...Just put on the NDA uniform."
The article below from Vol. 1, #1, Oct.
1926, of NDA’s THE GAVEL accompanied the photos seen in this posting.
OUR
UNIFORM
Our Uniform—what does it signify? What does it symbolize? Is it merely a dress, a garment to be worn regularly to
class?
Our
Uniform symbolizes simplicity and modest of dress in the neat blue skirt and
pongee blouse of summer and the stylish dress of winter. Not only is simplicity and modesty
expressed but discipline also. The
disciplinary value consists in the daily and regular wearing of the
uniform.
Oh?
fellow students of Notre Dame, let us wear our uniform as we do our refinement,
wear it and think what it symbolizes and always be proud of –Our Uniform.
Esther
Bramlage, ’27
Did the young ladies of Notre Dame
Academy High School and Commercial School actually feel this way about their
uniform in 1926? Blogger may be
mistaken, but she thinks they did, or at least most of them did. From interviews of alums of the 1930s,
blogger found that the sense of pride in the school AND of being seen by the
world as students of NDA was strong.
A summer and winter outfit have,
of course, been realized over many years but not at notable as they were in the
late 20s. When the change occurred
that eliminated the white midi blouse is uncertain, but by the mid 1930’s all of the young ladies seem to have been wearing a dark blue dress. These dresses could be of any style but the white collars
and cuffs were a must. Long
sleeves disappeared also, seemingly sometime in the ‘30s. The scarf tied in a bow, at first a
rather large one seen here in the winter uniform, also changed over the years to a very much smaller version
before disappearing in the fall of 1942.
We will move forward in this vein in the next posting, so do stay posted.
