The women of Oxford College of Emory University most likely understood what fashion historian Rachel Moseley means when she declares: “Clothes can be magical, transformative. They make us feel special and provide us with a sense of self, and they can be key to the acquisition and display of respectability.”
[I] For the some of the first women in the college's early co-educational years, the idea of presenting one's self as respectable and serious, while maintaining a personal and feminine style would have been a consideration everyday. From curled hair and cocktail dresses to blue jeans and social club jerseys, the women of Oxford have used clothing not just as a means of covering up, but also as a way to send messages about who they are. Their clothing choices, then, reveals who they are, what background they may come from, and where they hoped to go in life. These bold women decided to attend a school that welcomed women somewhat late-- in 1953, making them a minority in the student body. The clothing choices of women at Oxford, from 1953-1990, illustrate a special ethic that still applies to the women students of Oxford today.
This
photograph, taken between 1953-1960, shows four young ladies in a semi-candid pose, discussing what appears to be a homework assignment. Their positioning and posture leads one to believe that these young women are friends, and these group study sessions on a cramped sofa are an everyday occurrence. Each of the women have styled hair, sit with legs crossed at either the ankle or knee, and appears to be portraying an almost perfect appearance exemplifying the notion: “‘If there could be a composite, mythical woman dressed by a mythical, composite couturier,’ wrote Vogue in the April 1, 1947, issue, ‘she would probably wear her skirt about 14 inches from the floor; it might have, for its working model a flower: petals of padding and stiffening seen beneath the cup of the skirt.’ In other words, she’d be wearing the New Look silhouette introduced by Dior in his debut collection.”
[ii] The women in the photograph are wearing longer skirts, most likely complimented with a slip or petticoat underneath. Their shirt choices also indicate the New Look ideals, their sleeves tend to be tailored with excess fabric to show wealth, as are the neck pieces. From the composed persona these women seem to convey through their poise and attractive clothing choices for the time period, we can conclude that these women are women of a high social standing within their communities. Their looks also indicate the practicality of a professional: it would not be practical for a working woman in this time period to wear a shirt with sleeves that are so puffy they catch fire in the oven, or to wear a floor-length skirt. Indeed, the New Look inspired outfits of these young ladies are indicative of both the background of the students and the environment women entered at Oxford.
The pioneering women at Oxford perhaps felt a sense of duty to dress both seriously and in the almost magical Dior New Look. Some alumna experiences indicate that Oxford was originally not an inclusive environment towards its female students. Women were placed in a dorm on the other side of campus from the men, a place affectionately known as “Doll Hall.” Much like the female students of today
[iii], women appeared to struggle compared to their male counterparts for acceptance, inclusion, and leadership on the newly co-educational campus. The women’s choice of dress is indicative of the desire to retain individuality, while also
presenting the look of a serious academic student.
Today, a young woman in a black dress with heels would not be an unusual sight. Since Coco Chanel debuted the “little black dress” in 1926, black dresses have turned from something scandalous to something glamorous. In this
image, a group of Oxford women have gathered together to take a photo for the yearbook, all in cocktail dresses. To wear black outside of a funeral in the 1950-1970 time range was considered “inappropriate,” so their choice is a bit unusual, as bright colors and feminine pastels were in vogue. White was considered a much more becoming color for young ladies at a fine institution, but these women are not in pale colors. Perhaps they were attracted to the fashion in the films of the time-- especially the costumes of Audrey Hepburn and Doris Day, who pulled off sophisticated looks in black in
Sabrina,
Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and
Charade. In this photograph, the women of Oxford are announcing that not only are they sophisticated and stylish in their choice of uncharacteristically dark fabrics.
[iv] This
photograph, taken from between 1960-1970, shows two young women looking over the balcony of the newly renovated Candler Hall. The women are most likely students at Oxford, and the photograph was most likely a candid shot. The clothing choices of these young ladies are especially striking considering the everyday circumstances in which the picture was taken. Perhaps these girls woke up, ate breakfast, went to class, and decided to take a look at the new Candler Hall building before going to lunch. The ordinary circumstances of this photograph are what makes the clothing choices so extraordinary. A Peter Pan collared sheath dress, classic handbags, a skirt suit, plain stockings, simple heels, and tidy hair may not seem to have a voice, but when one looks at how women dress when they feel the need to be legitimized in a leadership role, one sees shocking parallels.
Gloria Starr, a finishing school matron of the South, offered up tips on how to be taken seriously with one’s clothing. For the ladies, she recommends skirt suits, neat hair, simple heels, and plain stockings.
[v] The young women in this
photograph are wearing clothing that majority of people see as fit to go to work or a job interview in, not the typical garb high school ladies were seen in during this time period. The seriousness portrayed in their clothing shows how women at Oxford in the 1960’s were dressing everyday with the intent on looking just as serious as their male companions. Why the need for so much formality and professionalism? The marginalization of women in higher education has been a part of Oxford’s history, as is evident in the desire of these young ladies to be seen as significant in their learning environments.
Today, just about every female student at Oxford owns a pair of pants. However, in the 1970’s, when this
photograph was taken, it was still a bit of a taboo to see women in pants. “‘By the way you created quite a stir when you turned up with that outfit on.’ I said “Outfit?” She said ‘You remember, the pants?’”
[vi] Gretchen Schulz, a beloved professor of English at Oxford College of Emory University who is now retired mentioned pants in an interview on the difficulties facing women who wished to go into academia. Dr. Schulz came to Oxford in 1979, but in the winter of 1969, just before starting her first job as a professor at Agnes Scott College, she attended a faculty Christmas party. Schulz wore a tunic like silk shirt, with matching flow pants. Nowadays, an outfit like this would not cause any controversy, but in the 1970’s, during a feminist revolution sparked by figures such as Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem, the simple choice to wear a nice pantsuit to work could be a revolutionary act for a feminist. In this photograph, young ladies are wearing slacks while doing their daily studies in a casual environment. This is a scene still seen at Oxford in modern times, young women working on assignments in a dorm study room, also wearing pants. But for the 1970’s, these women were sending a message, especially since the photograph does not have any male students present. Questions such as “Did students have gender separated study rooms?” and “Did women only wear pants in the absence of males?” will perhaps plague us, but the idea still remains. At least in their leisure times and informal studies, the women of Oxford were empowered to make the daring leap from skirts to pants. Clothing can be a sign of rebellion, and actions as simple as choosing one article of clothing over another can say quite a bit about our values. Here, the women of Oxford are saying yes to feminism, and yes to creating a more female inclusive campus.
Henry Morton Bullock, in his thorough history of Emory, writes: “The social activities of students naturally centered around student organizations. The literary societies from their inception served social ends, and the fraternities, especially after the War, were more avowedly social in their aims and activities. When the trustees lifted the regulations barring secret societies, the students lost no time in organizing or in bringing to light organizations which already existed. For nearly a year preceding that time, a few of the students had been concerned with the old groups, the Mystic Seven and the Crescent, and sought to obtain permission from the trustees to re-establish these societies.”
[vii] Student societies have been the backbone of Emory since the start. From initiating change to providing students with petting zoos to distract from the looming threat of finals, student organizations have provided collegates with opportunities to improve their communities and socialize as a part of the Oxford Experience.
The oldest surviving Oxford student society is
Dooley’s Dolls, founded in 1955 by Martha Lokey. Dooley’s Dolls still survives today, and while it has become coed rather than just women, Dolls provides a place for those often in minorities to have a place to perform service, find a college family, and have outlets of artistic expression on a campus centered around sciences. Dooley’s Dolls was originally an all female organization founded on the basis of all the females at Oxford originally lived on one hall in Haygood, known as the “Doll Hall.”
Perhaps giving the name of the college’s mascot helped the girls gain a sense of autonomy in the often exclusively male world of undergraduate education. Since around the 1970’s, members of Dooley’s Dolls have worn
jerseys with the organization name and letters on the back, the design of which has not changed much today. In the 90’s when this photo was taken, Dooley’s Dolls had just become coed, and yet was still allowing students to have a forum for individuality. Despite wearing the same jersey and similar looking jeans, the way each student styled their hair and makeup was different, just as each of the students’ minds were different. The same uniform for both men and women was almost indicative of how far feminism had gone in the forty years since the founding of Dooley’s Dolls. As clothing becomes more unisex and less divisive, women and men can be seen by those of other cultures as equals. In the past, women’s clothing has been impractical, uncomfortable, and delicate. Now with jeans and t-shirts being both wearable and acceptable for all genders, in clothing at least both men and women are allowed practical choices that still allow for free expression. Clothing is an essential part of our lives every day. What we choose to wear says something about us. It is up to us to choose the message.
[i]Moseley, Rachel. "Respectability Sewn up." European Journal of Cultural Studies 4, no. 4 (2001): 473-90. Accessed January 29, 2018.
[ii]Borrelli-Persson, Laird. "Christian Dior's Most Famous Silhouettes in Vogue." Vogue. May 26, 2017. Accessed February 6, 2018. https://www.vogue.com/article/christian-dior-archival-looks.
[iii]Kinzie, Jillian (Jillian L.), Auden D. Thomas, Megan M. Palmer, Paul D. Umbach, and George D. Kuh. "Women Students at Coeducational and Womens Colleges: How Do Their Experiences Compare?" Journal of College Student Development 48, no. 2 (2007): 145-65.
[iv]Moseley, Rachel. "Respectability Sewn up." European Journal of Cultural Studies 4, no. 4 (2001): 473-90.
[v]"WARDROBE ADJUSTMENT.” Canadian Business 78, no. 23: 104, 2005.
[vi]Schulz, Gretchen. “Gretchen Schulz’s Feminist Perspectives on Academia.” Interviewed by Elinor K. Agler, April 6th, 2018.
[vii]Bullock, Henry Morton. A History of Emory University 1836-1936. Nashville, TN: Parthenon Press, 1936: 198-199.
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