South Belt Houston Digital History Archive: Dobie Yearbook RoundUp #8: Formal Fashions

Tracing the evolution of the formal wear through the first two decades of the yearbooks is . . . well, the technical word for it is "a hoot."

I intentionally left out Homecoming fashions, since those are a bit less formal and can make a post of their own. So these photos are of prom and other balls held by clubs in the spring.

General day-wear fashions are coming soon to a blog near you, as well.

Back to prom . . .

I was curious as to when those ruffled shirts' popularity finally started to fade. I found this history of the monstrosities online here. But the writer suggests that by the mid-70s these were fading from popularity, while the yearbooks show high school proms held on to them well into the early 80s. I know that by the year I graduated, the same year Tom Hanks' Big premiered, the ruffles were only the stuff of jokes, but you can spot them through the 1982 pictures, a mere six years prior. How quickly tastes change.

For the first decade, empire waistlines and very long, straight maxi styles ruled the ladies' selections, with some flower power thrown in for good measure.

When Dobie first opened, opera gloves were typically paired with the formal dress and those fall out of the photos by the first half of the 70s, until they come roaring back in 1988, right when our time frame ends.

You'll really start to notice the shift into the decade of Decadence starting in 1982-3, about the same time "big hair" comes on the scene. Fun stuff!

1969