Dressing Almost Alike, Somewhere, USA, 1957
This slide isn’t about garden hoses snaking though lawns of mid-western/mid-century ranch homes or polished and proper suburban sisters posing with their hands behind their backs like they’ve been handcuffed. This slide is about bold bright candy colored skirts. Both are pleated, one tiered twice the other tiered thrice. Girls, give your stylist a raise! And that cement walkway you’re posing on is a great catwalk for a twirly fashion show waiting to happen.
Speaking of siblings in matching attire, or in this case almost matching, I can’t recommend dressing your kids alike enough. Better yet, dressing your whole family alike. Extra points if the clothes are home-sewn and extra, extra points if they’re made from your old curtains! Think Sound of Music. Make a day of it by showing off your festive fashions at your family’s favorite destination. Yes, people will stare, and there will be some jealousy, but remember you are inspiring them to do the same. The highlight of your dressed-alike experience will be taking picture portraits to be cherished by future generations for countless years to come.
WHY collectively as a society have we all turned our backs on dressing alike? This tradition and the unforgettable memories of documenting it will bond your family forever in a way that ONLY dressing alike can do. What are you waiting for? And don’t forget to do this at LEAST once every year. Your kids may not thank you right away but their therapist sure will!
Here’s to tiered pleats, dressing alike and YOU!
Charles Phoenix
July 20, 2010
Los Angeles, CA
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I like this picture, life seemed so much simplier then!!
My mom made matching Easter outfits every year for herself, my two sisters, my brother and me. Those are some of my favorite photo memories, back when everything matched and the world was perfect!
I laughed out loud when I read the “Sound of Music” reference. I was the costumer for a local production that just finished its run last week. The first thing I finished was the “curtain” clothes, which were made from old curtains from a local golf course! That made my day, thanks!
Mom dressed my big sister and I alike always for Easter Sunday. And my sister had one of those headbands with fabric daisys on it. My hair was always too short for headbands. We also have a family portrait that was taken around 1965 and mom, sis and I all have matching dresses purchased at Sears! Ahhhh the good ol’ days!
My mother was an excellent tailor and us three girls beautiful identical dresses in the sixties. Our ages were 10,17 and 24.
Like the colors in the slide. I’m glad to have you in my facebook group.
I love this one, too! The kids and their outfits make the shot, of course. But the cookie cutter houses and empty-landscape background behind them screams 1950s New Tract Housing On A New Street and adds to the merriment. A very Tim Burtonesque shot.
TIKI toast
I still laugh thinking about your SLC slideshow—-my 2 sisters live in CA and I swear, we are going to go on one of your tours in matching clothes (of course, I will pick the outfit that looks the best on me!) A tike toast to you…..
This slide made me laugh out loud – we only have about a BILLION similar slides of me and my 2 sisters dressed alike in 1960-70′s home sewn clothes (or Robert Hall shorts outfits!). Thanks for my laugh for the day, Charles!
Must be Easter outfits. I dressed my two girls and myself in matching splashy hawaiian print long dresses to attend a luau. By the time I finished sewing the third dress I never wanted to see that fabric again!
It is a different time . . . pick up a current Macy’s flyer and look at the proposed height of fashion for girls of this same age . . . there’ll probably be lots of lol in 50 years’ time. I do always love Charles’ narative — that’s what really makes me laugh out loud!
I love the (sorta) matching outfits! And those white lacey things on their heads: they were probably on their way to church, or they just returned from church. Future Church Ladies!
This is sooo funny, I remember in the sixties my Mom would dress me and my sister alike too. She is 5 years older than me, we even had the Sound of Music halloween costumes alike. I guess thats so we wouldn’t fight over who had the nicest ( or goofiest) clothes. Or that my Mom always liked me better, Haa haa!!!!