Evening star., 1955-01-18
By Harry Boeos

. II
What clothes does q good cat
wear?
!. When q pair of cats 60 out
to a "semiformal" dance the
boy will probably climb into q
pink shirt. black knit tie and
q charcoal flannel suit so mar
row-shouldered he looks like a
student at an Ivy League COLI
lege. And his date may be
gowned like Rosemary Clooney
making a Las Vegas night club
appearance.
In school the students are
hardly distinguishable one from
another. School restrictions
against certain garments. such
as blue Jeans. plus q desire to
keep the finery in good shape
for the evening, leads most cats
to wear q sort Of uniform dur
ing school hours.
The boys wear sport shirts,
sweaters and slacks Of some kind
to school. The girls wear sweat
ers. skirts. bobby sox and loafer
shoes. Almost nobody wears .
hat.
But it's between these ex-
tremes of school and dances that
Washington's cats really blos-
som into q style Of dress all
their own.
Jackets Are Popular.
For example, the girls may
discard their usual long, droopy
coats, which sweep to within 6
to 8 inches OF the ground, in
favor Of shiny white ripper
jackets, made not Of leather but
of soft plastic.
The boys may counter with
their own black horsehide "nlo-
torcycle" jackets. tight at waist
and cuffs, studded with silver
or nickel ornaments.
Either may wear at the neck
q fioppy string tie, usually black,
which goes by the name Of "sen-
ator bow" Kentucky colonel
or just "string tie"
For boys only are cut-down
black jackboots. Called engineer
boots" these come Just above
the ankle; have q buckle at the
top and across the instep and
are often decorated with ornate
metal studs. No legitimate "en-
gineer" would be caught dead
In them.
Also for boys are "peg pants Y
which in one version or another
have survived through genera
tions of style changes. A typical
peg is formed by cutting down
a regular l8-inch trouser cufi
to is inches and sharply taper
ing the. pants leg to at into 1t,
A good peg Is so tight the pants
cannot be pulled on over the
shoes.
Dirty Bucks In Vogue.
Girls shoes are usually low
cut, laceless loafers or mocca-
sins, worn over thick white
bobby sox. Recent entries in the
footwear field. however. include
dirty white buckskins and knee
high woolen stockings.
Boys and girls both wear
''team jackets" These are made
! Of either satin or wool, have
stripes down the sleeves and
knit cuffs and waists. They de-
rive from q garment originally
designed for athletes.
The T-shirt is q male gar
ment. Boys wear 1t under a "
necked sweater In place Of Q
shirt. A new model, the turtle.
necked T-shirt, is sometime,
seen rising high inside the col
lar Of q sports shirt.
The most popular theme Of al
which boys and girls allk.
play many yariations-is blu'
jeans.
Blue jeans are either OF con.
ventional cut or Of the Western
style. which Is short in the seat
narrow in the legs, tight AROUND
the hips and generally gives ths
effect Of q cowpuncher who's
pants are falling down
Fought BY Schools.
Notifications Of the basic blu.
jeans include plaid cuffs. leather.
edged pockets, copper rlveting
red glass refiectors, silver stud
and q fit so tight that no bel
Is needed. Blue jeans are no,
| quite CONNIE Il faut for forma
occasions and have been bannet
by many area high schools. bu
anywhere else both girls and
boys love to wear them.
They are so popular with thu
high school set that principall
Of some schools had trouble 81
first making their prohibition
against them stick. At Wheator
High School one day last Oc,
tober, 81 students were sem
home to change their tight blul
jeans. They had insisted cr
wearing them even though /
school-wide ban had previousl,
been announced.
A principle which almost nj
good cats follow in choosing theii
costumes is to be colorfur with
out being extravagant.
4 For example, very few indees
wnYfId waar what nnN hnw wrn,