The Return Of

During a long gone period of time in America, most women wore one. It was the garment de rigueur for any woman who was not career oriented.

Is there anyone who doesn’t remember the favored item? Everyone’s loved one, Mother, Aunt, neighbor, and/or Grandmother owned at least one, if not more, of the universal uniform, the “house dress.”

The item always came in assorted prints, mostly floral, and often quite pretty. The majority were pastal and when worn, always, always, heavily starched and immaculatly pressed.

The dress became a perfect gift for a large segment of the mature female population. A new housedress was always welcome. I bought several during those years not only for Mom, but also, her sister, Aunt Helen.

Still (and I am more than slightly ashamed to admit it,) quite early in adolescence, I promised myself NEVER, NEVER to wear such a garment.

The morning I first met my future Mother in law, I realized she was wearing the identical housedress to one also hanging in my Mother’s closet. A different size, different color, perhaps but still the same cotton print.

Of course, a majority of American women still owned and wore “dress clothes.”. Those were suitable and donned only for doctor’s visits, religious occasions, weddings and/or the ineviable funerals. However, that was possibly the only time “good wear” emerged from seclusion. Day by day the well worn housedress was resurrected, washed, starched and precisely pressed.

That was ever so long ago, and all those I loved and who wore house dresses have since departed..

Until yesterday I truly believed any mundane memory of that particular item of clothing had faded into insignificance.

Then after 9 weeks of isolation, I happened to glance in a full length mirror and realized in horror. ‘No, ir can’t be, I am wearing a house dress.’

And I was.

Mine is not, starched, ironed or has daisies, petunias or any other flower imprinted on the cloth.

No, my now favored garment is a solid cotton, rather a full length t shirt, and admittedly, I do own several.

They are each washed daily, and I do don a fresh one every morning. However, reality cannot be denied; they are today’s version of yesterday’s House Dress. For the past 60 plus.days, they have been my garment of choice. I cannot speculate when they will return to obscurity in my closet, nor can I deny they have now become “My Housedress.”

And I know wherever my Mother is, she is laughing and perhaps saying, “I told you so.”.