Fashion Shows

Fashion shows such as this one allowed State's Mates to see (and model) the latest fashions for themselves and their children.

This document shows the clothing that State's Mates members modeled at their fashion shows.  Clothing encompassed a wide number of occasions, including sleepwear.

In order to have a successful show, State's Mates had to enlist the help of local merchants.  The full line of clothing was often provided by one store, in hopes that student wives would shop there, but items such as full mirrors, and, in this case, hair glitter, had to be provided by other merchants.

Fashion shows were not always put on solely for the benefit of State's Mates.  In 1961, State's Mates (and their children) put on their fashion show for the Durham Veteran's hospital.

Fashion shows could encompass a wide variety of styles and occasions.  Here, Gloria Wallace models a bathing suit.

Another activity that dominated social programs in State's Mates' early years was the fashion show.  Fashion has long been associated with the construction of personal and group identity, and the expansion of mass markets in the years immediately following World War II increased its importance among a wider array of social classes.  Consequently, fashion shows were one way that State’s Mates members could assert their identity as good wives, despite the limited budget that most of their households operated on.

Fashion shows were usually sponsored by a local department store, who provided the clothing.  State’s Mates contacted other local merchants for items such as mirrors and hair supplies to complete the models’ outfits.  All of the models were members of State’s Mates, or their children or husbands.  Men’s fashion was rarely a part of the show.

Fashion shows tied State’s Mates members to the female consumer culture of the 1950’s and 1960’s, as members could learn what was going to be “in” the next spring.  At the same time, State’s Mates members were not passive consumers of fashion culture.  Instead, they used the fashion show to cement their status as homemakers and workers.  Clothing modeled included business wear as well as Sunday wear, and a number of fashion shows included children’s clothing as well as women’s.  One show even included maternity clothing to reflect the number of members who were pregnant.

State’s mates were also producers as well as consumers of clothing.  On an irregular basis, some of the fashion shows featured only clothing that State’s Mates members had made for themselves and their families.  More often, self-made clothing appeared in variety shows, and eventually, the Mrs. NC State beauty pageant.  Identifying themselves as producers and consumers of clothing allowed State’s Mates to participate in a culture of domestic wifehood and motherhood.

Visit other Exhibits in the Good Wife Diploma.