‘When did people stop dressing up?’: Over 60s remember when society shifted from fancy to casual (2024)

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Taking to the online community of Reddit, over 60s reflected on society\u2019s change from fancy to casual after someone asked: \u201CWhen did people stop wearing suits and dressing up to go everywhere like baseball games, on planes, the dept. store, etc and how did those people feel about it when it stopped?\u201D

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\u201CWhat was that process like as far as going from dressing in Sunday best everywhere to then not. At what point do you recall it completely going away? What was the general attitude as this transition was occurring in society?,\u201D the question continued.

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One 70-something said she felt \u201Cintense relief\u201D over the transition, saying she was excited to be able to be comfortable in public.

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\u201CFor me it was late 60s, early 70s when I no longer had to put on nylons, dress, heels, undergarments and a dress coat just to go shopping downtown. Oh, and not leave the house unless makeup and hair was perfect,\u201D the comment read.

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\u201CMy general attitude was one of intense relief. Tennis shoes and sweatpants rule! Finally getting to go from heels to flats and dresses to pant suits when working was such a relief.\u201D

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One 60-something said the change came about from the \u201CGenerational Gap\u201D in society, heavily influenced by politics.

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\u201CThe change really came in the late 60\u2019s \u2013 early 70\u2019s which was a time of huge cultural change in many areas. For all the crap that Boomers get today the demographic of that huge influx of young people going through society really did change a lot of things. Maybe that\u2019s why the stereotype of thinking that society still revolves around us comes from. Frankly that\u2019s been our reality for a long time,\u201D they wrote.

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\u201CI think how people felt about it really depended on their opinion on a host of issues. From civil rights to the war in Vietnam to Rock N Roll right up to the role of women in society. In those days we called it the Generation Gap.\u201D

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Another person attributed the shift to when the fitness craze kicked off, saying it was just easier to stay casual.

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\u201CI think it started with the \u201Cfitness craze\u201D of the \u201970\u2019s. People were exercising more, needing to shower more frequently, and just decided it wasn\u2019t worth the extra trouble to get dressed up. It wasn\u2019t a sudden thing, though. My parents (in particular my mother) tried to hang onto it longer than many. For one thing, it was expensive to have to buy new clothes,\u201D the comment began.

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\u201CI remember being happy as a woman that I didn\u2019t have to wear a slip anymore under dresses, some time in the early \u201980\u2019s. But I felt like I was going to hell for the first few times.

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\u201COn the upside, when churches became less formal, I think more people started to attend because you didn\u2019t have the stigma of not having nice clothes to prevent you from going.\u201D

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Despite what may have started the transition, it seems most people agreed that the shift towards a more casual approach to personal style gained momentum in the \u201960s and \u201970s.

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