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Posts Tagged ‘at home clothing style’

Fashion History: The Housedress

Posted in Arts, Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged , , , , , , on June 1, 2021| 1 Comment »

A late 1940s shirtwaist housedress. Illustration from Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume & Style.

Housedresses are what women used to wear when they stayed at home. They didn’t flop around in their pajamas like we do today and sweats didn’t exist yet. People, both women and men, dressed at home, casually yes, but always presentable in fear of the unexpected guest.

Usually made of cotton, housedresses were a simple drop waist in the 1920s or a shirtwaist in the 1940s. The sheath silhouette in the 60s gave way to the billowy boho housedress of the 70s. Styles changed but the purpose didn’t – something nice to wear at home while doing housework or just lounging. (Men wore khaki slacks and a polo shirt, maybe jeans.) But by the 1980s women were working outside the home and the whole idea disappeared.

That is until Pandemic Year 2020. Stuck at home for months, by summertime last year women were looking for an alternative to leggings and tunics and designers were on it – the housedress.

Check back in with ODFL tomorrow when Housedress Week continues with a post about a vintage dress turned housedress.

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What to Wear to a Pandemic: At Home Attire

Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on March 31, 2020| 2 Comments »

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Festive satin lounge wear lifts my spirits as does the sparkly ring I have on.

Changing out of street clothes after I return home is something that I’ve always done, for a couple of reasons. One – it’s more comfortable. Two – I find it keeps my nice street clothes nice.

So, I have a small wardrobe of “at home attire.” It’s comprised of comfy cotton flannel pants, long sleeve t-shirts, and reassigned sweaters that are a bit tattered. I also have some pajama style lounge-wear and I usually top everything with a scarf or shawl.

In warmer weather I sport skirts with short-sleeve t-shirts, or I have a selection of simple cotton dresses. Even at home, it feels better to be “put together.” Lately, I’ve also been wearing my jewelry. What the heck – I have it, I like, I wear it!

Now that most of us around the globe are staying home, we’re probably not dressing. Perhaps even staying in our pajamas. Isn’t that kind of depressing? It helps to change into something different every day and show up at our home offices, laptops, or Zoom meetings looking our best under stressful circumstances.

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Michael Beller, Library Manager at Orinda Library, looking dapper while  working from home.

Librarian Michael Beller is doing just that. Working from home, he says that if he’s in a phone meeting or doing chat, he’s sporting his signature bow tie. “Even if they can’t see me, I feel more professional.”

I like that!

Remember, Keep Calm and Keep Your Distance. 

 

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