Category: Fashion

(Insert Tasteless Sylvia Plath Joke)

February 1942, KU Graduate

I’ll let you make up your own title on this one. Plath was the clinically depressed poet who stuck her head in an oven and died of carbon monoxide fumes, but had the good sense and forethought to seal up the walls, so that her nearby children should not perish in their rooms. Nice.

Still not a good case for electric, though.

Pinterest

This is such a fun scene, with three generations of folks, prepping dinner. The apron matches the curtains. Everyone is thin, skirted, and cheery. What more could you want? Other than a gas range.

Sadie Hawkins Glory

1943 Recall

I have enough 1940s yearbooks to confirm that Sadie Hawkins dances, based on the then-popular L’il Abner strip, were a HUGE DEAL. Nowadays, not so much. In fact, my son’s high school had one scheduled earlier this month, and it was cancelled due to low ticket sales. Eight tickets, to be exact. And keep in mind, all the other dances have been packed.

What does that say about today’s youth? Aren’t women enlightened enough to ask boys to the dance? That’s the whole point of it. Or is it an outdated concept altogether, since boys now ask boys and girls ask girls? Every high school around here has its share of transgender kids who were named Katie in 8th grade and now go by Collin. Or perhaps teens just don’t like donning hillbilly garb–although I think they nixed that part long ago. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen anyone in overalls in a few decades.

In any event, the times sure have changed.

1943 Campus Cuties

’43 Cactus

I’m guessing this was taken at a Mexican restaurant that happened to have a tree inside it.

Can you imagine a 19-year-old dressing like this for a track meet?

Even minus the heels, in penny loafers and socks, Betty is dressed to impress.

Surely those soldiers were trying not to stare at Trebie.

Budgie knew how to hit the books.

Pat re-enacted her Gone With The Wind fantasy.

These fellows tried to get their attention after the photo shoot. Good luck!

Yes, We Really Wore That: 1987

Meg’s Sweet Shoppe, UT Austin

Yes. All those geometric figures and unnecessary flaps, bangled belts, and denim tops.

Yes. Popped collars.

Omega Psi Phi

Flintstone Barbies.

Acacia Cave Party

David Byrne meets Max Headroom.

Lois Richwine & Jesse Sublett by Jim Sigmon

Um, no. I never wore that. What IS that? Is it dead? Is it ruffles? He is speechless.

credit: Daniel Byram

He wishes he could unsee it. But he can’t.

It’s already been seen.

Black Health Professional Organization Eye Chart

All images from 1987 UT Austin Cactus.

The Popular Cork Room

Rare is the moment I get a yearbook pic without documenting the source. All I know about this source is that it was mid-60s and probably in Texas. In any event, I love the font on the Cork Room sign above. What I don’t get is why the other sign appears to say DROGS, not DRUGS.

But it wasn’t drugs that made this ‘do. Only black magic and sorcery could have enabled Lynda to achieve these “Kentucky Waterfall” tresses. Lynda shoots and scores on volume! 

This last one looks shows an era-specific soundboard with a not-so era-specific blond haircut. Must have seemed cutting edge at the time. 

Twinkies

Or should I say “triplet-ies”?

Reminisce: Pics from the Past

Bert Nelson, Ramona Larson, and Rosella Lillehaug enjoyed a typical high school day in Hettinger, North Dakota in 1953, although methinks they’re dressed for bowling league night. Pedal pushers, saddle shoes, and white button-downs–could they be any cuter?

You Must Never Break The Chain

Miami Herald

With so many men overseas during WWII, women filled the vacancies in a number of jobs, including painting power poles for Florida Power and Light. In Reminisce: Pictures from the Past, the husband of Virginia Kompe (right) explains how Virginia and her sister, Shirley, spent the winter of late ’44 into early ’45 “raising ladders and hoisting the housings for the bases of the poles. They also served as grunts for the linemen.”

Loafers & Bobby Socks

I bet the Quill and Scroll clubs died out about the same time as loafers and bobby socks. In this 1952 Midland High School portrait, it appears that only the teacher was allowed to wear strappy shoes. The girl on the far right seems to have bucked the trend and gone with saddle oxfords.

Among the many clubs at this high school was the Model Airplane Club. I doubt that one’s around anymore either.

Without a doubt, no one under 40 has ever heard the term “slide rule” or seen one in the wild.

You could use them for math questions before calculators were readily available.

youtube

Have you ever used a slide rule?

How about the Pan American Club? What did they do in there?

I see flags of many nations.

But by far the oddest thing about clubs in this yearbook was the illustration preceding them.

 

We didn’t have these kind of clubs in my high school. A saloon with dancing ladies?

Slam Dunk

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8c00683

I’m not sure exactly what this gentleman is dunking, but I know it ain’t donuts and coffee. I’ve sung the praises of Shorpy before, but it’s been many moons since I last visited the site. They have the most amazing high-res images, including this April 1941 shot of a tavern catering exclusively to African-Americans. Note the Snow White murals in the background. And those hats!!

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8c00683

It’s fun to zoom right into their faces and wonder what they were thinking.

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8c00683

You Should Hear How He Talks About You

1987, UT

Casting aside his usual job duties of managing and motivating underlings, Supervisor Thompson spent most of the yearbook staff party throwing shade at other guests. First he ordered Christi to bite her pearls to see if they were real (they weren’t), then drew a map showing DeWayne exactly where the belt department was in Foley’s, should the thought ever occur to him to purchase one. DeWayne then attempted a saucy retort about Thompson’s monstrous spectacles, but it sadly missed its mark. Thompson was on to the next unfortunate fashion victim in no time.

Seriously–what WAS it with those huge lenses? Even Wonder Woman sported them.

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