University Daily Kansan Friday, Nov. 22, 195
It Pays To Be Fashionable At KU
It Pays To Be Will Paris Sack Dress Invade Campus Fashions?
By DONNA LOGAN
(Of The Daily Kansas Stail)
The startling new chemise, or sack silhouette, shown widely in Paris this fall, may or may not have found a place in the KU coed's wardrobe.
Shown wearing the dress is Dinah Wolters, Bartlesville, Okla junior.
Though greeted rudely at first in the United States, with remarks such as "sad sack" and with cries of protest from both men and women, the sack dress has begun to appear both during the day and evening, in all shapes and styles.
The chemise (pronounced shaneez) was simply a woman's shirt-like undergarment before Paris announced its drastic style change. Today it has become a carefully unfitted, straight, seamless dress with casual shoulders, and a narrowing skirt which ends just below the knees.
The chemise, sack, or bag, as it is sometimes called, is easy to get into and comfortable to wear. It is supposedly intended, according to the "haute-culture" fashion magazines, for those women with slender figures and good legs. But it also has the advantage of covering up minor figure flaws.
Chemise dresses can be found at nearly all fashionable women's stores. It's a Paris-flavored good buy and a natural for women who prefer casual, straight fashions. With a stretch of the imagination and relatively little stretch of the clothes-buying dollar, the fashion-conscious woman can find herself the center of attention.
Cut on the bias, the dress stands away from the figure when the wearer stands still, but when she walks it reveals enough of the figure to draw attention.
Barbara Wilson, Wilmington, Del junior “A chemise is fine if you have a figure like Audrey Hepburn. Otherwise—ugh!"
KU students have already formed opinions on the chemise.
Carol Bentrup, Kansas City, Mo. senior— "I don't care for the chemise. It doesn't have any style without a belt; it has no femininity. With a belt—maybe."
Colby Rehmert, Jetmore senior— "You can't tell where the woman is in one of those things."
Jane Tomlinson, Kansas City, Mo. junior--I like the chemise very much. It's an easy, casual, comfortable style to wear.
Bob Lynch, Beloit junior—"I don't like them—they're too much like the 1920 styles and they don't do justice to a woman's figure."
Jack Makepeace, Kansas City, Kan. freshman—"I certainly don't think they do anything for a woman's figure. But, they're interesting."
Warren Wandling, Milwaukee, Wis. junior—I think it's better on a girl than a pair of slacks. A chemise has more femininity—leave the slacks to the men."
Dinah Wolters models the controversial sack dress which is the latest Paris rage. It is now being worn in this country both for daytime and evening occasions.
Soft Look Prevails In Fall Blouses
Fall blouse fashions are focused on several strong themes: The soft look achieved by feminine and soft fabrics, a startling new color, Florentine gold, and the renaissance of the overblouse and blouson. The dinner blouse is returning and gaining in popularity.
Severe lines and crisp fabrics have given way to soft, fluid effects achieved by easy silhouettes, dressmaker details and gently draped fabrics.
Feminine Frills
Special feminine frills found this year are accordion-pleated ruffs and cuffs, rippling jabots, cascading ruffles, floating bows, cowl necklines, lace edgings, beading, hemstitching, tucking, fagoting and delicate embroideries.
The man-tailored shirt, popular last year, has gone feminine with generous bows that tie high or low at the neckline. The bows are often removable and reveal a convertible plume, further softened by a winged design.
Blouson Is Back
Three-quarter-length sleeves are popular with French cuffs and jeweled cuff links and bracelets.
The blouson, the rage in 1926, is back in many variations with both elasticized and drawstring waists.
The emphasis in the color story is on Florentine gold, a muted neutral shade that adds life to fall ensemble tones of electric blue, tobacco brown, burgundy red, black and gray.
Prints that lead in popularity include leopard, candy and regimental stripes, geometrics and paisley with blue and green backgrounds.
With the return of the dinner blouse come extravagant fabrics, minutely hand detailed with pleats, self-covered miniature buttons that cover sleeves from cuff to elbow, ruffles, tucks, beading and embroidery.
Flats Are Stylish, Too
New style trends in flat-heeled shoes are disproving the theory that a girl isn't well dressed unless she is wearing heels
The basic black flat with a rounded toe has given way to a more brightly-colored shoe with a long-pointed toe. This gives the foot a slim, ladylike appearance.
KU Claims First Woman Cheerleader
Popular colors this season include ginger, true red, electric and navy blue, gray, antique gold, taupe and copper.
Pebbled, soft leather and metallic fabrics are joining suede and calf as standard materials for flats.
No longer limited to casual occasions and tomboy attire, flats are being worn for style as well as comfort.
"Kansas will have the first woman cheerleader in the world at Saturday's game."
The first woman cheerleader was the late Elizabeth Morrow, who was graduated from the University in 1915.
By Wednesday it was obvious that
The Kansan made this claim 43 years ago on the day of the KU-Missouri football game.
"Stomp on the tiger" was the campus slogan for the week preceding the game. Rallies and bonfires were in full swing by Tuesday and crimson and blue banners replaced sale goods in the show windows of Lawrence merchants.
Campus Rallies
Miss Morrow's cheerleading experience began in 1914 when she led a cheer in Fraser Theater, before a group of irate women, to prove that "KU women have as much spirit as men."
the women weren't going to become excited by the Homecoming affairs any more than they had become excited by the other football games. Most of the women at that time didn't attend athletic events.
At the meeting, the football coen W. O. Hamilton, urged the women to "help the boys keep training rules." He also expressed confidence that the women would go to the game and support the team.
Realizing that a great deal of school support was being lost by not having the women take part in the events, a move was begun to arouse their interest. The men publicly accused the women of failing to display spirit and loyalty to the KU team.
Retaliating, the irate women called a meeting for that night in Fraser Theater. It was announced that it was for "women only."
Coach Attended
It was then that Miss Morrow rose and volunteered to be a cheerleader. According to the Kansan the day following the game, "the roof nearly came off Fraser in this first flocking to the support of a football team in which Kansas women have ever been involved."
Feminine speakers urged the audience to "learn something about the game before Saturday," and plans were made for the women to form a large KU on the field between halves.
More than 600 women attended the MU-KU game at McCook Field. They apparently distracted the team, however, because MU defeated KU 10-7.
The Late Christian Dior Was Leader In Fashions
Since then the women have never relinquished their places in the cheerleading department, a field that previously had been only for the men.
BY KAY HANSON (Of The Daily Kansan Staff)
France has contributed many things of beauty to the world, and some of its most outstanding contributions have been in the world of fashion. To the modern woman Paris means beautiful clothes. The undisputed leader of the fashion world for the last 10 years has been Christian Dior.
New Look in 1947
Last month Christian Dior died at the peak of his success. At 52 he had given the fashion-minded woman the "new look," the "H look," the "A look," the "V look" and always, the feminine look.
Mr. Dior has been described as "a shy, balding Norman with a bird-like face and trencherman's paunch." Withdrawn and reserved Mr. Dior nonetheless created some of the most startling silhouettes in fashion.
In following years Mr. Dior created the "H look." This look was completely different from the "new look." The shoulders and hips were one continuous line.
His first fame came with the "new look." In 1947 he liberated the female from the short skirts, padded shoulders and heavy look of World War II. Vogue Magazine said the "new look" "made women extravagantly, romantifacially, eyelash-battlingly female." This was true. The skirt was lengthened, the shoulders softened and the whole appearance made more appealing.
Following the "H look" came the "A look." The shoulders suddenly became narrow and the hips wider. This look was for daytime. For
evening Mr. Dior designed the "V look." Where the "A look" for daytime wear was covered up and bulky, the "V look" became slim and revealing.
Fashion King
In 1947 he designed the "new look" and became famous overnight. Since then he has held the undisputed title of "Sovereign of the Fashion World."
The woman of today can only feel regret that the career of such a unique dress designer has ended. For Christian Dior did more to make the woman feel like a woman than any other designer of our time.
Although Mr. Dior preferred designing clothes for the very wealthy women who wanted different clothes, his real business came from the manufacturers of clothes who came to copy his clothing designs. Many of his $1,200 dresses were bought by the companies who then would copy the dress for resale in the United States and other countries.
Mr. Dior said once that "fashion is basically emotion." This feeling can be seen in his designs which compliment the female body. He also felt that the success or failure of a dress depended upon its ability to shock an audience. It is obvious because he created more silhouettes, styles and lines that shocked the public than any other dress designer.
There are 8 wholly-owned Christian Dior companies and 16 firms that make Dior products under franchise. His yearly gross was 18 million dollars.
'Fashion Is Emotional'
—(Daily Kansan photo)
RIGHT IN STYLE—Gordon Davis, Wichita freshman, calls for his date wearing a toggle coat made of Klondike cloth. Designed for clothing for mountain troops, Klondike cloth is almost impossible to tear or snag. The material is wind-resistant. Not only does Klondike cloth wear well, but it is attractive. One cannot tell the difference between Klondike cloth and the khaki that is worn by students. The new fabric is called "five-harness" sateen because of its weave. It is a 9-ounce material made from long-staple, combed cotton yarn which adds to its durability.