Casual attire trend here to stay?

Heloise

Dear Readers: Today’s SOUND OFF is about the American casual way of living. — Heloise

”Dear Heloise: Why don’t Americans dress up anymore? You rarely see people in most parts of the country get dressed up to go out to dinner, or for special occasions. I recently noticed a couple of young women wearing jeans and a T-shirts in church. I miss the days when women dressed stylishly in beautiful dresses when they went out for dinner in a nice restaurant, or to the opera. Now, so many women throw on sloppy attire and consider themselves dressed for the day. It’s as though our national pride in ourselves has gone.” — Wallace T., Brandywine, Del.

Dear Heloise: My husband and I received several lovely picture frames as wedding gifts. We’ve used some of them for things other than just framing photographs:

■ I put a copy of my wedding invitation in a beautiful frame.

■ There is a poem my husband wrote to me in another one.

■ Pressed flowers (a hobby of mine) are in one.

■ I put a recipe card in one from the night my husband cooked dinner for me and asked me to marry him.

— Ashley G., Tupelo, Miss.

Dear Heloise: Some of us ladies here in Texas have found numerous ways to reuse the clear, plastic covers on store-bought cakes. You can store paper plates in the larger ones, mix a salad in them, cut up fresh fruit in one, or in a pinch they can be used as a washbasin for dirty little hands and faces. — Eighties Ladies in Abilene, Texas

Dear Heloise: After using red nail polish on my nails, they began to yellow. I used a whitening toothpaste on them to remove the yellow. I rubbed it on each nail, let it sit for 10 minutes, and my nails were much whiter. To prevent that yellow color, I found out you have to use a clear coat of nail polish on your nails before you put any color on them. — Jen H., Wahiawa, Oahu, Hawaii

Dear Heloise: I have trouble using a zipper on clothing due to arthritis, so my husband took a large paper clip and attached it to each zipper, and that made it much easier to hold, which helps me dress myself. — Ruth D., Findlay, Ohio

Dear Heloise: As an artist, I carry samples of my work with me when I visit a client. Somehow I managed to leave my work in a cabbie’s trunk while in a large city. About a week later, the portfolio, with all my samples, was mailed back to me because I had put my name and address on it. It’s a good idea to label all important items. — Ken S., Paterson, N.J.