High school fashion

Remember what life was like when you were in high school? One thing that shines through the fog of distant decades is the hair styles and the clothing students wore.

I will never forget the parents’ orientation one year during my kids’ high school careers. The speaker said, and I quote, “Our dress code is very simple. No crack in front or in back!”

I never wore a school uniform or a tie to class. It was slacks and a collared shirt. I could wear jeans, but they had to be clean. More about that later.

T-shirts were not acceptable for class. The T-shirts of the late 50s and early 60s had no pictures, logos or lettering. They were just white and plain. The only addition might be a pack of smokes rolled into the sleeve to impress people with the James Dean “Rebel Without a Cause” look.

I spend a lot of school days sub teaching in our area middle and high schools. Many things have changed. Some things never change.

Kids in many parts of our country and over several generations strive to express their individuality by doing the same thing in groups. Yes, I know that sounds contradictory. Stay with me.

When I was a kid, the guys wore jeans. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, home of Levi Strauss, made the Levi brand the gold standard. Those of us who dressed on the cheap wore denim jeans from Wrangler, Sears, Penny’s or some other knockoff.

The girls mostly wore skirts, usually tight-fitting, or dresses. Very few females worn pants. Their hair was teased, back-brushed, curled and heavily hair sprayed.

It is unusual to see a school girl with short hair today. Most have long, well kept hair. But then, it’s unusual to see an older woman with long hair. I guess the memo gets around both younger and older females about when to change that style.

Back in the day, the male hair style was flattops and crew cuts. When the long hair revolution hit in the middle 1960s, it was part of a much larger revolution.

Of course, nowadays the clothing has changed dramatically. However, the herd mentality remains. Guys still wear jeans and T-shirts and sweatshirts are ubiquitous. Lots of interesting messages on the shirts these days.

Let’s talk pants. With guys it’s pretty basic — jeans or shorts. I’m amazed and impressed by how many guys wear shorts all winter. Hardy fellows! I’m thankful that the baggy shorts worn below the hip, showing the boxers beneath, have gone out of style.

Girls wear jeans and shorts too. Some pretty short. Also popular these days are those skin tight items that go by several names: leggings, yoga pants, tights and what I used to call leotards. No more comments about those, lest I get myself in trouble.

I saved the best for last — the torn jeans. Remember I said earlier that guys wore jeans in my day, but they had to be clean and neat. If you had frayed cuffs or dirty spots or a rip, you were considered low class.

Not many guys wear the torn jeans. That seems to be a female choice. Some have more tears than fabric. Not sure why this is considered stylish. The moms and dads of my high school years wouldn’t let their daughters out of the house with torn jeans.

My favorite story about torn jeans comes from the bygone sitcom, “Family Ties,” starring Michael J. Fox. He is the conservative brother to sister Mallory. She is a fashion slave. One day she comes home with torn jeans that were outrageously expensive. Thrifty brother says, “I could have ripped those for you for free.” Mallory’s response, “Oh no! I prefer to have them professionally torn.” Go figure.