More clothes, school memories

Washington Washtub

Junior High School - a time of much angst for most of us I imagine. It was exciting in Atlantic as three different grade schools - Washington, Jackson and Lincoln fed into Atlantic Junior High. We made fun of each of the other schools of course! Jackson Jackass was on the "poor" side of town. My buddy Jeff Becker (a fellow Washingtonite) says this about the Jacksonites -

He starts by joking about me talking about Teddy Simpson's record collection - he was my 8th grade boyfriend. Ted had a box with the records, all sorted by alphabet. Underwood is Roger Underwood - Jeff's biz partner (the two have become quite wealthy after selling the biz they started together in Ames for  a hundred gazillion clams.)

Jeff said via email - after my request to classmates for help with our class reunion. Leslie, Leslie, Leslie

 …I assume when you are talking about Ted Simpson’s records  you refer to 45’s.  Let’s not forget our friends from Jackson school who didn’t have 45’s. For instance remember that Underwood went to Jackson where they still had 78’s  that played on the hand crank phonographs. Why you ask, did they have 78’s at Jackson ? …according to Roger, when they broke into houses in Underwood’s neighborhood that’s all there was to steal. Of course Roger also claimed he got them at Angie Ostrander’s garage sale but I know the real truth because I used to hear all the limo driver’s talking about it when they were picking up the Washington kids from school.

Anyway just try to be a little more sensitive about these things around Roger as there is no need to upset him……we are all taking enough pills the way it is.

Speaking of music….I just got the new Englebert Humperdink 8-track it’s really cherry!

That Jeff - funny guy! And he didn't even get to the Lincoln Stinken people. The called our school Washington Washtub. I know...weak!

Anyways - back to clothes. Another outfit - blue knit knickers, with awesome red, white and blue shoes, and a suede red, white and blue purse in the shape of - wait for it. A PEACE sign. How patriotic - yet hippy! I was bitchin in that outfit. Add my new groovy wire frame glasses. For one junior high dance, Sally and I shopped with our moms in Omaha. I ended up with a beautiful light blue corduroy dress.

On to high school. Body shirt (with snaps in the crotch) were in. For Harvest Ball - did I go with Rick Harlan? I can't quite remember...but I DO know what I wore. Funny, huh. I had on the coolest crushed velvet bell bottoms - a gold with a pattern, with a turtle neck body shirt. Oh how I loved those pants.

Mrs. Sheppard seamstress to the starts (or at least for the Bullocks) made my senior prom dress. It was a light blue seersucker dress with a little jacket. It prolly smelled like woodsmoke - all Mrs. Sheppard's stuff did since her sewing room was heated with a woodburning stove. I enjoyed hanging on the fence at the Sheppard farm watching the work horses graze as Mom talked to Dorothy. I bet tailors in big cities don't have that benefit.

You are what you wear...

At least if you remember it. Do you have memories that are tied directly to what you had on during that occasion? Today's CBS Sunday Morning Show highlighted a Broadway show by Nora Ephron and her sis Delia about that very thing - women's memories and what they had on. It's called "Love, Loss and What I Had On" It's done by a revolving cast of women - and looks to be hilarious. Here's the link to the webpage: http://lovelossonstage.blogspot.com/2011/05/conchata-ferrell-and-anne-meara-discuss.html

Some of my clothing memories are no doubt caused by photos of events. But others are very much because I have an emotional tie to what I was wearing that day or year. Not so much my really early years - I wasn't into clothes. I did really like my Brownie uniform, despite the fact that it was a little tan dress. The sash was the cool part - my mom would sew on badges I'd earned, plus our troop number was on it. (Still I was jealous of those damn cub scouts - they got to wear pants plus kerchiefs around their necks...).

Junior High age was really that golden age when I became aware fashion - not to say I was (or still am) any good at it. I distinctly recall wearing my groovy culottes (how do you spell that? - those skirts that were like shorts with a flap, before we could wear pants to school?) and sandals to school, then when the weather turned chilly - a kilt complete with a giant safety pin and sweater the next day. I think this topic needs more discussion in the future...don't you? It's a big womanly topic!