With their duck tail hair cuts all slicked back And their Stradivarious long sleeved shirts; With their half-soled, horse-shoe-cleated Brogues With the arduously turned up toes, The heart throb elite of high school’s boys Walked the 1950’s hallways to their class. Small town West Coast America on view.
With their reversible, pleated Pendleton skirts And Jantzen turtleneck long-sleeved sweaters, The girls eschewed the circle skirts With crinolines beneath, Held tight by elasticized waist-cinchers. They walked in snow-white baby-doll shoes With never any stockings.
Those who had the wherewithal To own the latest fashions And dress themselves in well known brands Were somehow deemed superior In all the gracious arts of living And looked upon with envy-eyes By those who dressed in J C Penney.
It wasn’t wrong - it wasn’t right It fed some egos, damaged others But it was just the way it was And somehow we survived it. Today you couldn’t pay enough To make me wear a brand name And I still love J C Penney. ljm
I can see them to this day. I didn't have to look in my yearbook to remember. Brogues were sometimes referred to as brogans. This is part of BLT's Merriam Webster Word Challenge Game.