Velour Jogging suits

[Lauren]

Yes Lauren, the V&A reflects England's sartorial history and it can often be an unpleasant sight. I've noticed that you're a fan of Fortuny, I would suggest that you go to Venice, where his former workshop is now a museum. And while you're there don't miss the Lace Museum.

Ooooohhh! Added to my list of "must go someday" places. Thanks!

 

[Tin Pan Sally]

A friend of mine gave me a pink velour pants & zip hoodie suit set which had “Old School” embroidered on it. She had picked it up when second hand shopping. I decided to take the joke a step farther by wearing it to a swing workshop with specs. The funniest thing is that no one commented on it. The other students were in layered tanks anyway. No, wait, the funniest thing is that the event was filmed.
Hmm, perhaps I'll wear it to the anniversary ceremony when she and her husband reinstate their vows...

 

[fortworthgal]

Awful, awful, awful! As a functional item - sure. As a so-called "fashion" item - not just no, but heck no.

The ones with writing on the posterior are the absolute worst!

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I think we all know why velour jogging suits are popular. But just in case someone here doesn't know ...


-- They're soft, like a pair of cotton flannel pajamas.

-- They're elastic; it's easy to move around in them.

-- They're easy to put on and take off. No belts, no pulling.

-- They're easy to maintain; no major ironing is necessary.

-- They look better than those grey sweatsuits made of thick cotton jersey.

-- Famous pop stars wear them.


That's why they're popular. Clearly, we hate them. Then again, we like to wear vintage (or vintage-style) clothing, which is high-maintenance, highly-tailored, and whose fabric and fit can be very constricting


.

 

[Lauren]

I have a pair my mom bought me, but they are strictly worn in the pajama variety. Ugh! I wouldn't want to be seen in broad daylight wearing them!

Which reminds me, there was a girl at a lindy hop class with a big butterfly on her *ahem*. It was very distracting being behind her and watching when she did the swivley foot thing.

 

[Viola]

Geez the last time I saw anyone wearing "gold ropes" was a mafioso guy on 60 Minutes in the 1970s Where the hell is anyone doing that?

Gold chains? They're everywhere. Especially on the subway. I don't even mind them. I've seen them on men of every age and ethnicity. They can look nice if you are wearing ONE and not with a track suit.

Even when they are on someone with a horrible outfit, its usually not the chain making it a horrible outfit.

There's really no good time to wear five chains at once, unless you are Mr. T, in which case wear whatever you want, I won't say anything!

 

[Lincsong]

I'm not the most fashionable person. I'll kick around California with board shorts and a t-shirt when not at work. But, I have never liked sweat pants or jogging suits. Never owned one and never will. Even in the winter, yeah, the coldest it usually gets at night is 33 degrees, when I go to the gym I'm wearing gym shorts not sweat pants. But, these people you see with greased back hair, velour jogging suits, gold ropes and the Cadillac Escalade with 22" wheels are flat out nuts.lol lol

In regards to the talk about Levi's in the 1950's I read somewhere that Levi's ran a national ad about Levi's for back to school or such and one mother from New Jersey wrote the company and said to the effect; "dungarees may be acceptable in San Francisco, but in New Jersey we would never allow our children to be sent to school like that"lol I remember in the 1978 my grandpa stopped by the house one morning to take me to school. I was in the fourth grade and had on jeans, a t-shirt and Converse All-Stars. He walked me into my room, opened the closet door pulled out a collared shirt, slacks, and leather shoes and made me change into that. While I was dressing he called my mother at work and scolded her for letting me go to school dressed like a bum.lol

 

[magneto]

I'm not the most fashionable person. I'll kick around California with board shorts and a t-shirt when not at work. But, I have never liked sweat pants or jogging suits. Never owned one and never will. ...

Ha! Same here.

I remember in the 1978 my grandpa stopped by the house one morning to take me to school. I was in the fourth grade and had on jeans, a t-shirt and Converse All-Stars. He walked me into my room, opened the closet door pulled out a collared shirt, slacks, and leather shoes and made me change into that...

I know the feeling. I'm glad for the fact that I went to private school with a strict skirt-wearing, no-sneakers, etc, dress code. At least there's one standard my education successfully instilled into me!

 

[Twitch]

Viola- Gold chains, still? I'm stunned Wow we haven't seen that in Southern Cal. for many years!

Matei- I don't think sweats will ever get paired up with a sport coat...but I could be wrong.lol

Overall I wasn't alluding to jeans and a suit jacket but an overall, worldwide caualization of dress. In the 50s jeans were considered lower class attire or working clothes. The rockabilly movement got them more mainstream. And fast forward to today where they are accepted almost everywhere short of black tie affairs.

Like Lincsong says folks wear shorts year round in So. Cal. which is viewed by some as way to casual also. Shorts can get you barred from some establishments of pedigree where a matching "jogging suit" would not. Shorts are seen by some fuddy duddies as "beachwear" and not suitable for off the sand attire. OK for Huntington Beach but not for Rolling Hills Estates.

Vintage clothing may be fun but who is in them 24/7? Casual clothes are for most of the time when you are not at work or going to a fancy uptown affair or such- which is most of the time. It wasn't long ago when Dockers were being looked down on cause they were a for the most part large cut and a bit baggy with a rumpled look.

I for one wore suits daily for decades and am in the position now where I simply do not have to anymore and WILL be comfortable no matter what. I hate stuff with any logo though.

Whether sweats are or are not personal preference casual dress is completely ubiquitous at most times in the US. As I said, who dresses up to run by the grocery store, stop by the Home Depot and buy stamps at the post office unless you're on the way home from work? COME ON!!!lol

 

[Senator Jack]

On track suits:

From my stand up comedy routine: (okay, and bear in mind I'm Italian)

"I can't understand why the Italians and Blacks can't get along. I mean, they're the only two cultures that believe the velour track suit to be haute couture."

"Ey, I can't stand those mouliniams, but dey sure 'ava some nice track suits."

Fire at will

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

["Doc" Devereux]

From my stand up comedy routine:

I didn't realise you were a fellow comic, Senator! I quit gigging to concentrate on radio a few years back - or, as a friend of mine put it, "Got better." Where are you working?

 

[Senator Jack]

fftopic:
I got into it and out of it last year. Now everyone keeps asking me when I'm going to be getting back up on stage. I quickly learned how difficult it was to memorize everything, and to keep things flowing when people are either laughing or aren't laughing. I'd like to start up again but I have to ask myself what I really am, a comedy writer or a comedian. A difficult job, eh? Certainly more difficult than musician. There's no one else on stage to cover yer a...

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

["Doc" Devereux]

Still fftopic:

I know exactly what you mean, Senator. Now we've got to have that drink: there are gig stories to swap!

 

[Twitch]

I may be missing something. Is it the "velour" material that incenses people or the fact that sweats (as I call them) are allegedly too casual?

 

[Lincsong]

I saw one today on a rather plump woman with the word; "squeeze" across the butt.lol

 

[Lincsong]

I may be missing something. Is it the "velour" material that incenses people or the fact that sweats (as I call them) are allegedly too casual?

Both. The material and style are repulsive.lol

 

[jamespowers]

I saw one today on a rather plump woman with the word; "squeeze" across the butt.lol

Was that a statement or a reminder about what to do to get into them?

Regards,

J

 

[Lady Day]

C'mon, who DOSENT like looking like a Pimp in training?
skeet skeet!


LD

 

[silhouette53]

OFF TOPIC ??

Well maybe off topic but anyway...... with regard to the current craze of wearing all these tacky 'designer' sports garments, here's a 'lil joke I heard :-

Two Irish guys, Pat and Mick, are travelling through the jungle when they come upon a river. Down on the river bank, basking in the sun is a HUGE crocodile with a mans head protruding from its jaws. Pat turns to Mick and says "Look at that flash b...... down there in his Lacoste sleeping bag !"lol

 

[Twitch]

silhouette53- I agree. Tommy Hillfiger or however you spell it and all the rest can bite my butt with their gaudy self agrandizing promotional junkwear.

But I can see absolutely no reason why anyone is offended by the totally plain pullover sweatshirts and/or sweat pants of muted colors I wear. Sweatshirts are the same perennial design as they've been for many decades. Jeans a medium gray, navy or black sweatshirt and a even gray fedora is not far out. I'm not talking yellow stripes down the side of red pants and a matching zipper jacket top full of logos here made of anything other than plain cotton material.

Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. There is nothing wrong with casual, traditional sweats.