What's going on under Snape's robes (longish)

[Kathy]

No: HPFGUIDX 74598

<Snipping a whole bunch of stuff Cindy said about Snape's being a 
pureblood and wearing only wizard robes>  I agree with that, by the 
way. 
 
Allyson:
On the other hand, Ron is a pureblood (the boy doesn't even 
> know how to use a phone) and we have at least one instance where 
he's 
> got a shirt on under his robe, and in PS/SS, we see him get off the 
> Hogwarts train with sneakers on. Tonks, who I assume is a 
pureblood, 
> wears jeans and a t-shirt in OoP. I know they are younger, and 
> probably less conservative than Snape, but still. 
> 
> No doubt the robe is the default wizard garment, it's just that I 
> think there must be more to it than that. More than JUST a robe and 
> underpants. Not like what Rickman wears in the films, probably, but 
> SOMETHING. That's what kind of made me think the Snapes were too 
poor 
> to buy Severus anything but the required school robes, which, for 
all 
> we know, are meant to be worn over something else, shirt and 
trousers 
> maybe. I gotta re-read the books and figure this out.
> 
> Allyson


I can't recall which book and they're out in my car at the moment, 
but in one of them I distinctly remember there being something said 
about the Weasley children wearing muggle clothing over summer but 
they're parents wearing robes.  I got the impression that was pretty 
much all they wore.  And given Arthur Weasley's fondness for things 
muggle, I can just see him wanting his children to wear muggle 
clothing if possible.  Plus, I'll bet it's a lot easier for children 
to run around and do all sorts of fun things in muggle clothing than 
in robes which may get in the way and could prove embarassing if 
that's all they wore.  
Maybe Snape's family was so "above" things muggle that the thought of 
wearing anything associated with them was horrifying.  Perhaps they 
even frowned upon young children wearing anything other than wizard 
robes.  Severus wasn't wearing anything other than underpants under 
his robe when he was fifteen because he never did.

KathyK