traveling clothes

I was inspired by Lizzie (this post, specifically) at the wonderful The Vintage Traveler to write this post.  Lizzie mentioned that she recalled her female relatives wearing dresses on road trips to the mountains.  I like dresses for  road trips, too.  Dresses can be more comfortable than jeans.  I wear a pretty dull, utilitarian outfit working from home most days, so when I go out--whether to thrift or to dinner--I wear a dress, usually vintage.

Lizzie's post made me think about how my grandmother, Edna, dressed on the many road trips she, my grandfather, and father took through the 1940s and 1950s.  Many of these trips were to take my dad to camp, which is where they are in the above photo.  My dad and grandfather are pretty casual in slacks and t-shirts.  And my grandmother is a little bit casual, a little bit dressed up, in that cute patio dress.  She worked in a plastic surgeon's office, and I'm fairly certain she dressed up most days, in smart dresses or business suits.  I'm sure she wanted to look nice to drop my dad off at camp, but at the same time was thinking of how it would feel traveling for hours in a car in a summer day, and then having to navigate the dusty, rocky paths of a camp.  That dress and those practical shoes (are they oxfords or Keds-like sneakers?  I can't tell) look like the ideal outfit.

Edna frequently wore pants, too.  I saw this outfit in many photos, including one where she's camping.  I love the sandals, and the dark lipstick!  Edna may be casual here, but she's still glam.  I'm also loving my dad's cute personalized t-shirt and cowboy boots.

Speaking of Edna in pants, here she is in her pre-marriage days.  This was taken in the early 1930s I think.  I'm not sure what's going on here, but I love it.

Back at camp again, and I think these stylish gals with my dad are family members or friends of the family, who must have come along for the ride.  How great do they look?  And their dresses, particularly the floral one, look like they'd be very easy and comfortable to travel in.

On occasion, my dad wore a wild print shirt.  I don't have any photos of my grandfather in these print shirts, so I'm wondering if this was my dad's own choice, or something my grandmother encouraged.  I'll have to ask him.

And in 1970, Edna wore shorts, sunglasses, and great straw sunhat on the Clarksville Skylift.  (Intrepid gal next to her wore a dress!  On the skylift!)

This is not the greatest photo, but I had to include it.  It's my grandmother circa 1973 on a boat to Europe where she and my grandfather went on vacation.  I love her coat!  I'm about to take my own transoceanic (via plane, not boat) journey and trying to figure out what to wear.  I'm leaning right now towards a dress and boots...comfort combined with wearing a heavy item I don't want to pack.  I think Edna would probably approve.

xo

K