Dress codes change with times

Reading about the Clovis dress code controversy shows how the pendulum swings. During the war years, 1941 to 1945, fabric was scarce to civilians. Military personnel needed material for uniforms, so skirts became shorter and form fitting – not immodestly, of course.

After the war, Dior thought it was time for a change. He invented the “new look” in 1947. Hemlines dropped to about 13 inches from the floor with lots of fabric to show off a small waist. We girls wore navy blue uniforms at our Catholic high school and those hemlines were to end in the middle of the knee.

The boys at our school were supposed to wear dark slacks, white shirts and neckties. However, the athletes brought lots of donations to our school, so the rules were very relaxed for them. Where was the American Civil Liberties Union when we needed it?

When I went back to my 50th high school reunion, I marveled at the lack of a dress code and thought the nuns were probably rolling over in their graves to see the jeans, Birkenstocks, off-the-shoulder dresses and tattoos on the graduates of the class of 2002.

This story was originally published February 8, 2016 at 7:26 AM with the headline "Dress codes change with times."