of some of the female sights to be seen now. Then it was the thing to be modest, to shrink from attracting the rude gaze of other people. Now, with some of our ladies it seems to be the fashion to expose as much of the person as the law would permit. What would they think of the bobbed hair, the plucked eyebrows, the smeared mouths and the gallons of paint that some fancy? What about the shoes with the toes out and the bare stockingless legs?

I suppose if some of the females of our day read this, they'll say what does that old fogie know about women. Let me say this: I would not want to see our women go back to the dress of our grandmothers' day, but what I do want to put across if I can, is the seeming lack of modesty in our girls and women. The false complexions, the silly rivalry in pain and cosmetics do not attract men, at least decent men. There is one style of hair wearing that I see on some of our women. They bundle up their back hair and tie it up with a piece of string or ribbon till it sticks out behind like a horse's tail and they think it becoming. So it is, becoming silly. Some of the costumes of the day are quite becoming, however, especially on some of our teenagers when they are really clad. That's all about women for now. More some day perhaps.

[Undated:]
I dare say, some of you are expecting me to stub my toes over ladies' garb. Now, there is where you get variety. Most of the dear ones aim to be in the fashion and yet be different. I don't suppose any of the girls of today ever saw a bustle, to say nothing of a "hoop skirt." I can just remember them, although they were pretty well out of fashion even in my early days. There is the frame or set of wire hoops hanging up in a closet upstairs. It was there when we moved in and I have not the slightest idea who wore them. But they belong to the past. Golly, how I would like to see some of our modern day belles in a rig like that. I have a picture of my mother dressed in a long skirt or rather a full length dress, close fitting about the upper part and buttoned all the way from neck to toe, several dozen buttons in all.

Then, in my early days, the dears adopted a fashion of narrow or tight skirts. As they had not yet shortened them, they sometimes caused embarrassment, when incautiously stepping into or out of a conveyance. Of course, a display of ones' lower limbs, even if they were shapely, was not to be thought of.

I remember that when bicycles began to be in use by the fair sex, some of them adopted a style of garb that, while it may have been useful, it was not handsome or attractive to the male eye. It consisted of a pair of tight pants with leggings and a sort of coat that reached down to about half way between the waist and the knee. I was in Buffalo one day and I ran across a party of country folk just in on the Grand Trunk Railway. There was an old chap in the party with a long gray beard and a cane. Just as they stepped onto Main Street, four female bicycle riders passed along garbed as I have tried to describe. The old chap stopped as if he had been shot and he stared after those females as if he couldn't believe his eyes. He emitted a deep breath and turned to his party with his eyes fairly popping. "Well, I'll be galldarned," he said. "Did ye see that?" As is in many cases, it's a fact that women and girls like to dress to catch the male eye. Now I hear a female chorus, "That ain't so." I sometimes think it would do the little dears good to hear what the rude males thing of their get up.

I remember in my early days, it was quite a job to assist a girl into her coat. They then had a sleeve, the common name of it was "Leg Of Mutton." As the coats were not built to match, it was some job to bundle a bushel of sleeve into a peck of coat. And hats, there you have it. From a yard wide to a wisp of ribbon, they vary as fashion dictates. I remember in my early days in the church choir that, between the wide hats and the huge sleeves, we in the rear seats were quite overshadowed. When the choir was divided, it was a relief. For one thing, it did away with a certain amount of rivalry among the ladies. The only other thing I should like to say about the feminine dress is this: men like to see their women decently clad and not too much of their persons exposed to view. They like and admire modesty, at least decent men do.

I have sometimes though that it would be a good idea to adopt some sort of uniform for our schoolchildren, a simple and inexpensive getup with perhaps something to distinguish between the different grades. This idea of uniformity is nothing strange as we use it in most of our sports and games. Some cheap, durable material could be chosen that could be taken off on arrival at home. Think this over, you mothers and fathers.

I wish to just say one thing more in this article: we are to have the Scout Jamboree. Don't you think it is time to get a proper OFFICIAL COLLAR for our Mayor? The Governor-General will be here and I think that this Old Historic Town should have something dignified and official for our Mayor.

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MEN'S CLOTHING
Men's garb has not changed in the main, except for the teenagers. Some of the fantastic outfits I see are enough to make us oldsters rub our eyes and wonder what menagerie some of the kids have escaped from. I very much fear that the male sex of this day are aping their sisters in trying to look remarkable. And, by gum, some of them look as if they were intended to be used to mop the floor. However, my Dad used to have a saying, "there's reason in all things." We never used to think of going bareheaded out of doors. Now, it sort of makes me smile to see kids bareheaded on a cold winter day with a pair of earmuffs. Certainly "times have changed since Hannah died."

[From September 25^th, 1952]
In the matter of clothing, men have changed from boots to the low shoes now in vogue. The Derby Hat was once the headgear for men. Now you see the darndest variety of caps one can imagine and colours. Wow', some of them are certainly outlandish. But more of this later on.

[From March 24^th, 1955:]
There is not so much difference in the garb of the men. Their lower limbs have not changed much. The shoes have perhaps a little more variety. You don't see the top boots any more, but in the rubbers that have displaced them, you can see almost anything in footwear. Now in coats, there has been much change. You don't see the Prince Albert any more, nor the cut-away. I remember one young chap with pride in his eye, sporting a long coat adorned with a double row of large imitation pearl buttons and he had a derby hat and a pair of buttoned boots and was he a sight for sore eyes.

[Undated]
The Top Hat seems to have disappeared as an article of everyday wear, nowadays and even of Sunday or Holiday wear. The Derby or the Homburg seems to have displaced it, while the Fedora is the most commonly seen. Most of our clergy seem to have given up the clerical headgear that used to be so distinctively parson-like. As for caps, we "you pays your money and you takes your choice." One cap that I never see any more is what we used to call "The Fore-And-After." It had a peak before and behind, with usually a pair of earflaps tied over the top. And no man thinks of wearing a shawl any more. I remember the late William Kirby and his shawl, with a sash or girdle about the waist. Even the girls don't wear sashes any more.

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CHILDREN'S CLOTHING
I have been thinking over changes that have come over people, their habits and their clothing, particularly in the way they dress their children. I see the little people passing and I note the variety of garb that adorns their persons. Does anybody know what a cloud was in our young days? I don't mean the vaporous gatherings that pass across the sky. No, a cloud was a common part of the cold weather protection, which was a common thing. It was a long, knitted scarf of woolen material. It would envelop your head, your neck and go around your waist. And were they warm. Nowadays, you never see them. Gone too is the warm shawl and the sash. A girl wasn't dressed for a party without a sash. As for us boys, we never wore underclothes. We wore warm shirts and our pants were well lined. I might mention right here that heavy pants, well lined were a protection from more than the weather. When dad or the teacher saw fit to use a strap or a slat on our anatomy, those garments, aided of course by a good loud howl or two, and a few tears, served to make punishment a lot lighter than one would expect.

We used to wear top boots in the winter. Not rubber ones of course, but boots of substantial leather. I remember when my Dad bought me a pair with bright copper toecaps and the legs in front were adorned with a bright red patch of leather that you could see a mile away. My, I was proud of those boots. So proud, in fact, that I couldn't resist the temptation to try those copper toecaps on the shins of a neighbour boy. Not that I had anything against him. I paid for my fun, though when my Dad heard of the incident. I don't suppose anyone would know a bootjack if he fell over one. You couldn't just dump those top boots off. They had to be pulled off and a bootjack was a very useful piece of the kitchen furniture. We usually wore long woolen stockings that came up over the knee. A boy's pants terminated about half way between the knee and the ankle and a boy wouldn't dream of wearing long pants till he was quite grown up. It makes me smile when I see the little old men passing and I sometimes think of them as big boys who had been washed too often and had got shrunken. You know it just doesn't do to wash a boy too much, for he isn't normal without some part of his physic being adorned by a few smudges. You girls' needn't laugh. I remember one of my own daughters once being given the chore of washing her face. When I inadvertently called her attention to the fact that she hadn't done a good job, she retorted, "Well, I couldn't find the dirty spots."

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BOYS' GARB [From March 24^th, 1955]
Having been a boy at one time, let us start with boys. When I was small, clothing a boy was simple. If he had a father or an older brother, he usually had made-overs for his wear. There were not the ready-mades then; when anything like that came along, it was generally referred to as "a hand me down." We wore pants that came down to about halfway between the knee and the ankle. When you reached the long pants stage, you were grown up. I well remember how awkward I felt when I first appeared in public in my first long pants. We never wore rubbers, but we had stout leather boots and when Spring came, we went barefoot, except of course, when going to School or Church. In winter, we wore top boots and I remember a pair my Dad got me of which I was very proud. They had bright red fronts at the top and shining copper toecaps. About the first time I wore them, I had to try those toecaps on the shins of the boy next door, for which I got into deep disgrace. Some stinging rebukes from my male parent ensued and they did sting, for a leather belt vigorously applied made itself felt. About that time, I would have been decidedly in favor of the abolition of corporal punishment. It taught me one lesson however, and I thereafter carefully refrained from kicking people's shins, although I must admit that I have met people who merited a darn good kick or two. There has been a lot of change about boys' heads. When I look at the mop of wool on some heads, I think of our hair-do. We delighted in being shorn good and short. It had advantages, too. You didn't have much trouble combing it for one thing and it didn't make much of a refuge for the little mites that used to be quite often found in both boys' and girls' hair. We were subject to frequent inspections both at home and at school. Then, for another thing, we were not allowed to go bareheaded like boys do not and that goes for boys of a larger growth, especially when the fur on top is getting thin and sparse. We wore a good warm cap in winter and a straw hat in summer. That is one article of clothing that seems to have disappeared. We wore a wide straw in summer for everyday wear. We called it a "Cow's Breakfast." The smaller hat was sometimes called "A Boater", and then there was the "Panama".

I have a picture in my mind of seeing a man galloping madly down Yonge Street in Toronto, in pursuit of a straw hat spinning gaily along before a brisk wind. He was not aware that his hat was trailing out behind him at the length of a string to which it was attached. He overtook the pursued boater and was brushing the dust from it when a man's hand reached out and grasped the hat and a voice thanked him for recovering his hat. It was only then that he learned of what a sight he must have made with all Yonge Street enjoying the chase. I must confess that he was not at all glad to have his hat so firmly attached to his person that they had proved inseparable.

In the winter, we wore home-knitted stocking and mitts and a necessary part of a boys winter equipment was a long warm woolen muffler, which helped very materially in keeping us warm. That short hair was an advantage too, when we went swimming. There were no sweaters then. Occasionally, a man would wear what was called a "Cardigan Jacket." It was like the modern buttoned sweater but made of heavy material. When I look out of my window and see the get-up of some of our little men who pass by, I have to think of what a difference there is to that of my early days.

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LADIES FASHIONS
Another change that I notice in our people is that of dress. A lady, at one of the recent meetings of the Historical Society, gave quite an exhibition of Women's hats. Of course, we know that hats are items that change with every wind. But in the matter of garb, what a difference there is. I have an old picture of my mother wearing a long, sweeping dress with some dozens of buttons all down the front. The dress was close fitting above, but quite voluminous below. Women's shoes were far different from present daywear. They came well above the ankles and were buttoned. I have one of the old buttonhooks that were in use. Needless to say that a husband became quite adept at wielding one of these tools. In fact, many men wore button boots, particularly for dress wear. The poor men have not changed so much in their garments, but more of that later on.

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FASHIONS OF THE EARLY 1900'S
One change that has come over the Male Sex is in the style of haircut. When I was young, men and boys usually had their hair short cut in the spring, but in the winter it was allowed to grow a bit. Men did not run about in all kinds of weather bareheaded. In the winter a warm cap was worn while in summer, a straw hat took its place. Both of these were for protection, the one from cold, the other from heat. We kids usually wore a wide straw hat in summer, its common name being "Cow's Breakfast." We wore no underclothes, but our pants were lined and we wore warm shirts. Small boys wore short pants and long stockings and we felt quite grown up when we were promoted to long pants. Such a thing as shorts were unheard of and if a female had appeared in public in some of the latter day get ups, she would have been relegated to the list of women who are no better than they ought to be. I must confess that to me, it is extremely unseemly for our girls to strut the streets flaunting their charms to the gaze of all that pass by.

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MEN'S HEADWEAR
I guess I'd better switch from ladies to the ruder sex. I must confess that it gets my goat to see a boy with a bang hanging down over his eyes and the everlasting flinging of his head back, to clear his vision. The commonest headgear for men was the Derby Hat, now very little seen. It used to be quite a common thing to sport a Top Hat, especially for dress wear. I have not seen one in Town in a long time. The soft hat has replaced the Derby, or Christy Stiff, as we used to call it, and the straw hat has about disappeared. I often used to hear Toronto allude to as being known for its "straw hats, baby carriages and excursions." Many a good straw hat we fished out of the river.

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MEN'S FOOTWEAR
Items of men's garb that have changed considerably are found on men's feet. I'm referring specifically to rubbers. We never wore rubbers when I was young. We had what was called top boots, which were made of leather and came up to the knees. They were not those boots that lace up part way but were one tall leg. It was quite a job sometimes, to get them on or off, especially if they were at all wet. They had to be kept well greased to prevent their cracking. I don't suppose that many of the present day wearers of footwear would know a bootjack if they fell over one. Our ordinary shoes or boots were much more substantial than those of the present day. We had canvas shoes for summer wear, but they had light leather soles. We kids never sported such goods, for we went barefoot in summer. I think I can feel the sensation of relief when we would get home from school and get the shoes off. Of course, one's feet would be pretty tender at first, but they would soon toughen up so that one could walk on cinders or thistles without any inconvenience. I remember seeing some African natives at the Toronto Fair and they danced barefoot on broken glass and I even saw one mount to a platform on a ladder whose rungs were saw blades, teeth uppermost. Of course, their foot soles were tough as leather.

However, in some ways, men's garb has changed for the better. It makes me smile, however, to see a man bareheaded in extremely cold weather with a pair of earmuffs clamped on his ears. I remember a High School Teacher whom I saw one morning, pedaling up the street on his way to school. He was well muffled up including his legs. He had a fur coat, fur gloves, and heavy overshoes, but his bally head was bare and I mean bare, for his pate was practically devoid of any hirsute covering. Well, I couldn't help thinking: "I've seen every kind of a darn fool now." I suppose now the winter is over, I can feel safe in venturing abroad after that blast.

I guess we had better change the subject and leave the wearing apparel alone. I happened to look out of my window the other day and I beheld a very small edition of the Genus Homo passing and as I looked, he stopped for a moment, took hold of the peak of his cap and made a quite ceremonious bow. He ambled along a bit and repeated the gesture, and I wondered what in thunder he was supposed to be doing. I suppose that he was quite unconscious of any eye being on him. It is quite interesting to see some of the antics of the kids as they pass. Some of them are quite accomplished "Poseurs", as the French would say.

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