FASHION
SUPPLEMENT
SicF
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 8, 1939
Crepe Dress
Of Bright Blue1
Is F !soci a I ef
Classic Black Takes Lead
For Smart Day Wear;
DesignsSuit All Types
Slightly Modified
DirndlsReappear
There comes a time in the life of
every woman when she must tuck
away the sweater and skirt and bid
farewell to the saddle-shoes. For
that fraternity dance, perhaps a day
in Detroit, or maybe a faculty dinner,
every college woman needs at least
one smart afternoon dress.
Intall colors, from the classic back,
which leads for daytime wear, to
browns, from beige to chocolate, the
next favorite of the season, there
are mustard, pale blue, olive green
and all others: the latest fashions
to fit the taste of the most conserva-
tive to the most audacious of women.
The Parisian Type
The Parisian silhouette this year
is less typed than never before. For
the taller woman, there is a double
swing skirt with that graceful flut-
ter; for-the very slender, ultra-sophis-
ticate the new "cigarette silhouette,"
with a steep apron flounce, coiling
up the side of, the dress. For the
most superb of dates, any of these
will prove a favorite. For the not
too slender woman, as sleek stream-
lining is perfect. With front full-
ness, waist-swathing sash, broad
shoulders, and bracelet sleeves, this
dress is a sure stimulus to the stag-
line.
The "femme fatale" -will love the
non-frilly afternoon dresswith moul-
ded bodice and corselet-like quilt-
ing to draw in the waistline, or a
simple-lined black crepe dress to
highlight costume jewelry. Black and
gold are afavorite dinner couple,
and one of the great stars of the sea-
son is black rayon taffeta, either with
an accordion pleated skirt, or with
tiny panniers after a Velasquez por-
trait.
Any Color Is Smart
Day or night, the woman of 193
may be in almost any color or cor-
binatioti of colors, brightened with
the most dazzling sort of frippery. A
French designer offers his now fam-
ous Robin Hood red and green tie-
up for the vivid damsels; there is
the new bluish Winter Green for
milk-skinned beauties; and a hold-
over of cyclamen and electric-blue.
Supple, drapable jerseys and thesoft
woolens are the leading daytime
fabrics.
The dirndl skirt isback again, this
time a bit modified in a Basque frock
(Co~tinueor an page 3)
'Party Dress,'
1939Version,
Is Strictly New
Wool And Brocades Offer
Variety In Wrap Fabrics
Featuring Military Effect
By EIANOR SEVISON
Glamour and femininity take their
stand in formal evening attire if at
no other time in the modern college
girl's wardrobe, and the 1939 de-
signers have made no exceptions in
the multitude of creations they have
turned out to match the soft lights
and "party" air which go with a
formal evening.
Wraps have gained a new em-
phasis as they appear in the old
standby-velvet, and newer mater-
ials of wool, brocade and rich furs.
Velvet wraps come in blacks, blues,
dark greens, and for those who will
limit their formal gowns to match-
shades. of wine and brighter red.
Capes are popular as well as princess
model floor-length coats, and the
wraps may be trimmed in white fur
or not.
Wool has reached a new height
this season in the variety of colors
and styles in which it is being used.
One model is in warm red, floor-
length, trimmed in black button
loops giving military effect which
is heightened by an epaulet treat-
ment of the shoulders.
Then bright blue is rich-looking
in wool, and one model attains in-
dividuality by a round collar in white
Samantha, The Fashion Plate,.
On My Ten Years In College'
I _________________________________
By ESTHER OSSER
This is the story of Samantha the
Smarty, campus smoothie in A2 in,
those far-off days when habitues of
Wall Street still wrote checks to their
offspring in college instead of letters.
Now you may think that Saman-
tha's record was a phenomenal one,
and if you're referring to the fact
that she managed to find enough
variety in the changing male popula-
tion to keep her interested for 10
years, you're right. But if you think
she's extraordinary just because she
managed to keep the male popula-
tion interested in her for the same
period, you're not only a traitor and
a member of a certain obnoxiously,
feline species, but a gal who has
failed to take stock of the variable re-
sources in the situation-and we
don't mean face-lifting.
Clothes And The Women
Clothes, you'll find, are the answer
with each year bringing a new flock
of fashions that makes last year's'
favorites look like the Michigan team
at the Illinois game. (unpaid adv.)
For instance, back in 1929, when
Samantha attended the formal open-
ing of the Russian Tea-Room in the
'League, she wore either a georgette
or canton dress which fell loosely
from the shoulders to the waist but
narrowed down markedly from there
on. It was quite likely to have an
uneven hemline, and ruffles, too, to
add a touch of festivity and distinc-
tiveness.
Her shoes were beige kid, high
heeled one-straps, with round toes,
and dark turn-backs on the straps.
She wore a snug-fitting hat that was
advertised as "framing the face," but
which in retrospect, and with all due
respect to the "twenty-niners," looked
rather like a deep bowl made out of
felt and clamped on the cranium to
keep any part of it from getting cold.
And this can, by no stretch of the
imagination, be conceived as the
function of the hats one sees now-
adays.
On campus, little pleated skirts,
fitted on a yoke, were . worn with
tuck-in blouses or "whoopee" sweaters
of a complementary color.
The Long And Short Of It
In 1930, Samantha had herself a
problem, for skirt lengths were not
of a universal length no matter what
the costume, (excluding evening
wear) but had to be adjusted to
a variety of daytime occasions. For
sport clothes, the fashionable miss
shortened her skirts so that they
reached just to the upper calf. For
daytime wear generally, the criterion
was the middle calf, semi-formal
clothes' lengths down to the lower
calf, and formals were worn at ankle-
length.
Belts were made smaller to fit
waistlines that year, instead of hip-
lines, and the favorites were made
of metal, or rhinestone with ivory
and enamel buckles. Handbags for
formal wear were smaller than pre-
'viously, while larger frameless, or
with covered frame, bags were feat-
ured for daytime use.
Even Long Gloves
evening gowns, worn to the Frosh
Frolic of 1931, at which Glen Gray
and the Casa Loma band were the
featured performers (hint, hint!)
proved enough to bring out the best
in every girl, and our heronie Sa-
mantha was no exception. Her dress
was a long, graceful model in deep
red, unadorned except for a long cor-
sage worn at the shoulder. She wore
16-button length evening gloves, and
sported a filmy chiffon dance hand-
kerchief.
A new crepe frock, featuring a
clinging silhouette, definitely dated
Samantha as a "smarty" in 1932. She
wore it to teas, coke dates, and classes
and when it was cold out, she also
(Continued on Page 2)
Wool Dresses/
Of All Shades
Are Popular
By DORIS CUTHBERT
What will you wear to campus teas?
How will you go to town? What will
be right for the weekend game date?
The answer to all these questions and
many like ones is found in the woolen
afternoon dress.
You can wear a woolen with the
confidence ,that you will. be -neiter
under-nor over-dressed. Fall fashions
in review show many varied and dif-
ferent styles of afternoon dresses with
woolens predominent at every show-
ing. The trend this season is toward
cloths of gossamer-ike texture. Fine-
ly-woven, light-weight materials are
dressy enough for your best date and
durable enough for the ball games.
Almost every color is good this fall,
especially black, scarlet, green, rust
and wine. Spring is rushing its sea-
son this year with the appearance of
blue among the fall and early winter
colors. Blue loses much of its coolness
when made up in soft, warm woolen
materials.
Both front fullness and back full-
ness, or combinations of the two are
equally chic this season. Front full-
ness is often stressed inafternoon
frocks by bodice; and skirt gathers,
mad more effective when used with
the fashionable "wasp waists."
The "Gay Nineties" triumph again
with the advent of slim, princess
fronts and full, bustle-backs. Most
full-backed dresses are plain Above
the waistline. This season marks the
first appearance of "bustle" pleats,
and when combined with the classic
shi'tf rock design and fashioned out
of wool, this new style makes an ideal
outfit for casual afternoon wear.
New Modes
Are Popular
In Sw~eaters
Traditional Campus Wear
Proves Boon To Budget;
Is Ultimate In Comfort
Evening Highlights
Softly Knit Beauty
By MARY HAYDEN
Sweaters take the lead in topping
the lady's preference list in the ward-
robe pickings, not by a margin but by
a mile, for short sweaters and long
ones, that have long sleeves or short,
are worn by thin women, and women.
Indeed, sweaters are the mainstay or
every college women's wardrobe.
That Sweater Tradition
Sweater tradition is a strong one
and has been conspicuous on the
fashion page, hence on the co-ed, for
many years. It probably all started
when some campus queen actually got
cold, or broke from cleaners' bills for
pretty woolen dresses, and decided to
do something about it. What would
be more logical than a sweater? Cer-
tainy they are wormer, comfortable
and easy to wash. Perhaps she felt
a little self-concious at first, with
everyone else still in dresses, until she
realized she was starting a fad. But
what a fad .. . it's, still going strong.
Now, there are really and truly cases
where a college woman will flee to her
room in the middle of the day and
seek out a sweater and skirt, feeling
that all eyes must have been upon her
all morning because she had ventured
to go to classes in a dress.
Smoothies Wear Them
Let's just take note of what the
smoothies are wearing in the way of
these knitted phenomena. The va-
riety and colors found in the sweater
catagory are enough to make anyone
sit up and take notice.
Angora is one of the most popular
and striking of all the fabrics. Any-
one who is out to look really glamor-
ous, and romantic has only to wear
one of these fluffy, utterly feminine
sweaters to get her man. That is if
gets the right kind of angora .. the
kind that 'doesn't shed. If she doesn't
get the ron-shedIder she may have
just the opposite effect on the man
of her dreams. You know, like the
woman who was beautiful until she
smiled. Anyway, angora is especially
attractive on the small or thin person
to give the appearance of being slight-
ly heavier. White and pastel shades
are becoming to everyone, while
bright shades are very striking too.
Brooks For The Sophisticate
Sleek and sophisticated is the girl
in the Brooks classic. This beautiful
(Continued on Page 2)
White, Summer Headline
News, Hits Winter High
With the introduction of Novem-
ber comes the season of black and
white dresses. Nothing, in the opin-
ion of fashion experts, is smarter
than this combination. Sparkling
white with black worn under a som-
ber winter coat gives an effect of
exquisite grooming.
The new white turbans contribute
this season to the black and white
theme. Especially flattering are the
softly draped velvet ones which
"top" a black fur coat very stylish-
ly" White kid gloves complete this
smart costume.
'Down With Rain!'
Feminine .Reaction
To Town's Weather
Drip! Drip! Drip! And for a change
this expression is not referring to
'Michigan men.
Yesterday, one watching the stu-
dents 'tread their weary way from
class to class, would swear that each
and every one was suffering from a
stiff neck. But suchjwas not the
case. The rains 'had just come. A
'slight bend of the head forward
would invite a stream of cold water
to trickle down some unsuspecting
person's neck.,
Peeves are numerous when Ann
Arbor steps into form with its tradi-
tional weather. Hair falls, feet get
wet, and pleats come out of skirts.
'Friendly dogs are no longer welcome,
at least when they jump on coats
with muddy paws. Friends splash
your stockings when they walk beside
'you and cars splash as high as they
can reach.
Ah, what makes the flowers that
bloom in the Spring? Rain.
Moralists have always claimed that clothes don't make the man, but
practically every fashion-wise woman has been disproving that statement
since Cleopatra's beaded finery first caught Antony's eye.
Off-hand we can think of three good reasons why clothes are something
more 'to most women than just interference from north winds. The most
obvious answer is that they are an unbeatable means of hiding
one's shortcomings and highlighting one's good points, face-
and-figuratively speaking.
Another good reason why clothes are important is because
they're pretty apt to influence their wearer, whether she knows
it or not. It may be a sad commentary on the race, but its still
a fact that life's grimmest moments are a bit more livable if one
faces them well-dressed. In fact our hero has been George
Washington ever since our fourth grade teacher told us how
shabby his uniform was when he crossed the Delaware to attack
the gents in those pretty red coats. The point is that even if
you shouldt be with one of those few great souls who don't care
how you look, he'll love you better if you're looking your best
simply because the subconscious lift you get will make you better company.
First Impression Is Important .. .
JTo apply this idea to the fashion problem, white helps create
an impression of innocence and naivete,' while black tends
to give an illusion of worldliness and sophistication. Blue is a -
,I
Gifts Of Stationery, Desk Sets, Music
Boxes Lauded By Ann Arbor "Buyers"
By SHIRLEY SILVERI
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Saturday afternoon
Dear Miss Adams,
Orchids to you for sending me on
this buying trip. (But please address
all my future mail to the poorhouse!)
I've spent the past two days roaming
the shops, and have come to the con-
clusion that college towns are tops
for beautiful gifts. I've seen things
for men, women, children; for birth-
days, showers, weddings, convales-
censes, Christmas, or for Just any old
time. I've seen-but, let me tell you
just what I'm so enthusiastic about.
I think I'll begin with stationery
first. That seems a good note (par-
don!) to start on. Needless to say,
when a person corresponds as much
as I usually do, all stationery begins
to look alike, after a while. .But I've
found several things which are really
single sheets. The set was very fem-
inine and exclusive looking. A very
popular gift here is the regular white
stationery which comes in wooden
boxes, handmade by master crafts-
men, and which may be, used for
many purposes long after the sta-
tionery has vanished.
For men, there was a box of hand-
some off-white paper and envelopes,
through which ran a shadow-plaid.
The sheets were single, of course,
and there were a great many of them.
Note paper is very attractive this
year, too. There were two very out-
standing kinds; one a white, with a
dainty maroon and gray edging, and
the other, a rose-glow shade, with
a white deckle edge.
With Fraternity Crests
Then the stationery featuring sor-
ority and fraternity crests, the kind
that may be monogrammed over
ger and better. One scrapbook built
for use as well as attractiveness, had
a wooden cover which was attached
to the pages by means of hinges.
Another, much more expensive, had
a beautiful soft leather cover, with
a very fine grade of paper filler; a
scrapbook which cannot be highly
enough recommended for those who
want permanence as well as beauty..
This latter came in regular and ex-
tra-large sizes.
Travellers' Sets Are New
A traveling desk set was something
rather new. The case was of a rough,
dark green leather, while the inside
pockets were soft, lighter green lea-
ther, with room for everything, and
yet compact enough to be very con-
venient. For people who have to
travel a great deal by train, and have
to work while traveling, this gift
would be a thing of joy forever.
Other interesting leather articles,
the grave and see what the significance of her wardrobe is
through it all.
Is It A Boy Or A Girl? .. .
When Penelope is born, before her mother knows whether
her off-spring is a Penelope or an Oswald, she waits in fear and trembling
for the nurse to come in and break the news about her child, for she herself
grew up with three brothers and she certainly does want it to be a girl.
She hears footsteps coming along the hall; her heart pounds, her eyes
dilate; but as the nurse enters she heaves a vast sigh of relief, for the bundle
put into her waiting arms is attired in a pink ribbon. Thus we see that
from the very start, when babies are ribboned ac-
cording to sex, what the little dears wear is
d : .,,-mighty important.
/ The years fly past and we find our little
.Penelope in the very flower of her youth and a