Fashion from the 60s and 70s

Grandma’s closets are a mess. The granddaughters wardrobes are a bit fuller. I had a nostalgic journey to the colorful 60s and 70s during our recent visit to Indiana.
My daughter and step-granddaughters discovered my mother-in-law’s stockpile of used clothing.
They spent hours scrounging through her boxes, preparing a fashion show of outdated clothes. Down the winding staircase they came wearing their favorites: a yellow, polyester leisure suit and shirt; a brilliant, orange, short-sleeved polyester dress and brown and orange plaid sacks offset with olive green shirt. The shocking, pink housecoat and a 50s cashmere white tie-on ear cover added a touch of amusement.
By the time we left, the girls had checked out every box tucked away in grandma’s closets. When the time came to leave, they begged Grandma Hershberger to let them take home a few things: Shorts, swim wear, a black, crinkled momma shirt edged in a rainbow of colors and an assortment of cashmere sweaters in pastels that are now coming back in fashion. Plus one, dress, “Could you make me one just like this in another color, mom?”
I could hardly believe it. The closet scrounger was shocked at the jumper I made to wear for Hillbilly Day my senior year. “Mom! Really! That outfit was so short.”
“I made the jumper from the scraps left from four other outfits. None of the pieces were very long.”
She still could not believe that her mom wore a very, short jumper and blouse, while her aunts chose to wear hillbilly hats, T-shirts and cut-offs and jeans with patches.
Fortunately, she hasn’t seen the home movie of me wearing a toga with my hair pinned up in bobby pins. My mom filmed me bowing and scraping; slaving to serve the senior members of the annual Latin banquet. I look ridiculous, but I had fun even wearing the required attire for initiation into the Latin Club.
Both the Joseph jumper and toga I shrug off as fun stuff I wore once in a special show akin to the Indiana vintage clothing parade.
But the thigh-high skirts I made and wore were not temporary. My daughter calls them Daisy Dukes. I can’t forget them: Mom took a picture of me and my almost-as-tall-as-me sister when I finished. Since I made the skirts, I also cannot argue that none of the stores sold longer clothing for tall girls.
Truthfully though, part of the fun of wearing them and other clothing was the look on the adults’ faces. I will always remember the school librarian’s face and comment the day I wore my wrap-around horizontal stripes. She shook her head in disbelief, “And I didn’t believe it when they said that would be the fashion this spring.”
The girls found nothing like it in grandma’s closets. Too bad. It was more colorful than the jumper and easier to wear than the toga. With the bonus that I didn’t have to bow to anyone when I wore it.