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Bob Revelle, clothes by Ben Simon's.
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by Nancy Stohs
Jeans to class. Jeans on dates. Jeans
downtown. Even jeans at church.
Until recently, the blue-denim
epidemic on college campuses had pushed
creative fashion out the window. There
was no place jeans weren't accepted.
Fashion magazines were becoming
collector's items rather than practical
guides to dressing. Levi's sales were
putting London and Paris to shame.
But in recent months, experts, local
fashion sources and UNL students say
they have noticed a reverse trend.
Dressing up, both on campus and off,
seems to be on the way back.
A popular explanation is that college
students are simply tired of being sloppy.
"You get sick of looking like everyone
else," said one student.
But jeans' sales are increasing,
according to local stores. One campus
shop estimates selling 300 pairs a month.
Racks of dresses remain nearlyunearly
untouched. But the jeans themselves have
changed.
In place of the original straight-legged,
faded Levis are this year's popular
baggie, cuffed, pleated and high-waisted
blue jeans, along with new brush denim
fabrics.
To comply with the "total look", girls
are wearing tailored tops and mean are
buying more dress shirts and sweaters.
Not really dressy, as students say, but
"neat" or "well-groomed."
Even for blue jeans, however, new
styles mean higher prices. A pair of jeans
now costs from $9 to $17, said one store
employee, whereas three years ago they
were priced as low as $6 or $6.50.
Reasons for the price hikes include the
greater amount of material needed for
flare styles, the strain placed on denim
manufacturers and of course, something
called demand.
But jeans have reached their peak,
local sources predict. Students, especially
men, are spending more money on other
clothing.
Newest in men's dressier fashions are
sportcoats, plaid baggies, platform shoes
and a wide variety of shirt styles in many
colors. They're selling well.
"Everybody still wants to wear their
flannel shirts," a men's store manager
explained, "but not day after day, all the
time."
There are also reasons outside the
fashion realm why a dress-up trend is
being noticed at UNL.
One store manager suggested that
Lincoln is offering more cultural events at
which a person wears dressier clothes.
Then there are the special cases, such
as student teaching, seniors with job
interviews or students who work, that
have always kept some students in hose
or neckties.
But most everyone still agrees that
blue jeans in one form or another
will never leave the college scene
completely.
Jeans and other "grubbies," students
say, are easy to wash, relatively
inexpensive and versatile.
One store employe said that college
students' manner of dress depends on the
school. At UNL, she said, there is no real
fashion group to follow.
Both extremes in personal attire will
always exist side by side - like the
sophomore girl who still owns many
dresses and only one pair of blue jeans or
the senior who said he hasn't dressed up a
day since starting college.
What would happen if the trend were
to revert to the first extreme if
everyone started dressing up for
everything again?
Of course the stores would like it.
"That's our business," one salesman said.
But more unique would be the
effects. "You feel better about yourself
when you're dressed up," several students
said.
On the other hand some say they feel
uncomfortable. "People stare at my legs
when I wear a dress," a freshman girl
said. But she added that men open more
doors for her.
It's rumored that on East and West
coast campuses men are wearing shorter
hair styles and dressing in suits and ties
for class, alongside girls who are flipping
on dresses and high-heeled shoes.
But whether or not this is coming to
UNL, most everyone seems to agree that
some kind of renewed "fashion fever" is
on its way.
News like this may not make the
leading Paris fashion experts jump for
joy. But compared to the faded,
raggedy-jeans, peace patches, no-bra look,
it's something.
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Patti Schneider, clothes by Hovland-Swanson.
photos by
Dan Ladely
On the cover: Bob Revelle and Jolene
Huckfeldt, clothes by Ben Simon's.
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Jan Ashbaugh, clothes by Hovland-Swanson.