SUNDAY, MARCH 24, 196T THE MICHIGAN DAILY IPA VIV mIrvirw YAur, SEVEN~ f Unparalleled Popularity Greets Stylish Gym Garb -4 . By ROBERT GRODY Long before President John F. Kennedy came out with his now famous cry for American physical fitness, the fashion industry had been making annual pilgrimages of its own to the gymnasium. In recent years the grunters and groaners of the athletic world have contributed a great deal to the American fashion scene. The first of these encroach- ments was the tennis shoe, or, to those who are "in," sneakers. Sneakers were originally intended for gym use. Their perforated soles made for excellent traction, as is needed in such sports as basketball. The early sneaker was a pretty horrid-looking piece of footgear. Roughly Fashioned it was roughly fashioned of black canvas with originally white (it soon matched the canvas) rub- ber. It laced above the ankle for support. These early sneakers made their way into the world through the youngsters. Kids needed a fairly tough yet comfortable shoe to keep up with their active lives. Sneakers were just right. Even Tommy Uettig wore them. The sneaker's curious odyssey then carried it to a friendly har- bor: the realm of the high school girl. Here the clumsy, dirty sneak- er all of us on the block loved so well was given a glamor treat- ment that shall not easily fade into the pages of fashion history. Behemoth Cut Down The high-laced behemoth of the stickball game was cut down to fit neatly below the ankle. The new product (I refuse to call them sneakers) made an immediate smash in the teen world. They were light, comfortable, and went equally well with bobby-sox or stockings. But this was not enough. The black or white canvas finish of the shoe just didn't satisfy the feminine obsession for style. There weren't enough colors to match all their outfits or something. Then some blasphemous New York manufacturer came up with the idea that was to lead to the ultimate degradation of the once- cherished and respected sneaker: he started to put out tennis shoes in colors. Conservative Colors At first, the colors were con- servative: reds, greens and blues. But as the trend grew, the de- mand for more and more colors became greater too. Soon any dig- nity the sneaker might have re- tained after this unprecedented and abominable attack was lost. Sneakers soon appeared in vio- let, coral, tangerine, aqnamarine, ' W ies of the intrepid inhabitants and pango peach. Af if this wasn't of the gymnasium. potent enough for a final blow, It was a simple, casual garment the manufacturers dreamed u thiat was made of cheap, easily polka-dot sneakers, striped sneak - washable cotton. This fact made ers, corduroy sneakers (for fa ll it ideal for activities that were great fun but usually too messy for sportshirts and blouses. It fitted into backyard barbecues, 'touch" football a n d general lounging. It also provided what appeared to be sufficient warmth for those late fall and early spring ball games on the block. SNEAKER Whenever Mom stuck her ever- e- gpaprotective head out the window wear), and velveteen sneakE ks and screamed (causing untold em- (for more formal occasions).k arrassment), Put your jacket Th mthe lot ofthass, _oh , it's 40 degrees!", the stock an- inwas is t of th e unassu - swer was: "But Mom, I'm wearing in~ waifof the basketbal cu £t- 4a sweat shirt!" It was really quite Ah, me, the wheels of progi l useful. Sweatshirts Too Pretty soon the sweat shirt be- It wasn't long before the trail gan to make its way, as the sneak- blazed by the sneaker intc k the er had before it, into the social fashion world was travelled 'y a whirls, especially among t h e new garment, whose ultimat tri- youngsters. Its comfort and af- umph reached e v e n g] ater finity for not needing care brought heights than its predecesso t, the it to beaches, parties, high school sneaker. This was the sweat i-hirt. committee meetings and other The sweat shirt, or sweathirt ,nore casual social functions. (as its popularity grew) folldiwed Needed Glamour basically the same path as the But the sweatshirt and the sneaker: it was originally into nd- sneaker shared the same draw- ed for absorbing, as the Mame im- back: they weren't glamorous plies, sweat from the teem ing enough. The sneaker solved the problem by donning bright colors and weird fabric textures. But, since even Madison Ave. couldn't tolerate the idea of cor- duroy or velveteen sweatshirts, a new device-was needed. Sweatshirts became attention- getters. First, manufacturers em- ployed the knowledge of Vance Packard and Thornstein 'Veblen and made the sweatshirt a status symbol. Conspicuous Emblem Every high school, university, club, fraternity and street gang had its emblem conspicuously dis- played on their own Qweatshirt. The shirts identified every organ- ization from Theta Mu Delta to the 2nd Ave. Dragons. But even that wasn't enough. There were many people who didn't belong to any organizations, and yet they still craved a vehicle for attracting attention. This huge market couldn't be allowed to remain neglected, so the manufacturers came up with attention-getting sweatshirts that drew virtual stares of awe and disbelief from passers-by. Moo Moos This was the age of the "U.S. Olympic Drinking Team" shirt, or the "Moscow State University" (MSU) shirt. Others in this class included "U.S.A. Necking Team" and "Varsity Sleeper-Do Not Dis- turb." Even the great figures of poli- tics and culture were included There are Bach, Beethoven and Brahms sweatshirts. Even Barry Goldwater is represented. His sweatshirt is guaranteed to have been made in a sweat shop. The latest in the series is one that bears simply the words "Sweat Shirt." The craze is still going strong on campuses and in cities all over the nation. The parade from the gym to the world of casual fashion; seems endless. What next? Inside reports have it that another simple yet very useful garment is making its way from the athletic world to the fashion scene. This spring the latest and most chic thing to wear, the rnost styl- ish garment on campus, is a towel. Ladies' & Men's Hairstyling & cutting __A SPECIALTY The Dascola Barbers Near Michigan Theatre ALL HANDS POINT TO Cej ter K0 ferj 312 So. State St. "S.. *'* V.f o r The Smartest Fashions in GLOVES - JEWELRY and PURSES (300 purses to select from) SCARFS If rr~;. -, Re xP, Since 1921 Van B oven h&1ys consistently offered the finest in apparel. 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