Short Sleeve Shirts

-->

It doesn’t seem like much. It is hot and wearing a long sleeve shirt is uncomfortable. So you roll up the sleeve to get cool but that just looks yucky. Besides the fashion police would never allow such a faux-pa.

For years and years, even in the south, the men and women suffered through the heat with layers of heavy clothing. The first I remember was the seersucker suit that was lightweight. A somewhat breathable material that when worn made the situation bearable.

Hard to believe by today’s standards of t-shirts and sweats and shorts and baseball caps being the standard wear, there were proper expectations to what a gentleman or lady was to wear at any occasion.

The long sleeve shirt was one of these items of clothing. In the winter it help to stay warm under a sweater and a coat but in the summertime it was something different. If you watch any old movie all the actors are wearing long sleeve shirts. Under those creased tuxedoes and hot lights those poor guys were sweating like pigs. Dancing was excruciating and even with all the deodorant mankind could manufacture, a guy was unattractive in a long sleeve shirt. Even the colognes that were concocted to present a welcoming presents to another wouldn’t work.

So somewhere in the 50’s the fashion experts decided to cut the sleeves in half. It started out on the golf course with shorts and white socks but then went into the office.

A suit coat could be worn over a short sleeve shirt and look perfectly acceptable. In the office, when the coat was hung up and put away, the short sleeve shirt stood out from all the others in a formal setting was unacceptable.

Luckily the colors starting changing then patterns and then casual office attire took over.

Not a fashion expert or even a connoisseur of the trend, I lived through the changes and am very happy with the results. Where is the iron and the starch?