Not because it was romantic.
Because it was the ugliest wedding I could ever imagine.*
My Mom and Dad got married in October of 1970. My Mom wore a cream-colored, high-necked gown. Her bridesmaids wore dresses of orange and brown and carried bouquets of yellow, orange and brown flowers. Everything was orange. And brown. And the men's sideburns were lower than a rap star's jeans.
It made me shudder. I couldn't understand how otherwise sane adults couldn't see the styles back then for what they were -- flat-out hideous.
Of course, now I snicker at my high-brow thoughts, seeing as I had them while I was wearing pegged jeans (with holes in each knee), a neon pink sweatshirt (size XXL) and bangs that were as high as Steve Tyler's (if I was having a particularly good day).
"I just don't get why my Mom and Dad dressed so weird!"
Ah yes. No one is quite as self-righteous about style as a teenager who reads Sixteen magazine.
Over time, I came to understand that every decade has its fashion foibles. (Although I maintain the 70s were especially repulsive. I mean, orange and brown? Avocado green? Harvest gold? I blame it on the drugs.) And it's virtually impossible to avoid them all.
Last week, I digitized our home videos (all six of them) so I can make a video for a special birthday that's fast approaching. I could wax eloquent about seeing the kids grow up before my very eyes. (And I might, in another post.) But I have to say, I was equally as shocked at some of the things I wore.
Such as the overalls.
Seriously. Who said that was cute?
UGH!
In my defense, I fought the overall trend for many years. My California friends kept at me, saying, "Oh, but they are so cute with a tiny t-shirt. And they are so comfortable! You'll love them!"
Eventually, pregnant with Natalie and dealing with a thickening waistline, I caved. And my friends were right -- they were comfortable.
But cute?
Girlfriends. Ain't nothing cute there.
Nothing.
Except maybe the baby.
*I'd like to clarify that, today, I no longer think my parent's wedding was the ugliest ceremony in the history of mankind. Let she who dressed her bridesmaids in turquoise satin not cast the first stone.
Um, yeah. I was still wearing overalls in 2002. Eeek. But my DH swears they were cute.
ReplyDeletedid you ever wear overalls with only one strap connected, though?! Tell the truth!
Amen to the demise of the girl-verall. Not only are the fugly, but taking those things down every time one has to pee, which when you are pregnant is often, is a major bother.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do like some of the 70s fashions and Pucci prints.
When I was in high school parachute pants were in, with little ties at the ankles? Why? Why would anyone wear those?
For the record, those pictures are from 2002. So yeah, I was a little late to this fashion train wreck.
ReplyDeleteAnd my husband never thought they were cute. He put up with them in silence.
I don't think I ever wore them with one strap disconnected, mostly because I was always pregnant or nursing, which meant my overalls were held up by sheer force of fat.
I think it is all a matter of when we are born. I can still remember teaching with a guy in the 1980's who said he was looking out at his classroom and told his class, "You know you're all going to wake up one day and discover you have a whole closet full of really ugly clothes!" He hated the jam shorts and neons.
ReplyDeleteI love this post!!
The late 60s and early 70s were indeed atrocious. Tie-die, psychedelic, hang ten feet, not to mention harvest gold and avocado green kitchen appliances.
ReplyDeleteI shudder when I see some of the stuff in the stores. I didn't like it the first time. I sure don't want it retro!
I've had one pair of overall shorts in my life, and that was when I was pregnant. I'm just not farm girl enough.
Oh, and I knew I was old when I saw a sign at a school proclaiming "dress like the 70's!" for homecoming. Yep, my junior high & high school days are now historical.
It's possible I had the exact same tan overalls. I cannot possibly think of a less flattering style for me, but alas, I lived in those things.
ReplyDeleteI did not, however, subject my bridesmaids to turquoise satin. But only because I couldn't copy my big sister's wedding from a couple years earlier... :-)
As for the 70s...we red heads kinda like those avocado greens and golds. Cuz the late 80s hot pink ESPRIT sweatshirt I wore 24/7 never did me any favors!
Funny. I was just going through my oldest's first and second birthday party videos and I wore the same pair of overalls at each one. What was I thinking?
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I still have them and recently tried them on. No way. Never again. I put them in my Goodwill pile.
Funny post... and so true. We so often look back at what we were wearing just a few years ago and wonder- what were we thinking?!?! But, on a sidenote, orange, brown, yellow, and avacado green are back!!
ReplyDeleteOh the overalls. I think I've hidden the pictures of myself in those. Ugh...
ReplyDeleteActually, I think your bridesmaid dresses were quite tasteful as compared with the... er... floral drapery dress I wore in one of my friend's weddings. My momma called it The Grandma Couch Dress.
ReplyDeleteYour overalls were Quite Klassy though.
Hey, nice overalls.
ReplyDeleteI wore the exact same outfit with my first pregnancy in 1999, the khaki overalls were from the gap, and the tshirt I wore underneath even matched the one you are wearing in that picture. I look at the pictures and wonder the same thing, "What was I thinking??" But the blue denim overalls really were cute, when they were in style...I had 2 or 3 pairs...I think I retired them in 2003??
ReplyDeleteI shudder at the fact that many 1980s fashions are making their way back into stores. We're only a short step away from pegged jeans and hypercolor. And perhaps Zubaz.
ReplyDeleteMy sister and I saw Hi-Tops in the shoe store the other day. She almost bought a pair just out of nostalgia, before realizing that they were really, really ugly, and she'd just as soon NOT remember the time in her life when she thought they were the greatest shoe ever.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have pictures of me wearing overalls while I posed next to some of the most famous figure skaters in the world, back in '98. Yeah. I was a real fashion icon.
It could have been worse. I could have been posing with movie stars.
Crack me up. Same here! *shudder*
ReplyDeleteI personally think Natalie is adorable, but the couch is also in that picture. I love that striped couch. So many memories hanging out there and falling asleep there while the boys did....whatever it was those boys did!
ReplyDelete