Back in the day, a lot of men did that sort of thing. Sportswear was a relatively recent innovation during the interwar years and really didn't take off until the post World War II era. Most men just wore old, tired, worn dress apparel for yard work and similar tasks. I can well remember my grandfather doing that in the 1940s and early 1950s. He'd be out in the yard in some old suit trousers with one of his older white dress shirts (he never wore any other color that I can remember) with the sleeves rolled as he did his chores. He never wore a tie when doing yard work, though. I think he just used well worn dress shoes for knock-about duty, as well. He wasn't especially poor either. He was a well known art director in Hollywood at this time and was twice nominated for an Oscar, once during the period in question.

On the same note, I remember the famous gun writer Jack O'Connor wrote that during the time of his boyhood in Arizona (ca. 1900-1915), the cowboys very commonly wore old suit coats. Silk scarves were quite popular with the cowpunchers as well.

Very common until WWII. Unless you got your hands excessively dirty, you wore a tie. If you didn't have to get your hands dirty you wore a suit.  Baseball umpires wore suits and ties until the 70's. But I think this geezer is just getting his money's worth out of his old suits.

Last edited by Popeye Doyle (2009-09-18 15:11:07)

My Pa had a 'Colt' he got from his father. It lasted forever with the blades taken to be re-sharpened every few years.

Mown grass, Petrol, Oil, and the stuff my old man put on his hair: The scent of Summer!

I remember Bin Men in old suit trousers under their Donkey Jackets... And the Navvys in old suits too with their jackets hung on their spades...

All of this changed in the 80's I think. Could be wrong. But the 70's were still very 'old school' as I recall.

In the 50's and 60's my Grandfather and Great Uncles (all WW I vets) certainly wore suits most days, frequently with a waistcoat as well. Just as they would have done on the farm or at work in their building company in the 30’s and 40’s.

That wasn't excessive it was the norm.