Fashion Synopsis

Crisp, clean, white cotton oxfords weren’t for boys anymore: girls borrowed the look from their brother’s closet, adopting the classic cotton shirt for themselves.

Girls wore the oversized shirts untucked and over their rolled-up jeans. The sloppy shirttails hung low and loose, giving the girls an air of carelessness and fashion rebellion. They wore the shirts unironed and wrinkled, and rolled the sleeves up to expose their clunky charm bracelets or (if they were really lucky) their boyfriend’s ID bracelet.

The early days of the teenager’s creation were about solidarity with each other, and this look was fast adopted by young girls as a way to express their independence from the conservative nature of the adult world. In the 40’s, before they were called bobby soxers and wore bobby socks and penny loafers or saddle shoes with their sloppy shirttails and cuffed jeans, girls wore black and white striped socks and old army boots with their oxfords. This ragtag style forever marred the pristine reputation of the man’s classic oxford shirt: once women slipped into the roomy comfort of the oxford, there was no giving it back.

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girl's apparel

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