University of Virginia Library

Rigid Dress Style

The radicals on the Grounds,
such as they were, had their own
rigid style of dress. Their hair, of
course, was longer. But they invariably
wore (to show that they
were non-conformists) blue denim
shirts, dungarees, and a surplus
Army fatigue jacket. As their
number grew and they achieved
more political and social prominence
they kept their ideas on
attire.

Presently, much of the student
body here is polarized. There is the
traditional bourbon swilling Cavalier,
still a fraternity member, still
conservative, and still wearing his
coat and tie. There is a small but
growing group of liberal-radical
independents whose ideas on style
vary from mod and Edwardian to a
style that could be called radically
disheveled. They, however, have
loosened things up enough so that
an even greater number who might
have gone along with coats and ties
in the past now feel free to wear
whatever jumps out of the closet
first each morning. And the graduate

students wear whatever they did
at their undergraduate school.

What this year will bring in
the way of dress in anyone's guess.
Eljo's and Michtom's, the traditional
barometers of student taste
on the Grounds, have not made a
clear decision yet. The traditional
tweeds are still there, but so is a
suit that looks suspiciously mod.
And rumor has it that there are
large selections of bell-bottoms
inside which are selling quite well.

It would appear then, that just
about any mode of dress will be
acceptable and prevalent at Virginia
this year, at least within certain
factions of the student body.