The 90's Resurgence

Fashion is extremely full circle. Trends are so often recycled that it’s exciting to try to pick and choose which you think will be the next trend to come back into style. Currently in 2019, I would say we are having a resurgence of 1990’s fashion. As I looked through the Milestones from the 90’s, this only confirmed my hypothesis. Some of the outfits I saw students wearing were very similar to outfits you would see on current Gov’s students on any normal day. However, I did notice that this applied mostly to the girls and not so much the boys.

The girls’ trends that have made a reappearance in fashion were evident to me right away. Plaid skirts and high-waisted pants for girls were prominent in many yearbook photos just as they are today from stores like Brandy Melville and Urban Outfitters. Cold shoulder tops and dresses were more popular about a year ago, but they were also worn by Gov’s students in the 90’s. Scrunchies were a huge staple accessory back then and may be even more so now, with some students wearing up to three on their wrists at a time. Oversized corduroy or jean jackets and flannels were seen on both boys and girls similar to those that are trendy in the present day.

When I was looking through these pictures, there was no doubt in my mind that fashion is just a cycle that keeps on repeating (well, at least some trends are). It was so interesting to see how similarly Gov’s students dressed both now and then even with an almost 30 year gap. Fashion is exciting in this way because you never know what is going to come back in style. That is why it’s a good thing to keep your old clothes around; you never know when it’ll be cool to wear them again.

The plaid skirt worn by the girl on the right is quite similar to skirts worn by Gov's girls today.

This girl's cold shoulder prom dress could definitely be seen on a current Gov's student.

The abundance of flannels and oversized clothing in the pictures above and below really displays  some of the biggest trends of the 90's.

The girl on the left would fit right in today with her scrunchie. 

Commencement Colors

Recently, seniors got measured for commencement robes and given the option to choose what color they want their robe to be. However, the freedom to choose their robe color has not always been given to students. Until very recently, boys wore red and girls wore white. While many girls still choose to wear white and boys to wear red, the gender divide was certainly unique to this school. Many schools have one graduation robe color that all students must wear and some simply do not have graduation robes at all.

The gender divide for robes definitely seems justifiable when you consider that half the seniors would be in white and half would be in red, allowing for a more equal aesthetic. It also makes the process easier for the seniors and the company that we order from. Although nowadays with gender neutrality being more common, requiring a student to choose a color that corresponds to their gender could get the school into serious trouble. This was definitely a major factor in the switch that came around 2014.

The only real downside to seniors being able to choose their robe colors is that it makes the process a little more complicated. Several of my female friends spent days debating whether or not to choose red or white since red is still associated with males and white with females. However, I applaud the girls who wear red and the boys who wear white for doing what they want to do despite tradition or fear of judgement. I am glad that Govs lets us have a choice in this and changed the rule to be more inclusive.

Before the switch, female students were required to wear white robes and males required to wear red, as shown in these pictures from 1990 (below) and sometime between the 70s and 80s (above).

Since the change, students can now wear whatever color robe they want no matter their gender.

Dress Code Drama

The dress code at The Governor’s Academy has definitely been redefined over the years and yet people still get upset about it. While it is slightly ambiguous, as I’ve been looking through student handbooks from the 1970s and on, I’ve realized that it could be a lot worse.

Starting in the early 70’s and ending in 1982, students were only allowed to wear shorts as a part of Classroom Dress after May 1. Even though it is unlikely to get a super hot day in March or April, if there was one back then the students would have to suffer through wearing pants that whole day. After 1982, however, there was no rule on when students could start wearing shorts, which I’m sure makes the boys who wear shorts even on the coldest winter days very happy.

From 1984 until the 90’s, students could not wear clothes that had the logo or name of another ISL school on it as a part of “informal dress” for the weekends and after school. This rule does make sense, but it’s not really something that people acknowledge nowadays. Maybe back then it was a problem, but currently I don’t see a problem with someone wearing a sweatshirt of another ISL school if, for example, their sibling goes there.

The early 90’s is when denim really started to have its moment, but unfortunately Govs did not let students enjoy this trend. The 1989-1990 student handbook states: “No denim of any sort below the waist is allowed; this includes shorts, slacks, skirts, and jumpers.” This would be equally as tough nowadays as it was then, since jean skirts are so popular amongst the female students.

Up until 1990, students had to be in classroom dress for all meals in the Dining Hall except for Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays. It is hard to imagine every student changing back into their clothes from earlier on in the school day after practices were over. This is something that I am very happy is no longer a rule.

Another major issue addressed in all of the dress codes has been shirts. Students get away with a lot having to do with shirts currently, but it was definitely stricter in past years. The handbooks from the 80’s and 90’s state that shirts with collars were required for all students. Our current handbook states that only a “dress shirt” is required, with that being defined as a blouse, polo, or collared shirt. We are lucky in that we don’t have a strictly enforced rule of having to wear collared shirts; while boys are encouraged to, girls have it a lot easier. This, however, creates problems when boys try to argue that girls have an easier dress code, which is technically true. Although the dress code is gender neutral, girls can still get away with wearing a t-shirt while boys get called out if their shirt does not have a collar. I think that the dress code is perfectly fine how it is now, but it is interesting to see what it has been like in the past and how the rules have been redefined.

The 1977 Student Handbook shows an early version of how students were allowed to dress. (above and below)

The current (2018-2019) Student Handbook Dress Code is quite different than earlier ones, stating "do's" and "do not's" for student's clothing.

The dress code from the 1985 Student Handbook shows two interesting rules; no ISL gear other than Govs, and Classroom Dress at all meals in the Dining Hall except for the weekend.

The 60’s Hair Scandal

At Govs, hair is a huge statement for guys and apparently it always has been. Surprisingly, this caused problems in the late 60’s, even resulting in a rule put into the student handbook. According to English department faculty member John B. Ogden in his personal recollection, boys’ hair had to constantly be “closely trimmed” and “a barber from Newburyport came to the school one evening a week and boys signed up for services (or were signed up).” Ogden also tells the story of one boy who refused to go to his appointments and after continuing to rebel after a talking to from the Dean, was brought to the headmaster’s attention, who said: “I do not want to expel a boy for having long hair.”

Upon looking through the Milestones from the late 60s, it was clear that this rule was no joke. Every boy had the exact same hairstyle and it wasn’t an exciting one either. The reference source Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms addresses the male hair trends of the 60s, stating that “buzz cuts went out of style as the dominant haircut for men, and men increasingly went to stylists instead of barbers to keep their hair in fashion.” This was clearly a pivotal moment in history, as men started to express themselves more freely through how they present themselves.

It is unfortunate that Govs had to regulate the students’ appearances, but it is also interesting to relate it to the present. If this rule were in effect nowadays, I think it would cause absolute uproar from the students. It is hard to imagine the administration telling us how we can and can’t wear our hair and teachers scheduling us appointments when it got too long. Besides that, I can’t even imagine how it would make the hockey boys feel.

These pages from the 1968 Milestone show just how similar (and boring) every boys’ hairstyle was during this time period.

These boys from 1969 seem to have grown their hair out slightly, which the administration probably was not happy about.

These students’ hairstyles from 2014 definitely break the rules enforced in the 60s at Govs.

The Evolution of Prom Style

Prom season is among us. For some, this is very stressful. Finding the perfect look is a big deal to most people at Govs. Girls spend weeks and weeks searching for a dress they like and boys try to come up with original ways to wear the classic tux.

As I’ve been looking through various editions of the Milestone from the early 2000s, something that has jumped out at me is how much prom style has changed. I mean, it has changed a LOT. It’s not that the dresses or tuxes were bad, they were just very different. As far as tuxes go, it seems that the males stuck with a classic black tux, whereas now there’s a lot more color variation. However, I did notice more cummerbunds than I’ve seen at the proms I’ve experienced (for those wondering, a cummerbund is that thing that guys wear around their waist over their shirt with tuxes).  

For girls, the main trend I noticed was a lot more short dresses than currently. Nowadays, girls wear long dresses to prom because they are considered more formal. For me personally, there aren’t a lot of other occasions where I can wear a long, fancy dress so I like to take advantage of that for prom. Additionally, there were a lot more printed dresses in the early to mid 2000s prom pictures. Bright floral and tropical prints seemed to be popular in the years 2009 and 2010. While I would say the majority of girls wear solid colored dresses to prom these days, sometimes you will see a jeweled or floral print dress. However, the prints on the older dresses were a lot louder than those you would see at this year’s prom. While this may have been a trend then, I think they looked a little informal and I’m definitely not upset that trend has passed.

Printed and short dresses seemed to be trendy in the mid 2000s.

For boys, cummerbunds were more common in 2009 than they are now.

The dresses worn by Govs students in 2010 are very different than what girls wear nowadays.

The simple, solid colored dresses in this picture from the 2018 prom are more typical of the styles that are trendy nowadays.

The Prep School Stigma

It’s no secret that prep schools have a certain stigma behind them. One of the most prevalent is the stereotype towards what prep school students wear to school. According to the reference source Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms, the “preppy” style became popularized in the 1980s, and was mostly used to describe the expensive clothes that prep school students wore. However, “by the 2000s… it’s meaning had become less negative, simply describing the button-down collars and loafers that are considered the preppy style.” This thinking has somewhat changed, because now “preppy clothing” is associated with brands like Vineyard Vines or Lilly Pullitzer.

Although we are a prep school, I wouldn’t describe Gov’s as stereotypically preppy. More and more, I have been noticing students branch out with the brands they are wearing that totally break the stigma behind how prep school kids dress. Girls in boho, Free People sundresses can be spotted scattered throughout the Phillips courtyard on the warm spring days that are hopefully approaching. “Hypebeast” brands like Supreme and Off White are displayed on sweatshirts and tees sported by both boys and girls alike. Gov’s is so much more than the stereotypical, prep school clothing that pops into people’s minds when they think of private schools. We are allowed to express ourselves through our clothing and not be defined by what people think we wear.

Another misconception is that prep school students wear the blazer and tie uniforms that are so often portrayed in TV and movies. Govs doesn’t have a school uniform and we actually never have. Luckily, we instead have a dress code that is surprisingly flexible compared to some other schools. The uniforms that people envision when they think of prep schools are actually more similar to the types of blazers and ties that men wore here in the late 60’s, so this thinking is somewhat outdated. The stigma behind what we wear isn’t going away anytime soon, but hopefully people will start to realize that private school kids shop at stores other than Vineyard Vines and Lilly Pullitzer and aren’t wearing uniforms like those in The Princess Diaries movies.  

People normally imagine prep school kids as wearing the uniforms

so often portrayed in TV and movies, such as Glee (pictured right) or The Princess Diaries.

The clothing that the general public imagines prep school
students wearing more fits that of what was worn in the 1960s.

This picture from 2014 shows that the “preppy” style was still prominent

even just a few years ago.

The style of these Govs students in 2009 shows more polos and “preppy” style than we see now.

These floral, boho style dresses from the 2018 Morse Flag Ceremony show that students are not just wearing preppy styles anymore.

Intro: History of Fashion at The Governor's Academy

My name is Isabella Wood and for my Senior Spring Term Project I am researching the history of fashion at Govs. I chose to do this project because I have always loved fashion and am hoping to study it in college. I also know how much fashion and style affects us, even if we don’t realize it. Students at Govs are often heard passionately debating the dress code, discussing prom dresses, or complimenting each other on a new haircut. But were things similar in the 1960’s? The 1980’s? The early 2000’s? My goal is to take popular fashion-related topics that Govs students are interested in and look at how things were in a different decade. Through research in the Archives, I am working on collecting pictures from various files and Milestones in order to show how much Govs fashion has (or hasn’t) changed. Each blog post will be relating to a different topic and time period and I will update the blog weekly.

Online Archives Museum

While few people are able to come to campus to view the rotating exhibits in the archives, many are interested in the materials preserved there.  To increase accessibility to the items, the school now hosts an online archival museum!  This museum is designed to allow visitors to view some of the materials available on selected topics, with new exhibits added periodically.  The online museum currently features an exhibit about how WWII affected Governor Dummer Academy, its students and alumni. We welcome all interested people to visit the museum at https://govsarchives.omeka.net/ and check out this opening exhibit with an assortment of fascinating items and stories.