Who Should Wear a Necktie in a Yearbook Photograph?

Girl Graduate, June 1925, Delineator.

The power of clothes to disturb people seems to have diminished since the shock of hippie clothing in the 60s and punk clothing in the 70s and 80s outraged so many people — but even today, when it almost appears that “anything goes” in fashion, a news item appears to remind me that it’s not true:  A young woman in San Francisco wore a tuxedo & black tie for her yearbook picture, which was against the school rules.

Clothes for Misses Age 15 to 20; Butterick patterns, Delineator magazine 1925. In the 1920s, wearing an article of male clothing, such as a necktie, hinted at feelings of equality.

People are often outraged by clothing that doesn’t meet their gender expectations, even in San Francisco, a city famous for its “live and let live” attitudes. (I saw a dozen nudists bicycling past the zoo last year. No one bothered them.)

Young Woman in Necktie, Delineator, 1925

The local news stations and the San Francisco Chronicle are running stories about high school senior Jessica Urbina, whose photograph was removed from her high school yearbook because she chose to pose in a tuxedo instead of a photographer’s “drape.” Her private school, Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, has a rule that all girls must have their senior picture taken wearing a “drape” and all boys must be photographed wearing a tuxedo shirt, jacket, and tie. As reported in the Chronicle, the Archdiocese of San Francisco has a policy “requiring female students to wear dresses in yearbook photos.” (Technically, a ‘drape’ is not a dress — it’s a photographer’s prop that just suggests a dress from the waist up.  And I doubt that many young men have a tuxedo in the closet, or wear one often. Both of those options are quite arbitrary — they are merely an attempt to get a uniform, non-individualistic image of each student by banning their own clothing. So yes, Jessica did make an attempt to subvert the rules, by showing a little of her real self, and appearing as she would want to be remembered.)

Young Woman in Necktie and Man-tailored Suit, 1925, Delineator.

The inspiring part of this story is that, when they heard the news that Jessica’s picture would not appear in their yearbook, the students at Sacred Heart came to school wearing neckties, regardless of gender. They wore neckties with their tee shirts. They wore neckties with their blouses. They wore bowties and long ties. Jessica said, “I’ve never felt more love than I do right now. I’ve seen people with all the ties. Honestly, I’ve cried multiple times, overwhelmed with all this support, so I just want to thank everybody who’s supporting me now.”

“Late in the day, school officials said the events had ‘sparked a campus-wide dialogue which will result in a revision of policy.’ ” although it may not take effect immediately. — News Article: Students Rally Around Tux-Wearing Teen Left Out of Yearbook by Jill Tucker and Henry K. Lee

I’ve posted these illustrations from 1925 — when women were casting off old, gender-defined roles and taking on traditionally male occupations — as a reminder of how long it can take to break down cultural expectations about clothing and gender. The language of clothes is so powerful that people can still feel threatened by a woman wearing a tuxedo, or a man wearing a skirt. Yes, clothes do make a statement about the wearer. It sounds like Jessica knows who she is, and wants to ‘speak’ the truth. How encouraging that her classmates respect her for it.

Rapid Change in 1920s Fashion: Women, 1924 to 1925

Women’s dresses: December 1924 and December 1925

1925 was  a year of rapid change in women’s fashions. In addition to rising hemlines, this year marked the beginning of the end for tubular dresses worn over bust-flattening undergarments, and the introduction of a more feminine silhouette. To give an idea of how quickly styles changed, I’ll show some images from Delineator magazine that appeared just one year apart — some from the end of 1924, and some from the end of 1925.

Women’s Coats:  1924 and 1925

These two coats — pictured one month apart — were the latest styles for the end of 1924.

Left: Butterick coat pattern, Dec. 1924. Right: Lanvin coat, Jan. 1925.

“Lanvin’s coat of beige raily kasha flares into godets at the lower part and is trimmed with a very small collar and very large cuffs of antelope and leopard skin. With it is a muff.”

Here are three coats from December 1925, Just Twelve Months Later:

Butterick coat patterns from December, 1925.

These three coats look modern (or moderne) — the way we usually picture the 1920s. In one year, subtle changes in fit and proportion have severed the connection with the long, tubular fashions that began the decade.

December 1924 and December 1925 Fashions Illustrated in Color

Here is a closer look at some women’s dresses from December 1924:

Women’s Dresses, December 1924, from Butterick’s Delineator magazine.

These 1924 tunic dresses are ‘tubular’, falling straight from the shoulders over a low, flattened bust (especially noticeable at far left.) Tunic styles often show indecision about skirt length: there is a short hem and a long hem.

Women’s Dresses, December 1925, from Butterick’s Delineator magazine.

Twelve months later, the difference in hem length is not the only big change; while the tunic dresses of 1924 got narrower at the bottom, these dresses have some flare from the waist or hip to the hems. The real innovation can be seen in the red gown; it is a new “princess line” dress. The vertical seams allow it to be shaped to the body, curving out slightly over the bust and curving in slightly at the loosely fitted waist. There would be little point in flattening your chest to wear such a dress, although some older women clung to their familiar undergarments.

Evening Dresses and Wraps, 1924 and 1925

Evening Wrap Coat and Evening Dress, January 1924.

Later in the same year, 1924:

Evening Wrap Coat and Evening Dresses, December 1924.

There is more hip interest, and a surplice (diagonally closing) gown. These are minor changes compared to the drastically different look of December, 1925:

Evening Wrap Coat and Evening Dresses, December, 1925.

The loosely belted columnar dress (January 1924) has been replaced with dresses that have distinct bodices and skirts, a strong accent at the hips, and geometric, Art Deco details. The effect is crisper and shorter. All the models now wear the mannish, ‘shingled’ hair style.

Surplice Closing Dress (right) from December 1925.

Surplice gown, Dec. 1924.

In one year, the surplice dress has gone from baggy to streamlined.

Coming soon:  Dresses for teens and young women, 1924 and 1925.