Nifty Nineties

Sweet yes! Nostalgic most definitely!

S stands for shirt dresses! See! She wore her favorite shirt dress.

Indeed, vogue and fashion have never been a focus or priority for me. As one who has never taken fashion seriously, my clothes sense would best be described as practicable and sensible. Never pretentious!

Growing up, my mother made most of my clothes as well as my sisters' clothes. Occasionally, we were given hand me downs which were welcomed and appreciated. Never looked down upon!

At work ages ago, a co-worker of mine was talking to me about how hard it was for her to stay in style and fashion. In my opinion, she considered herself to be a snazzy dresser. In recollection, my response that fashion didn't interest me invariably caught her by surprise. We were in Alaska at the time. Who worries about fashion in Alaska? However, it was the 70s that might explain everything!

By the 80s, business suits became my preferred attire and never worried about whether it was fashionable or not. Purchasing business suits from second-hand stores, only the quality and the price were more important than whether the suits were glamorous or fashionable.

Ultimately, during the 90s, my choice of work clothes turned to the shirt dress which appeared to be popular at the time. Besides, you could add the 80's costume jewelry or a new scarf and you were ready to go. Preferring and looking for comfort over glamour, my focus was on being neat and comfortable in an office environment that allowed smoking and having to deal with secondhand smoke which was an obvious concern. Thankfully, the problem was quickly resolved. A no-smoking ordinance was passed banning smoking in the building and putting a stop to secondhand smoke.

Admittedly, for me, fashion was never considered. What mattered to me was that the popular and iconic shirt dress personally fulfilled my clothing needs and was acceptable attire in the workplace.

Nevertheless, my innocuous thoughts were as long as clothes were clean, you could do your own thing, and you could dress as you pleased. In a way, the shirt dresses became my non-fashion fashion statement. Of course, it comes as no surprise in the 90s that my closest was filled with khaki, striped, floral, green, teal, red long sleeve and short sleeve shirt dresses. For me, my fashion style and fashion sense were accomplished in my own practical way.

In fact, my collection of shirt dresses continued to be worn long into the 2000s. Really, in the 2000s, were the shirt dresses fashionable? Probably not; but, my love for the basic and beautiful iconic shirt dresses never wavered.

Of course, besides work, there are so many memories in conjunction with my shirt dresses. The iconic shirt dresses were worn and would take me to after-work events and parties on Greenville Avenue, concerts, visits to Dallas Blooms, movies, the Dallas Museum of Art, shows, even a trip to the State Fair of Texas or two along with so many other happy functions and get-togethers. Memories!

Interestingly, in the 1930s, the shirt dress became the foundation of women's wardrobes. Twenty years later, the iconic shirt dress became popular again in the 1950s not only in the U.S. but around the world.

Because of economic scarcity, clothes became practical instead of glamorous after World War II. Approximately, 20 years after the 30s shirt dresses, Christian Dior launched a feminine version of a typical men's shirt calling it his "New Look."

So, when did women start to care about comfort after centuries of wearing uncomfortable attire? Why the change? Why did they give up the tight undergarments that the 1800s were known for? What caused the change from what was considered glamorous to practical? Perhaps, it was the fabrics and women's place in society. The looser fit allowed women to do domestic chores in comfort and in what was consider to be a new style. Which wasn't really a new style. Obviously, they forget that the shirt dresses were worn in the 30s.

Naturally, the picture of femininity was shown in popular sitcoms of the 50s, such as: Leave It To Beaver, I Love Lucy. The Donna Reed Show introduced housewives wearing shirt dresses. Obviously, the women's magazines and tv shows definitely played a hand in popularizing the shirt dress.

Unquestionably, nostalgia for my childhood tv shows may have influenced my decision when it came to my selecting and purchasing the shirt dresses in the 90s. Childhood memories can be powerful!

As they say, eventually, everything comes back into style. In fact, the shirt dresses of the 30s definitely had an influence on women's clothes. Then, the 50s with the magazines, tv shows popularizing the shirt dresses which surely must have had an influence on me. When in the 90s, the popular iconic shirt dresses were in stores, it was a natural choice for me to purchase the lovely, popular iconic shirt dresses.

Without realizing it and not knowing the origins of the shirt dress look and style, my subconscious nostalgic memories played a part in my fashion style choices while creating my own personal memories. You could even go as far as to say that my fashion statement was made unconsciously with the iconic 90s shirt dress becoming my favorite dress.

Notably, the popular iconic shirt dresses have had a long and historic past. For me, the shirt dress will always be in style and should come back again. Because the shirt dress is a classic in my book, there is no doubt in my mind that the shirt dresses will return and be the new look in years to come.

Since women have been staying home during the pandemic, another resurgence of the popular and iconic shirt dress might be in the works and will be popular again in the very near future.

At the end of the day, shirt dresses are my favorite fashion style. Please keep in mind this is from a person who isn't a glamor fashion person. Yes! The fifties were nifty, but it was the nifty nineties when my shirt dresses were in vogue and my memories were made while humming the 50's Dean Martin song, "Memories Are Made Of This."