General Work Leisure Clothes

[TraditionalFrog]

A few questions...

I am curious as to what people would have worn for general around the house yard/garden work and leisure during the Golden Era (30s & 40s)?

Most people today I see doing yard/garden work are usually sporting T-Shirts jeans and shorts. Footwear is usually tennis shoes or work boots. My assumption is that this isn't what most people would have worn during that time.

Also, what did most men and children wear at home after work, school, etc?

I can't imagine most men wearing their business suit or shirt and tie all evening like Ward Cleaver unless they were later going out again.

What did typical women of that era wear whilst keeping house? I am also aware during the early 40s many women worked in the war industry so appropriate work out fits would have been worn for this.

Like with the men, I am almost certain most ladies didn't dress up as much as June Cleaver to cook and clean.

Finally, were shorts commonly worn by men during this time? I always assumed that aside from swimming shorts were generally only worn by young boys.

 

[cookie]

They might Have Worn This

I'm sorry I did not use BIN for this shirt so that I could have used it as a model to copy.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI...m=290154808319&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=019

 

[MB5]

I believe short sleeve coveralls were popular during that era - not just for yard work, but also leisure.
There is a magazine illustration posted around here somewhere of a gentleman wearing them on the boardwalk if memory serves.

I used to have a neighbor who wore them quite frequently when doing yard work.

 

[Joie DeVive]

I think the answers to these questions may depend at least partly on who you were and where you lived.

My grandfathers were both working men. My Dad's Dad wore overalls and work boots the majority of his life both for work and at home. My Mom's Dad grew up on a ranch, so his leisure choice was always jeans, a western shirt, boots, and a cowboy hat. My husband's granddad was a funeral director, and I have heard stories of him out mowing the lawn in his dress slacks, dress shirt and tie. And that wasn't just a fluke, that was his normal habit!

My Mom definitely talks about changing out of her school clothes (dresses and such) and into play clothes. Not so for my Dad, they were too poor, he had 2 outfits. One to wear and one to wash. Mom was out in the country, so her play-clothes of choice tended to be jeans and a blouse or sweater.

My understanding on women's wear around the house is that ladies mostly wore what are called day dresses. You can look them up on ebay for an example. They tended to be simply cut with zippers or snaps in the front for easy removal, or sometimes they just wrapped and tied on. They were often in lightweight cottons for breathability. They also often had big pockets.
My understanding is that pantsuits were not as common for house wear even after they had been used in WW2 for work in industrial plants. Though, again, my Grandma did have jeans (I think called Dungarees) for going out and mucking the stalls.

On shorts again, I think it depended on who you were and where you were. In the upper classes, I have seen many illustrations showing young boys in short pants for dress wear. From my family stories, that does not seem to have been as common in the working class. As a matter of fact, to this day, my father refuses to wear shorts, considering them women's wear. (Don't ask, I can't explain it. [huh] ) If you look at old illustrations and catalogs though, men's shorts do exist, though mainly as resort wear. Perhaps they just weren't common in the West?? Or perhaps it is a class issue, I don't know.

 

[Jovan]

Are you wanting to dress as they did back then for labour, or are you merely curious?

 

[J. M. Stovall]

I remember my grandfather out in the garden running a tiller in the middle of summer wearing slacks, leather street shoes (his old ones), an A-shirt and a straw fedora. This is how he dressed for all hot weather yard work. If it was cooler he would wear an older dress shirt, tucked in of course. My grandmother wore a house dress all the time even working in the flower beds. But they would both be in suits if they left the house.

 

[Edward]

On shorts again, I think it depended on who you were and where you were. In the upper classes, I have seen many illustrations showing young boys in short pants for dress wear. From my family stories, that does not seem to have been as common in the working class. As a matter of fact, to this day, my father refuses to wear shorts, considering them women's wear. (Don't ask, I can't explain it. [huh] ) If you look at old illustrations and catalogs though, men's shorts do exist, though mainly as resort wear. Perhaps they just weren't common in the West?? Or perhaps it is a class issue, I don't know.

My dad (born 1946) has told me how up until the middle teens in his generation it was common for boys in Northern Ireland to be in short trousers year-round. Although we would (in this post-Marx age of class distinction on economic grounds) be viewed as solidly middle class, both of my parents came from very working class backgrounds.

 

[Joie DeVive]

Oops! When I said West, I meant Western United States. I just reread that and realized that it could be misunderstood!

 

[Mid-fogey]

I guess it depends on...

...who you are talking about. Having "help" was much more common in the Goldern Era. If you were help, or couldn't afford it, I gather that it was pretty common to use worn out clothes for work. I think it was pretty uncommon to buy pure work clothes unless you did messy work for a living.

 

[Rooster]

Here you go. July 21 1937. Here's what work clothes looked like for the common man.

[/IMG]
My Grandpa Brooks is in the second row , 7th over counting from the right to the left.

 

[John in Covina]

The Smell of Burning Leaves in the Fall.

Seems to me, I recall that a gentleman doing work at home, why he'd have work clothes like what you find in the Dickies type line up or something from Sears. If the weather was cool maybe a lumberjack plaid jacket over that and perhaps work boots , old penny loafers, moccasins some well worn navy oxfords that had seen better days. Don't forget to top it off with your oldest knock about fedora. Maybe the pipe firmly clenched between the teeth while raking up those darn fall leaves on the front lawn.

 

[Kevin Popejoy]

My husband's granddad was a funeral director, and I have heard stories of him out mowing the lawn in his dress slacks, dress shirt and tie. And that wasn't just a fluke, that was his normal habit!

My great Grandpa was a small town physician the first half of the last century. Made his last delivery when he was 90, God bless him. He was an avid gardener and would normally just slip off his suit coat and hang it on the gate post, loosen his tie and take to hoe. He didn't really go anywhere or do anything without a suit on. My Grandpa was a dentist in the same town and did much the same...except when he was working with his horses.

Thanks for the reminder Joie DeVive. They've both been gone a long time now.

Kevin

 

[TraditionalFrog]

I'd like to thank every one for their help. I have got some good ideas to work with now!

Jovan, in answer to your question, I was planning to dress as people did back then for labour.

 

[John in Covina]

I was planning to dress as people did back then for labour.

***************
It all depended on what they did. There is a thread about how truck drivers dressed someplace in the Lounge. Also in some areas a common laborer was more likely to wear a cloth newsboy type cap. Longshoremen had a special style unto themselves.

Do you have a specific job you'd like to re-create?