Why did grannies dress like grannies (colored, girl, fashion, wash)

[dizzybint]

I remember my old Irish granny... a lovely woman, always smiliing, but she dressed like an old granny, she wore cross over aprons in paisley patterns with a brooch where it closed over... it said MOTHER on it... old granny slipper in a fawn colour with tartan and side ear parts with like two wee eyes and a big silly looking tassle at the front... her hair was white and long but she kept it tided neatly back in a bun with a hainet over it.... now this was a woman of about 70. almost my age now... not long to go and I cant even envisage looking the way she did..... but then she was a real grannyand adorable.

[kawaiivictim]

Because if they dressed like anything else, society would criticize them.

[dizzybint]

Probably right, but then the women with cash could dress anyway they liked.., women in general had a raw deal in life.... I looked at some slums in New York and Glasgow online and the women looked like grannies in their twenties.. poor souls. http://en.allexperts.com/q/General-H...men-1800-s.htm

[HomeIsWhere...]

Originally Posted by dizzybint

I remember my old Irish granny... a lovely woman, always smiliing, but she dressed like an old granny, she wore cross over aprons in paisley patterns with a brooch where it closed over... it said MOTHER on it... old granny slipper in a fawn colour with tartan and side ear parts with like two wee eyes and a big silly looking tassle at the front... her hair was white and long but she kept it tided neatly back in a bun with a hainet over it.... now this was a woman of about 70. almost my age now... not long to go and I cant even envisage looking the way she did..... but then she was a real grannyand adorable.

Because she was a classic...not too many of those around these days. I didn't know her but I would have to guess she was comfortable with how she looked and how she dressed, she was born in a different era.

Personally, I think she sounds as if she was quite lovely.

[Threestep2]

Had she had access to today's styles, fabrics, options including washer/dryer, life style - who knows what she would have worn. You remember her fondly that is all that counts. She wore what was deemed appropriate for a matron at that time.

[soUlwounD]

My granmother used to keep dresses as it was a sexist way of her time.

[124c41]

This made me think of my Grandma, and how fashion wasn't her major concern in life. She was just Grandma to all of us. She wore long skirts, and her almost waist-length hair was always up in a bun except when she got ready for bed. She never colored her hair, and as she aged it turned a wonderful shade of gray. That never mattered to her. She never wore makeup, and gave so much of herself to all of us. To me, she was the epitome of how a Grandma should be.

[R_Cowgirl]

Simple, Really: The older we get the more we are interested in comfort -- that plays into it a lot. And -- the older we get the more comfortable we are with our Self, so we don't feel the need to live up to anyone else's standards. We older women dress to make ourselves happy and really really really don't give a hoot about some stranger's opinion one way or another.

[dizzybint]

Oh I feel guilty now with all your lovely quotes.....yes I think we were very lucky to have grannys who put us first .. always..

[DaniellaG]

My grandma didn't dress like an old lady but more in a comfortable way. My grandpa's girlfriend who is 85 she dresses like she is 25. It is funny. She always tries to get the name brand and what ever is in for the season. She knows more then me though I feel she dresses too young but at 85 basically dress how you want in my opinion.