Bring Back the Class
Perhaps I am in the minority when I say, “Bring Back the Class”. Last night we went out to dinner at a restaurant reminiscent of the late 50s early 60s. From the outside it almost looked like a dive, but upon entering, you are transported through time to a place where you expect to see at any moment, entering past the plush floor length velvet curtain, Frank Sinatra himself. The décor is very, to my eye anyway, early 60s elegance. Dark browns and golds, dim lighting and yet somehow elegant, rather than gaudy and outdated. The one thing that made it very clear to me that I had not been transported through time was the attire of the patrons in the restaurant.
The walls in this particular establishment were graced with photos from the era in which it was built. The stars of the time dressed in their dinner clothes (yes, that was once a thing) enjoying their cocktails, menus from those times, newspaper clippings etc. For me the illusion was breathtaking and yet so disappointing.
I had donned my white, calf length, A-line skirt with the black buttons and a black sleeveless top and to complete the ensemble I pulled out my 1950s half hat and my black and white pointed toe high heels. I felt lovely. My Saturday dinner out became an occasion, but truly, just for me. Looking around at those sitting in the restaurant with me I realized that these people, for the most part, were not in their Saturday fineries but in the same clothes that they wear everyday of their lives to work or to the mall, or to wherever they go throughout their regular days.
I realize that I may be coming off as a snob and it is certainly not my intention. I am not wealthy, by any stretch of the imagination, I have a very regular full time job, and I am just an average woman. I love to find a deal, refuse to pay full price for clothes but to me the clothes I wear are representative of how I want to be seen, more importantly, how I feel about myself. They are a reflection of the occasion or event or everyday moment. At any given moment I can be quirky or elegant and sophisticated, I can be the casual mom about town, or I can be stylish and understated, there are appropriate clothes for every occasion. So please, the next time you get tickets to the theater, don’t pull on your jeans and flip flops, dress for the occasion but by all means rock the Panic at the Disco t-shirt the next time they are in town!
