ALWAYS A COAT AND HAT
by Shirley A. Ramaley
I can’t remember my father ever going to work at his dentist’s office
in Seattle without a coat and hat. All the men wore them in the 50’s,
including my grandpa who was a barber.
If you went “downtown” it was rare to see a man without his coat and
hat. You’d never see a man wearing a baseball cap or anything unusual
or “different.” The hats they wore were formal, an important part of a
man’s attire in the 50’s.
My dad had several hats, including one with a “skinny brim” and wide
band. He also liked one that was a light brown felt, “homburg” style
fedora, that could be molded exactly how he wanted it and the brim was
very flexible. He had a black felt fedora, with a wide brim. He also
had a similar grey hat. That may have been his favorite. A man wasn’t
dressed correctly unless he wore a hat.
He wore a suit to work of course, and over that he wore a nice coat.
The same as with hats, many men wore overcoats. These were well made,
wool I’m sure, and quite heavy. I remember they felt good to snuggle
against. Again, my grandpa also wore coats over his suits, until he
retired.
It seemed like all my father’s friends wore grey flannel suits, just
like Dad. I remember him getting ready for work, always in his grey
flannel suit. Maybe he had more than one, but he seemed to wear that
suit all the time. And, of course, as he picked up his keys and left
for the door, he put on his overcoat and hat.
Looking back on it, the men all dressed about the same, actually
pretty drab. Their suits and coats were occasionally dark blue or dark
brown but usually charcoal grey. The look was very uniform and
conservative.
Men had a little more choice in casual wear, and for awhile the
western look was very popular. But for dress, there was very little
variation.
I knew when Dad was going to work by the way he dressed. That’s still
true today, but in the 50’s it was more obvious.
A nice man’s suit cost about $30 to $45 in the 50’s. Dress shoes were
about $12 to $15. The dress shirts cost about $3.99. I’m sure when Dad
was just out of dental school and broke, he had only one suit. By the
time I was a teenager he had three or four, plus two overcoats and
about three hats. Like all men in the 50’s, being properly dressed for
the day was important to him.
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