How People Dressed for My Job in the Early '60s

[Sporadicus]

These photos weren't taken in the facility where I work, but I still work with some of that same equipment every day. Notice how everyone is wearing dress slacks, white shirt & tie. I never wear anything but blue jeans unless I have a high-level meeting. My two co-workers - both older than me - wear Dockers, but I wouldn't want their clothing bill. Also notice the number of people working; there are only three of us now, and we're definitely overworked. At 50, I'm The Kid. Some days, my elder co-workers look like horseshit from hell!

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. Ah, the days when people dressed nicely for work

Sorry to hear that your coworkers wear khakis. That sucks. Jeans, or slacks with shirt and tie, totally appropriate.

Khakis - the work of the devil.

Everyone in Khakis, when I become president, will be gunned down.

[Sporadicus]

3. Jeans All the Way for Me

Sometimes I have to cut samples of metal with a torch. The best attire - pantswise - is denim, the older the better. Slag will burn new denim, and I don't even want to THINK what it would do to polyester!

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. Absolutely!

Polyuester is not only tacky and shouldn't be worn by anyone who thinks that they have more value than a bucket of shit, but it's also dangerous - I'd never wear it anywhere that has high heat, slag, or welding, or anything that might cause my clothing to fucking melt on me.

Polyster wearing people will also be gunned down in Rabrrrrrr's America. In fact, it will be made illegal to make or sell polyester.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

10. I would like to intercede for the winter outdoor enthusiast

crowd.

We have to have synthytics to keep us from freezing to death doing our death-defying feats of derring-do.

Cotton kills in the cold and wet.

Thank you.

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. Dressing for the outside is much different than dressing for the inside

And I'm only talking about the inside.

My three-season sleeping bag is, of course, all synthetic. And, of course, for the winter hikers and mountain climbers, etc., the synthetics are both way warmer, and also way smaller and lighter than any natural fibers.

But using synthetics in regular clothing - whether casual, dress, or formal, and whether personal or work - is an abomination. Unless, of course, your job is an outside job like working on power lines, road construction, etc.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

15. Well, I just wanted to make sure I was not incurring your Excellency's

wrath, and we will still need to make these odious chemical-based fabrics, sire.

[Deja Q]

6. Ah, the days when people had work and could afford those nice clothes.

Times have changed. :-(

[Thor_MN]

18. I take it you haven't worked in a lab...

They never paid anyone where I worked enough to be able to afford to destroy slacks, shirt or tie on average of three a year. I had more pairs of jeans with little acid holes in them....

When you are doing metal analysis, everything has acid all over it.

[Rabrrrrrr]

19. Whiner

Most of my slacks were actually cheaper than my jeans. But, whatever.

The engineers wore shitty polyester slacks - they didn't wear nice dressy ones. Those are work slacks.

When I worked as an engineer, I worked in a chemical factory and all my clothes got ruined. That's part of the deal. Slacks, jeans, t-shirts, dress shirts, ties, shoes, everything. They all got ruined.

[hollywood926]

2. And that jarhead hair! Yikes!

Reminds me of the movies we used to have to watch in school...all from the 50s.

[Sporadicus]

5. It Persisted into the Early Sixties

That's how I remember every male haircut from that day - myself included :scared:

[autorank]

4. Check out their shoes. Did an enlargement and colorization.

[Sporadicus]

8. Good Work!

:thumbsup:

Actually, I think those are too 'sporty' for those good ol' boys. I think this is more like it:

[autorank]

11. OK, Sporadicus, I fudged the film a bit. Me 'n Zapruder.

Actually wing tip broughams were what i was looking for. Boats with all those tiny holes. Total dork material. Great pics!!!

[Left Is Write]

12. Er....

Those are my husband's shoes. One pair in that color and one pair in black.

[happyslug]

9. That God for OSHA.

OSHA passed rules against wearing ties when manufacturing. And that looks like they are dealing with Chemicals and NO EYE PROTECTION?

Don't worry my Father started as a Letter Carrier in the late 1940s and received all types of shit for NOT WEARING A TIE while walking his route. He was a "Professional" and suppose to wear a tie at all times, even 100 degree temperatures. Furthermore he was only permitted to use one of two types of hats, an Army peak style hat (Just like the Types Officers wear in the Army) or a "Trooper hat" which was a fur winter hat. I remember to this day him switching to the fur hat as early int he fall as he could (and using it as late in the Spring as he could). The peak cap was just uncomfortable and almost useless as a hat to keep the sun off you, but he had to wear it.

Thank God for the 1960s where most such restrictions died, but a lot of people had to take a lot of shit to do the switch. Furthermore lawsuits for harm caused by the requirement to wear a tie starting to cost people money so Insurance Companies started to require a no tie policy in factories. OSHA help the movement along but even into the 1970s some companies were demanding their employees wear ties. In the early 1980s some companies tried to bring back the tie in, my sister worked for such a company. She thought the requirements was "Stupid". Her company had monthly meetings so she grabbed one of my ties (which I was Not wearing) and wore it to the Meeting. Her Point was rule for one sex was the same rule for the other sex. Since the Company had no plans to require women to wear a tie, it killed the whole movement in her company. Don't worry her wearing the tie was NOT just to help her fellow male employees, she had a rough idea what was next, and she did not want to wear makeup, high heels and a skirt when she made calls a a customer to work on their machines.

I am still amazed at what companies what people to wear. The lower pay you are (for example Retail) the dress code are the most rigid. The more you earn the less rigid are the dress code.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. I am a teacher

and we have a new (idiot) administrator in our district who told the principals that they need to remember when they are out in the community, even on the weekends, they are representing the school district and should not wear demin.

Last year, the superintendent tried to ban open toed shoes. So a whole group of women in his office all wore fuzzy slippers one day. He then dropped the no open toed shoes rule.

Some school administrators are crazy about trying to control what teachers wear. I was once reprimanded for wearing capri pants. And they are so anti denim it's ridiculous. You'd think jeans were the sign of the devil.

And of course, even though most of our buildings are not air conditioned, they tell us not to wear shorts.

[CarpeVeritas]

16. those desks are mighty clean too...

are you sure they didn't just dress up for "picture day"?

[Sporadicus]

17. Yep, That's Everyday Wear for The Lab in That Day

One of those fellows retired last year - a young pup back then - and he confirmed that white shirt & tie were de rigueur.

[gardenista]

20. Love it. One of them could easily be my grandfather, working

in a lab for the Dept. of Agriculture. Cool photos.

As you say, he always wore a suit to work. Short sleeve dress shirts in the summer. Dress shoes, and he was working near cows all the time!

I do believe he'd miss his suits if he were still alive.