Figure 1.--. |
There are only a handful of variations in fashion and when they
are finished you have to return to an old style and make it new once
again, with a little variation, of course. In the 1960's teenage boys
were wearing
the tightest pants you could imagine. It was skin fit. The leg part
actually took
the shape of one's legs and the end of the leg by the
ankles was the size of the ankles too. Some boys wore zippers at the ankles
so that the foot
could enter and then the pants were pulled up with a lot of effort and problems.
It took a
good two minutes to pull off one's pants. Similarly, the shirt was pretty tight
at the waist and
the sleeves. The sleeves were midway to one's arms. In fact, if one wore a shirt
that was a
bit loosely fitted, the friends would sarcastically tease the bearer that his
circulation was not functioning properly.
About the same time that we teenagers were wearing tight pants and shirts, our parents
were still wearing the big baggy pants known as bell-foot pants. We thought theirs were
ridiculous and they in turn thought ours were too. Then in the 1970's the bell-foot pants
came into fashion for the teenagers. Our bell-foots, however, were tightly fitted at the legs,
and loose at the bottom.
All ladies wore dresses and skirts below the knees in the 1950's. And then in the 1960's the
miniskirt came into fashion. Do you think those miniskirts of today are short? You have not
seen anything! You should have seen those skirts of 25 years ago.
Yes, mothers complained and objected, but there was nothing that could change it. Girls
had to be careful going up stairs, or stooping down, or dancing, or even sitting
down. It got so short that short pants had to be worn under the skirts. And then
in the 1980's, the young ladies threw away the miniskirts and stayed only with the
short pants. That was the first time that short pants became fashionable in San
Pedro.
When the ladies got tired of the miniskirt, they went back to long dresses. When the boys
got tired of the bell-foot, they went back to a regular footed pant and more loosely fitted.
Men's short pants that are so popular today were never worn in the 60's and 70's nor 80's.
When men's short pants came into fashion, they were short and tight. (There are only two
men still wearing them like that today.) The baggy short pants below the knee and
the extra
large shirts were only worn by clowns in the 1970's.
What's next in fashion? Your guess is as good as mine, but I surely hope something happens
soon because this style of "sagging" surely makes a lot of people uncomfortable. The
business world has not really adapted nor accepted sagging; it is a sign of the rebellious. But
there again, if the boys wore very tight pants, someone would probably think they were gay.
Why can't one neat style be adapted, good for a party and good for the business world?
Why must people go against the conventional? You are right; to be in style, to be different
from the rest, to be noticed. Well that is good news 'cause the opposite of sagging will be a
neat pair of pants with a tucked in shirt and perhaps a necktie. That's it; people
will notice that.
By Angel Nun~ez
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Introduction]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[Boys' Clothing Home]
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to main country page]
[Australia]
[Canada]
[England]
[France]
[Germany]
[Ireland]
[Italy]
[New Zealand]
[Scotland]
[United States]