Vigo County Historical Society

In olden days, party dress code was elegant attire

In just one day, the time will come to say farewell to the year 2001 and ring in a new year.

For many, New Year’s Eve means parties and celebrations.

Though the dress code for these occasions has become more casual, in times gone by, New Year’s Eve was a time for women to wear their most elegant attire and for men to don a tuxedo.

The clothing collection at the Vigo County Historical Museum contains many gowns and dresses that were worn by local women attending parties at homes and private clubs.

These have been displayed throughout the month of December and are on exhibit periodically throughout the year.

Some of the most elegant outfits in the collection were worn by Alice Ijams Benbridge, whose clothing spanned nearly a century, as she was born in 1884 and passed away in 1976.

These outfits are beautifully crafted, made locally, in Paris and New York, and must have been stunning at any New Year’s Eve gala.

As the welfare of endangered species was not a concern for party-goers of past years, women arrived at New Year’s parties wearing fur coats over their gowns and looking warm and elegant.

The 1920s was a time of beading and spangles.

Short dresses sparkled as the Charleston dominated New Year’s Eve dances. Three of these are pictured.

During the 1960s and 1970s, women attending New Year’s Eve parties returned to long skirts. These were polyester or wool. While not as elaborate as party dresses of an earlier time, they seemed to set the evening apart as a special night.

Whatever the fashion, New Year’s Eve is a time for reflecting on the past and looking ahead with optimism to the future. It is a time for those of us at the Vigo County Historical Museum to extend, to our readers, wishes for peace and joy in the coming year.