The Casual Look

I was recently looking at travel photographs an acquaintance took in the 50s and 60s. What was amazing is that the women all wore high heels as they visited classic tourist spots. And some even wore gloves.

            Some of the pictures were taken in Europe where sidewalks and streets are of uneven stones. I can only imagine how difficult and painful it must have been for these women!

            Thank goodness those days are long gone! Today comfort is the key word in travel wear, starting with shoes. Everyone wears comfortable walking or sports shoes. These come in a variety of colors, of course. You see big men wearing big red shoes, children wearing shoes that light up with every step, and women happily making their way in comfortable orange shoes. The color is of no concern; comfort is.

            Comfort, of course, extends to clothing as well. Today, it seems anything goes. Tourists wear anything they feel at ease in whether it is a plain tank top or a bejeweled tee or even a tee adorned with surprisingly insulting words, classic jeans or new jeans with so many tears and rips you’d swear they were gnawed by some wild beast. Casual comfort is the name of the game, and people don’t seem to worry about what others think of their clothing choice. They’re happy to be comfy, and that’s what counts.

            We may not always agree with the choices of others when it comes to casual wear, but no matter our age we are all grateful that the “overdressed” and “overstuffed” look of the past has been replaced by a more relaxed if sometime nonchalant approach to dressing.

            Our corns and less-than-perfect body shapes are very grateful!