How does the 1950's housewife stay warm in winter?

[Ecclecticmum]

And no, I'm not telling a joke :lol:

 

I have only a short miniscule window when the "classic" 1950's housewife in ad-wear (just being specific so no one thinks I am generalizing. The kind of housewife you see in the 50's ads with the pearls, dress, apron & heels) can actually be worn here.

 

Theres a little window where its perfectly fine to wear that, a big chunk where its fire hazard day everyday, and you are best wearing stuff you can run in and thats fire retardant lol, and a whopping great CHUNK of time when its FREEZING. My toes are currently wrapped into two layers of socks, plus shoes, and the rest of me is akin to the marshmallow man from Ghostbusters with the amount of layers.

 

I would like to wear NICE things apart from that small window. So other than the housewife laying atop the radiator (here we only have one fireplace, and it keeps the loungeroom warm, thats it. The rest of the house is only a little warmer than whatever degree it is outside.

 

What did the fantasy (i.e. ad version) of the housewife wear in WINTER?

 

I think I should rub my tootsies before they fall or break off....

[Chelli]

That's an easy one! It never is winter in fantasy-land.

 

And it definitely wasn't cold enough in Hollywood where most of that stuff was filmed to worry about it.

[Laura Corin]

I think that those were the clothes you put on to welcome your husband home.

 

Laura

[hillfarm]

I think that the 1950's housewife image was more of an ideal than a reality for many women. From photos I have seen, my grandmothers wore heavily starched, cotton "house dresses", covered by a bibbed apron, occasionally a thick or thin cardigan-style sweater, thick or thin cotton stockings, and serviceable shoes. I believe in the winter they often sported long underwear under the ensemble. Also in the winter, I think their stocking were more of a wool blend instead of cotton. One of them also wore a bonnet whenever she left the house up to the time of her death in the 1960's. Interestingly enough, although the colors were modern, the style was the same as those worn in England back into the 1600's.

 

I think that would have kept them fairly warm. Especially when you consider that they were moving around constantly, doing all their housework with far fewer modern conveniences to make it easier for them. A couple of my grandmothers did not have running water in their houses, I remember my father visiting them every couple of days and hauling buckets of water to fill their reservoir in the house. They also heated with wood or coal, which produces a nice, hot, constant warmth.

 

We don't have a furnace, we heat an old, two-story, farmhouse exclusively with wood. In the winter I usually wear sweatpants (over long underwear, if it is really cold), a mock tutleneck, cotton, long-sleeved top, and occasionally a sweatshirt. I always wear warm socks and warm shoes. No, it is not a very svelte look, but it is toasty warm. If I feel like wearing a skirt in winter, it is a heavy fabric, full one, and usually worn over warm cotton leggings and warm, wooly socks. I discovered the furry boots this last winter. Isotoner has a great pair with a good rubber sole that can be worn inside or out. I may look like a Jan Brett character, but I am warm!

[fairfarmhand]

I have photos of my 1950s grandmother in pants. I think that is what she wore around the house. While working, (she was a nurse) her skirt was long--mid-calf- and she wore thick stockings and orthopedic looking shoes.

 

As far as her going place clothes (she was quite fashionable) she wore long wool coats when going out and mid-calf-length dresses with heavy stockings.

 

I love looking at the old pictures of my Grandmother, because she was so tall (about 5 ft 10 inches) and had fabulous taste.

[justasque]

Wool tights with fairly sensible shoes - chunky low heels. Fairly thick tweed wool skirt, with slip underneath. Underpinnings, plus vest (camisole) - as a child mine were wool. Blouse, with wool sweater over top. Tailored wool tweed jacket. And the pearls, of course.

 

Do not underestimate the warmth of wool.

[fairfarmhand]

Wool tights with fairly sensible shoes - chunky low heels. Fairly thick tweed wool skirt, with slip underneath. Underpinnings, plus vest (camisole) - as a child mine were wool. Blouse, with wool sweater over top. Tailored wool tweed jacket. And the pearls, of course.

 

Do not underestimate the warmth of wool.

oh yes, I forgot to mention that the 1950s woman wore SERIOUS underclothes! That hourglass silhouette was not natural for most of them. And wool is SO warm.

 

I remember the floor heaters in my grandmother's house. (anyone else remember those things..gratings in the floor with radiant coils underneath?) They had 2 of them in their 1200 square foot house. They'd close off the bedrooms and the sunroom and use the heaters to warm the living room, dining room and kitchen.

 

At night I remember feeling like I was going to smother underneath all the quilts Grandmother would pile on top of me.

[fairfarmhand]

as a n aside...I have my Grandmother's fur piece from that era. 3 mink sewn together with a clip so that one mink looks like it's biting another one. My kids are both fascinated and repulsed by it. We all laugh about what constitutes fashion and why someone would wear what actually looks like dead animals (not just the fur) around their neck.

[Ecclecticmum]

I actually have a bona-fide gourgeous mint condition real fur coat from the 40s/50's (haven't researched much on it). All big swing dress style with big fur collar and trim. My grandmother just gave it to me last time I was there....she never wore it. She was anti-fur before there were protests LOL. She received it as a rather expensive gift from someone, and it was in her closet till now. Its the only coat that fits me properly (I have found clothing from around that time period tends to fit me better than today styles...perhaps is the "mother hips" big b00ks and svelte waist (well....it used to be svelte till bub number 3, I think I lost my fast matabolism after that PMSL, and my derriere has gotten slightly bigger too...more to love :D should do something about that though......one day) I am anti-fur, just anti-new fur. That furs been dead a looonnngg time, and if no-one wears it, its been wasted.....thats my excuse anyway. I don't really wear it except at home, though, its extravagent and white. I'm sure mixed with heels and pearls and the right 'do someone may think I've time travelled....lol. I like 50's fashions, and the fit, but I found I've never really been able to pull them off right enough to wear out in public (nor can I wear heels in public either, with my son, I have to be ready at the drop of a hat to chase after him through the mall....heels are not conducive to slippery, glossy mall floors).

 

I was telling DH I think those housewives just died of frostbite in winter (they always seem to wear nothing but think pantyhose on their legs....even when its snowing), and new ones just grew up like wildflowers in the spring.....PMSL.

 

I never though about the "servicable nanny" (ummm.....you know what I mean LOL) type outfit, lots of tweed and wool, wool stockings....I may have to order them online....as far as court shoes (low heel sensible shoes) I've been looking for them for about 3 years......nobody seems to make/sell them out here anymore. Everythings crazy killer stabbing stilletos or "fake" cork (I hate fake cork) scary platforms (and thats saying something....in my teens all I used to wear were platforms....I even had platform sports shoes for school...I was a little upset about my height....DH calls me dainty, I call myself Grumpy (and he's Dopey :p )

 

I'll look into tweeds (gosh that reminds me all over again how I fell in love with a vintage chanel suit that was a pink tweed...it was beautiful). If I end up getting my mary poppins harris tweed carpetbag, I'll be perfectly ready to gallavant out in public :p.

 

Downside - Wool washing....I hate wool and handwashing stuff...it always seems to pile up. One day DH is going to build me a nice big laundry room (like a lot of beautiful american houses have) and I am going to be so happy, I'll probably even homeschool in that room, so I can keep on laundry-ing. Until then, with the washer and dryer being crammed in what is called the bathroom, but I like to call the narrow room from hell.....I dislike doing woollens.

[Lady Florida.]

Aside from the fact that there's no such thing as a classic 50's housewife outside of those ads, they wore what was popular at the time. My mother wore slacks and sweaters in winter (we didn't yet live in Florida in the 50''s). Shoes IIRC were kind of clunky, though she also wore loafers with cotton socks. I don't remember our house being cold, so she didn't need to bundle up in the house. When she went somewhere she usually wore what was called a "car coat", which is really just an upper--thigh length coat and usually double breasted.. She rarely wore dresses around the house, though when she did, it was usually a shirtdress. She only wore pearls when she was dressed up to go out, but she did often wear an apron. I still have 2 of "my" favorite aprons that I remember her wearing. Aprons, btw, were functional rather than sexy or cute.

[Rebecca VA]

Remember that the housewives of the 1950s were children during the Depression years. They were probably very used to being cold, and it didn't bother them as much as it bothers us. They had lots of heavy housework to do, and that probably kept them warm. As far as clothes, they wore lots and lots of layers.

[Lindi]

I was born in 1952 in the Midwest. I don't remember any woman wearing long underwear, lol. And not all that much wool, either, except for coats and an occasional dress/skirt. We tended to keep our house warmer than I do now -- 72 or so. When you went out, you were always expected to cover your head but your legs just plain froze. You were more likely to wear snow boots and a sweater under a coat if it was really cold. We had to wear dresses to school with "knee socks" and later, as a teen, tights. But we didn't have school buses where I lived and I remember coming home every day with my knees and the area right above them red and chapped. I'd hold them over the heat register. Mom would ALWAYS have cocoa or soup waiting.

[hillfarm]

Downside - Wool washing....I hate wool and handwashing stuff...it always seems to pile up. One day DH is going to build me a nice big laundry room (like a lot of beautiful american houses have) and I am going to be so happy, I'll probably even homeschool in that room, so I can keep on laundry-ing. Until then, with the washer and dryer being crammed in what is called the bathroom, but I like to call the narrow room from hell.....I dislike doing woollens.

 

If you wear substantial undergarments, your woolens don't need washed as often as you might expect. I remember my grandmothers hanging theirs out to "air" and brushing them with a stiff brush - I was told, for the purpose of "keeping the knap up", although I'm not quite sure what that meant. I believe their wool sweaters and other outerwear were spot cleaned, but not washed until spring, when they were laid out on a screen to dry horizontally.

 

Woolen socks and stockings, OTOH, seemed to be hanging around every shower curtain rod all winter! I believe they were usually hand washed. I think this would be fairly easy to do, and based on my experience with wool (we raise sheep and I spin, knit, crochet, and felt), I think it might be advantageous to run them through just the spin cycle in your washer to remove as much water as possible, and they would dry much more quickly. I have also seen several styles of very clever drying racks that fold flat against the wall for storage until they are needed.

[Dana]

I think I should rub my tootsies before they fall or break off....

 

Doesn't deal with the 50s issue... but thin socks covered with wool socks and then encase in slippers - ones that cover the whole foot. Unfortunately my down slippers don't stay on the feet very well, but they do work nicely for when I'm sitting still.

 

And electric heating pads. I've been known to use mine on my feet as well :)

[Lady Florida.]

I was born in 1952 in the Midwest. I don't remember any woman wearing long underwear, lol. And not all that much wool, either, except for coats and an occasional dress/skirt. We tended to keep our house warmer than I do now -- 72 or so. When you went out, you were always expected to cover your head but your legs just plain froze. You were more likely to wear snow boots and a sweater under a coat if it was really cold. We had to wear dresses to school with "knee socks" and later, as a teen, tights. But we didn't have school buses where I lived and I remember coming home every day with my knees and the area right above them red and chapped. I'd hold them over the heat register. Mom would ALWAYS have cocoa or soup waiting.

 

 

I'm just a few years younger than you, and this sounds very much like how it was in New Jersey at that time. Sometimes we wore knee socks, sometimes tights. Adult women usually just wore nylon stockings. I don't even think they made long underwear for women back then. My mother did sometimes borrow my grandfather's (he was quite short) because though our home was well heated, we often had a car with heat that didn't work.

[Tarreymere]

Wool tights with fairly sensible shoes - chunky low heels. Fairly thick tweed wool skirt, with slip underneath. Underpinnings, plus vest (camisole) - as a child mine were wool. Blouse, with wool sweater over top. Tailored wool tweed jacket. And the pearls, of course.

 

Do not underestimate the warmth of wool.

 

 

Yes, my grandmother (I'm 48, and my mother graduated high school in 1955) wore a lot of wool. Wool tights, with wool knee socks and wool slippers, wool camisole and even a wool slip. If it got really cold she wore two wool slips. I don't remember seeing long johns. She wore a heavy tweed skirt with a blouse and the wool cardigan. When she sat down she had a wool blanket to pull over her legs. She also had hot tea pretty much constantly, or at least it seemed so to me.

 

They had coal heat in the basement that ran up the old fireplace (which had a grate in the living room and one in the upstairs hallway. There was no other heat source other than the stove in the kitchen. A bathroom/kitchen addition was added to the house in the fifties and the bathroom was put over the kitchen and a round hole with a grate was in the ceiling of the kitchen to provide heat to the bathroom. I grew up in the same house. It was never upgraded, but my parents did put a kerosene heater in that bathroom. It was normal to have ice on the inside of the windows during the winter. I remember chipping at it with my toys and throwing the ice pieces at my brother....