—Lancaster Farming, Saturday. Mar. 30. 1974
30
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Remember when? Remember when bustles were the
fashion? Remember when full skirts, tight waists and puffy
sleeves were in vogue? Remember sacks, and crinolines and
bobby socks?
Each of us has a “remember when” in our fashion past,
and the program committee for the Lancaster County
Fanners Association’s annual Ladies Day Out is going to
bring thlTfashions of our past to life on April 24 at the
Treadway Inn.
According to the committee, a parade of fashion, wit and
song will highlight the afternoon program, with clothing
modeled from the mid 1800’s to 1974. Songs of the different
fashion eras and skits will help to tell it like it was.
Many of the costumes have been passed down in the
families of committee members, but several were donated
through the courtesy of outsiders.
Wedding dresses, because of their sentimental value, are
probably the most frequent item of clothing passed on to
future generations. Several will be modeled the day of the
show.
One of the most interesting is the wedding dress donated by
Mrs. Henry Hiestand of Salunga. The dress belonged to her
mother, who wore it on her wedding day, November 2,1882,
when she married John B. Herzler. The dress is black with
velvet trim, and is in two pieces as was the custom of the era.
There is also a handmade lace handkerchief and collar which
appear on the wedding picture.
A white wedding dress has been donated by Alice Marie
Nissley of Salunga. It belonged to her mother, who married
Norman R. Nissley on July 23, 1903. It is a lovely, airy dress
featuring tucks and lace and intricate hand work. In addition,
Miss Nissley loaned the going away dress, which was in the
same two-piece style of the time in a champagne color. There
were also white satin wedding shoes, and blue stockings
which were worn, obviously with the traditional thought of
“something blue.”
Another lovely wedding gown to be modeled is from the
1920’5. This one belonged to Mrs. Oscar Mull, Marietta and is
of silk, embroidered with blue. It featured a draw string,
middy waist, and a matching silk shawl.
The oldest wedding dress to be modeled is worn here
by Mrs. Gerald Ruhl, Mount Joy RDI. It was worn in
1882 and features a handmade lace collar.
By Sally Bair
Feature Writer
Mrs. Harold Frey, Marietta RDI, models a wedding
dress from the year 1903. The two piece dress was
donated by Alice Marie Nissley, Salunga, and it
belonged to her mother, Mrs. Norman R. Nissley.
A “church” dress in the two piece style described earlier is
being lent by Mrs. Michael Grove, whose great grandmother,
Mrs. Henry Erb, wore it. It is of black, with a black beaded
velvet shawl and a white eyelet blouse.
A “Georgette” dress, donated by Alice Marie Nissley, will
represent the swinging Thirties. It is a lovely orange crepe
silk dress with huge flowers, in the rather shapeless design of
the times.
One of the oldest fashions to be modeled in the show is a
child’s dress and high button shoes which belonged to Mrs.
Elvin Brenneman’s great-great grandmother. It is a simple
white cotton dress with tucks and a button closing, and
probably dates from the 1830’s.
' There will be dresses from the forties and fifties, as well as
culottes, hot pants, knickers and hip buggers from today. One
swim suit, dating from 1924 is sure to be a hit. It belongs to
Mrs. Michael Grove, Sr., Marietta RDI.
An eye-opener for the committee was to discover just how
tiny women were around the turn of the century. They all
agreed that the women must have been “skinny” or wore
very tight corsets. One of their problems was finding women
small enough to model the clothing, and even so there was a
lot of tugging, pulling, pinning and some bare skin showing at
places which were meant to be covered.
Mrs. Sharon Hiestand said she was surprised how “small
waisted and flat busted” they must have been. Mrs. Shirley
Gamer commented on how strong the garments were after
all these years, and how fine hand sewing was characteristic
of many of the items. One thing that no one seems to have
saved, she said, is “men’s clothes.” The one interesting
example she has to exhibit is a man’s Arrow shirt with
removable collars and stiffly starched bib and cuffs.
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There were many miscellaneous items gathered which
cannot be modeled but which will be on display the day of the
show. A very delicate silk parasol, a bustle frame, shawls,
and bonnets are a few of the items. There were also several
tiny children’s bonnets of lovely silk, and a boy’s dress which
belonged to Henry Hiestand, and a shawl worn to school by
Mrs. Henry Hiestand. Some interesting undergarments were
furnished - including two lovely crotcheted slip tops, to which
cotton slips were attached.
Originally the whole show had been planned around
wedding, date and school time clothes, but, according to the
committee, they began gathering other interesting items,
and now the show will have “whatever we can get,” to
demonstarte the fashion parade through the years.
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Going along with the nostalgia theme, there will be a
quilting demonstration in the morning presented by Mrs.
Norman Hess and Mrs. Roy Landis. Quilts will also be on
display.
Other events in the morning will be the talent show and
short talks by Tom Moran of Pennsylvania Farmers
Association, and Donald Hershey, Lancaster County
President.
Overall chairman for Ladies Day Out is Mrs. Robert
Kauffman, Elizabethtown, RDI, who will also narrate the
parade of fashion. Program committee is: Mrs. Elvin
Brenneman, chairman, Mrs. Harold Frey, Mrs. Dale
Hiestand, Mrs. Michael Grove and Mrs. Jack Gamer. _
Tickets for the Day cost $4.50, which includes the cost of a
buffet lunch. Ticket chairman is Mrs. Dale Hiestand,
Bainbridge RDI, and tickets can be obtained from her by
sending a self-addressed stamped envelope or from your
local ticket representative. Deadline for reservations is April
16.
Mrs. Elvin Brenneman, Mount Joy RDI, steps into
another era as she combines a bonnet, cape and muff,
dating from approximately 1850.
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