Something fashion related: were people more dressy in the past?

[Beorning]

Yesterday, I was looking through photos of Alexandra Bastedo in the late 60s show The Champions (because, what a woman. What. A. Woman.), and something occurred to me:

In the past, people were more prone to dressing up, weren't they?

In many of the photos, Ms. Bastedo's character is either in some elegant dress, or in a full classy suit. For example, she seems to be wearing suits when travelling... This doesn't happen today, doesn't it? Today, we dress in a more casual way. We don't wear suit for a jet plane, or something... Even the business dress code got a little more casual...

I was thinking about and I kind of miss women dressing like that. Classy way, that is. They looked nice  ;D Just look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kMyH6qw9WU

(clothes aside, look at Alexandra's beautiful updos! This style should come back!)

Anyway, am I right? Were people more... buttoned up in the past? More concerned with looking elegant? Not only women - in the old movies, men are always wearing ties and all...

[Beguile's Mistress]

People weren't necessarily more buttoned up but the era had a dress code people followed usually out of respect for themselves and each other.  Today things are much more casual.  What women call tank tops today would have been considered underwear back then.  Styles change and just as corsets have gone out of fashion so have girdles.  I was raised primarily by my grandparents who went to church in suits and hats and gloves until the day they died.  I feel more comfortable wearing a dress and heels to church, business suits and such for work and slacks when I'm out shopping.  I guess I fall somewhere between my grandparents style and the anything goes attitudes about dress today.

[Beorning]

People weren't necessarily more buttoned up but the era had a dress code people followed usually out of respect for themselves and each other.  Today things are much more casual.

That was what I meant... people were expected to dress more officially and nicer in public then, I think... At least, that's what is apparent from that era's movies and TV shows.

On the other hand, this is almost the same time as Woodstock and the hippie era. There is such a contrast between hippies and what is shown in shows like The Champions that I have trouble believing they were made in almost the same year...

As I said, I miss well-dressed women :) On the other hand, I'm a hypocrite here, because I wouldn't want to wear suits and ties all the time. Suits are fine, but ties??? One of the most awful clothing articles ever. Women have it better: even their dressy clothes aren't stupid.  ;)

BTW. A video with a better shots at Alexandra's hair (warning: includes hypnosis):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCC7DF4OKEs

How can she have such a big updo??? She seems to have a ton of hair on her head!

[Lux12]

I'll say this...I'm a little depressed you can't find clothing in 18th century European style that easily these days. Everything looked so elegant back then. Even their military uniforms! I mean, look at them!

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

[Oniya]

I think this is part of the appeal of Steampunk.  Top hats, tail-coats, ah, Victoria!

[Valthazar]

I also appreciate how people dressed in the past.  But people today also notice elegance and class, even if it occurs on a subconscious level.  Little things like wearing clean ironed clothes, tucking in your shirt with a belt, shaving your face, and combing your hair go a really long way in presenting yourself in a positive light.

[Beguile's Mistress]

How can she have such a big updo??? She seems to have a ton of hair on her head!

Hair was seldom cut short in those days so there was a lot to work with from the start.  The curls in her updo were formed around rollers or soft drink/beer cans for the effect.  Also, there were devices called 'rats' made of hair used to build up a hairdo.  They were used until the 40s to achieve the rolled shapes women wore for hair at the temples or in buns at the nape of the neck.  In the 70s 'falls' were used to achieve a longer, fuller, thicker effect in hairdos.

[Beorning]

Hm. Do women still use rollers or any of these devices (they were like artificial buns etc., right?)?

[Oniya]

Hair pieces for women are still quite a big business.

[Beorning]

Hm. And women don't feel a bit weird about it?

I mean... a couple meets for a date, a woman presents herself with glorious hair... and then, they end up in bed and... zonk! Women takes off a hair bun... ;)

[Oniya]

I know I would, but I've seen enough 'Caught on Tape' catfights where trying to grab off the other woman's 'falls' is a common tactic to know that not all women think that way.  Would it be any different from a woman presenting herself with blue eyes and then removing the colored contacts?  Or presenting herself as having flawless skin and then washing off her foundation?

[Beorning]

Good question. Personally speaking, I have nothing against make-up, but using hairpieces etc.? It's almost as if someone was putting on a costume...

[Oniya]

And yet, if someone wearing classic Victorian garb walked down the street, a lot of people would say/think 'Nice costume'.

[Beguile's Mistress]

Since taking yourself apart would usually only happen if you hooked up and went home together you could apply one of two philosophies here.  Go natural if you are looking for a more long term relationship and add the enhancements later or use the enhancements to facilitate the one-time encounter and don't worry about shedding them when you get to where you are going.  You can sleep in contacts and have sex without dislodging a hairpiece or just not care what he or she thinks about it after sex.  Padded bras come off and the chest is smaller.   High heels are shed and the line of the legs is changed.  Smudged makeup is often a worse look than having nothing on your face.

[Beorning]

Padded bras come off and the chest is smaller.   High heels are shed and the line of the legs is changed.  Smudged makeup is often a worse look than having nothing on your face.

Fake cool tattoos are removed... Waist-thinning belt comes off and reveals a significant tummy...  ;)

I don't know. Artificial hair just feel like... cheating.

[Oniya]

But it's very well-established cheating - the first wigs that we know of were made in Pharonic Egypt:

http://fashion-history.lovetoknow.com/fashion-history-eras/history-wigs

[TaintedAndDelish]

I blame Walmart of this generation of general dishevelment.

http://youtu.be/ghrDIQ-K8mg

http://youtu.be/0BMP4wdG4CQ

[Lilias]

Artificial hair just feel like... cheating.

A lot of those buns are not really fake hairpieces, just real hair wrapped around a 'donut' (very popular with ballet students, who may not have the kind of hair that will easily go into those sleek regulation buns).

Dyeing one's hair used to be considered cheating as well, but it has come to be considered accessorising.

I blame Walmart of this generation of general dishevelment.

You reminded me of a hilarious piece an old friend of mine wrote a few years ago. If only it hadn't been lost in the mists of the net after the closure of Y360.