THE MICHIGAN DAILY THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 1956 _ Swim Suits Campus Fashions Reviewed, 1920-195 6 By ARLINE LEWIS Progressing from the ridiculous elegance of a satin dress to the in- formality of bobby socks, women's classroom fashions, in retrospect, have been numerous, conservative and often strange. The college coed, although sens- itive to the dictates' of erratic fads, has proved a firm belief in the virtues of comfort and prac- ticality. From 1920 to the present there has been a definite trend from the elaborate to the simple. Back at the start of the twenties, For sport wear, huge sacklike affairs, called knicker suits were as daring as the athletic female might go. They demanded similar courage of conviction and figure of the wearer that bermuda shorts required of college women just a few years ago. Knicker suits were long and loose, with long and loose jackets.,, Although advertisements recom- mended them for golf, accompany- ing hats which reached practically to nose level, must have made any attempts at athletics difficult. As the twenties "roared"on, hem- lines rose, waistlines dropped' along with the embarrassed glan- ces of the older male generation. The era of the Charleston and racoon coat-filled football stadi- ums saw a new interpretation of Classroom apparel still includedI "dressy dresses" and high-heeledI shoes, but hats had already been' dropped for comfort's and most likely visibility's sake. Sweaters and skirts introduced a little earlier, had not yet come into prominence. Like the other fashions of that time they were immense, poorly fitting garments reserved for the sportiest of occas- ions. I The next decade saw hemlines drop and styles return from what one faculty member called' the ugliest period of women's clothing, to a coherence with the feminine contours. Waistlines of dresses once again came to meet the waist- line of the wearer. The sweater which had been a huge, baggy affair was transform- ed into its- more modern version and soon became a campus fav- orite. "Sensible" low - heeled shoes made a day ; of classes a more bearable experience, as the coed line, during the forties it was set off by huge padded shoulders which would arouse the envy of any football player. While milady of the twenties had wanted to look boyish and had achieved shapelessness, the coed two decades later strived for fem- ininity and succeeded in looking quite geometrical. The "classic" saddle shoe made its appearance about this time, and found a permanent home on many college campuses, resisting the dictates of change, fashion stylists and taste. Colorful Bobby Socks Bobby socks in colorful shades were the new mates of the shoe fad, and despite a switch to white, they still reign as favorites. This invincible team led one foreign student to comment that Univer- sity women all look alike from the ankles down. The end of World War II brought hemlines cascading south- ward /and opened a controversy over the "new look" which w'as decidedly old in origin. French and American fashion peers demanded that skirts be brought to several inches below the calf, but a "limb-loving" public loudly protested. The results of polls taken among women and men were that legs were not to be veiled without a battle. A fight ensued, and the unyielding woman instead of ach- ieving martyrdom merely looked as if she were wearing last year' dress. In most cases she was. 'New Look' Arrived Gradually the "new look" be- came the norm and even the staunchest of the oppositign was moved to admit that it was "fem- inine." It consisted of frilly long sleeved blouses that echoed of the Gibson Girl era and a rather lang, softly full skirt. By the early fifties campus wear had arrived at its present state. Skirts and sweaters that fit were staples. During the past feW years ten- nis shoes and white bucks, un- polished to be sure, have contested with saddle shoes for popularity. The recent trend for coed's fashions, has been to adapt a boy look by borrowing and modifying men's fashions without chang- ing the appearance of the under- lying form. Man-tailored shirts, boy coats, bermuda shorts and crew - necked shetland sweaters make today's woman student a feminine echo of her campus brother. The most efreshing and start- ling deviation from tbh' conven- tional campus uniform is provided by Indian and Orientat women who have continued to wear their saris and shifts in the name of unconformity. ,,* 4 Y" jr ,I -carolyn Fitz ROARING TWENTIES the University's newly enfranch- ised woman came to class in daz- zling dress that might serve to- day's coed for a semi-formal dance. World War I started hemlines on a long journey upward, and at this time they shockingly reach- ed mid-calf length. High-laced Shoes High-laced shoes were discarded for more fashionable pumps that bared those mysterious anatomical regions-ankles. Surprisingly, waistlines were vis- ible, while huge turban hats en- compassed both head and face, giving the wearer a certain degree of anonymity. Women swaggered into class- rooms sporting fur coats and high-heeled shoes with stockings sheikly "dyed-to-match." Satin or silk dresses which wear had robbed of their party glow were recruited for class use, making a day at school reminiscent of a night at the opera. "Nice" girls who had never re- sorted to artificial means of beauty permitted a touch of lipstcik to co-exist with their reputations. t { LEAN THIRTIES the female figure which denied a good deal that was female. The flat boyish look, achieved with sacklike dresses belted at the hips, became the fad. Coeds slouched into class in true debu- tante fashion, with toes pointed out and chests caved in, while the controversial issue of bobbed hair sung loudly in every adventur- ous heart. Old advertisements suggest huge ostrich feather fans as the perfect addition to dance dresses, which were of exotic fabric and design. Often the gowns were trimmed with sequins,. mock jewels or fur and sometimes all three. In rainy weather high boots, stylishly left open, flapped across University grounds where campus liberals proclaimed their revolu- tionary, theories to crowds of stu- dents. FRANTIC FORTIES turned her attention from aching feet to problems of the mind. In the thirties, the full length black and white skunk coat was nearly as common as today's camel hair boy coats, and wearers sacri- ficed themselves to male derisions for fashion's sake. World War II The start of the second World War produced results similar to the first,with"regard to the posi- tion of the hemline. Skirts again rose to knee-level, perhaps result- ing from fabric shortage. But just as the era following the first World War had denied the existence of the feminine waist- '! A r. .. ...... .. ..l'' i:v.w . ... .. . .. . w1h. r n.. .n,.u.. .. 1.:.....1.' ..... . .nw:l ..::::": 't:...w ........"Mw.. ...a..wu ......Y'.. . .. r r.""".".^.w".}},xMra"r,;rrro r, + r r i V. A .gn uniorite A play-deskia sight and read; Beau Knot text -they're wash Blue or Brown 4 Iced with white ll \ '. . i f} s "Ss rt t ,v ..i , C 1, i.< .1 P } ".{+v. 5.', r iy Mannequins' Easter Look- SOFTLY TEXTURED OR SLEEKLY SHINING U, IDr a r ti ;y I".ti. l .8"" "S t h fir ,l I ' aY Y "l :' ' ) .k f 3 .} . b _ { I B. ". . .y>, z ; } Barely there or completely closed sleekly lustrous or traced with texture . . . whatever footnote your spring costume demands, there's a Mannequins pump that's fashion right. A. Graceful black patent or navy calf pump on high or medium heels. 10.95 B. Black patent sqndal, strapped to minimum. 12.95 C. Soft, natural corkette pump, gently textured. 12.95 a... f. ': 4; ".S 9j {f O,.rr tt, ,,: M4 iikYYPP::'% :':" :".: ~'. ". M GyNy ' Y"t .V. 5A ''T i "":r. ti K' 1 r r[ ! x j jrfi (!;.'r { itrs C. '.rf. (fr. Sr''''fJf :F .*{ h'r ( } j ,{ ff r' : : ri :;r L :ยข :? ." r i%? : .. : . .,. ;: r't ":: E> :: .+f '4 I: Slim Skirt $5.95 Sleeveless Blouse $3.95 Billowy Skirt $7.95 A . Bermudas Boy Shorts $4.95 $3.95 S. S 4 ', .~. ~ , ~7.,~ 4 I li C.