Anyone wanting to go out had to be properly turned out, which was an evening suit if you had one, or a dinner jacket at least. Those who had tails coats, and the proper gear, fared best with the young women.
Another thing about clothes in these days—young people in particular—all vied with one another for the smartest outfit. You didn’t find people going anywhere looking slovenly. Even these errand boys riding their bikes all had a suit or a jacket, collar and tie and a hat or a cap. If one went to an evening function he had to dress properly for it.
The materials for your clothes then were very different from what they are today because all that was known was wool, cotton or silk; there was no nylon. Nothing to reinforce the cotton or the wool so you had a suit made of pure wool. I remember I was rather extravagant and had a very nice barathea suit made for the evening. It was very, very fine material and soft.
On the other hand your socks were made of wool and they had a nasty habit of making a hole in the heel as you walked because the wool wasn’t all that strong. Now it’s reinforced with nylon so you don’t get that sort of thing. No longer do wives have to darn socks. In those days when socks were darned you couldn’t see where the hole had been. It was so cleverly done.