| Little girls want to be princesses. It's something born | | | | under their dresses to make the full skirts stand out. |
| into them. They love to dress up, and the fancier the | | | | The little girls of the Fifties could put on one of these, |
| better. Starting at the young age of three or even two, | | | | put on a gaudy necklace, add a big purse, and be the |
| if you give them a fancy hat or boa, they will parade | | | | Princess of Glamour or Agatha Mucha Moulah. Moms |
| around in it, feeling glamorous. But if you want to give | | | | in those days wore dresses much more often than do |
| them the best dress up accessories, buy them | | | | moms today. Back then, they always wore dresses to |
| rhinestone tiaras and rhinestone chokers. | | | | church and the office and even shopping sometimes. |
| The easiest way to outfit a little girl as a princess is to | | | | Today's moms wear a dress or skirt much more |
| just buy a Disney costume for her. Disney has a full | | | | rarely. And what kid wants a pair of old jeans for |
| stable of princesses, from Snow White to Jasmine. | | | | dressing up? |
| The best advantage of these costumes is that they | | | | The favorite dress-up item of my kids is an old faux |
| are sized for children, whereas common dress-up | | | | Persian lamb cape that Great-Grandma wore in the |
| clothes are adult sized. Of course, there is the other | | | | 1930s. This faux Persian lamb is a black, furry, looped |
| side of that coin is that the child may outgrow the | | | | fabric with a slight sheen. Over the many years and |
| costume before she outgrows dressing up. In my | | | | generations of kids that played with it, it has been |
| opinion, another disadvantage is that the Disney | | | | everything from a cape to a skirt to a hat. And it is still |
| costumes are commercialized and catch the kids up in | | | | almost as beautiful as the day it was first worn to a |
| the rat race of buying things because the sellers tell us | | | | party over a dressy frock more than 70 years ago. |
| that the goods are what we can't live without. I'm more | | | | Today's best dress-ups are probably dressy jackets |
| in favor of "found" dress-ups for many reasons. The | | | | that have out-lived their usefulness as party wear. As |
| biggest reason is that more creativity and imagination | | | | jackets, they most likely are not so long that the girls |
| are required when Mom's sparkly party jacket is worn | | | | who wear them will trip over them. You probably also |
| than when the store-bought costume has a picture of | | | | have an out-dated necklace to contribute to the |
| the character on the front. | | | | costume. Then spend a few dollars on a fancy tiara |
| Unfortunately, amassing a collection of dress-up | | | | and inexpensive evening purse (or donate one of your |
| clothes was much easier when the grandmas were | | | | own), and your kids can be the most beautiful |
| children than it is today. Back in the Fifties, today's | | | | princesses ever. |
| great-grandmas wore fluffy, frilly can-can petticoats | | | | |