1989

The 1989 Fancy Dress took place on March 3, in the Warner Center/Doremus Gym, and had the theme: “An Evening Excursion on the Orient Express.” Tickets this year cost $48 per couple. The musical guests were the Lester Lanin Orchestra, Young Fresh Fellows, and the Reivers. In the venue, students saw international motifs reminiscent of the Orient Express’ route. The Warner Center was divided into four cities: Zurich, depicted by paper mache facades of the Alps and small swiss cottages; London, depicted by a model of the London Bridge with the Thames flowing underneath and a facade of the Big Ben; Paris, characterized by a model of the Eiffel Tower, fountains, and various greenery; and Istanbul, characterized by a gold mosque or Turkish temple with red stained glass windows. Additionally, there was an exact size replica of the bar/salon car from the Continental Train of the Orient that measured to be 10 x 40 feet with a pianist playing inside.

The 1989 Fancy Dress marked the first year that a female chairman ran the organization and execution of the event. On the SAB, there were 21 female members and as aforementioned, a female director, Liz Smith. 1989 also saw the introduction of Live Drive, “an organization which provid[ed] rides to and from W&L functions” (Griffin 17). This project was conceived in Spring of 1988 and was utilized into the 1990s.

Like the 1988 Fancy Dress issue, the 1989 issue also included multiple perspectives from each class year on the topic of Fancy Dress. Also similar to the 1988 issue, the reactions were overwhelmingly positive and revolved around dates and making memories.

The freshman woman, Pam Kelley, had insight on Fancy Dress weekend and concluded it to be a “drunken fest,” but was still excited to have the ‘perfect’ weekend, from the nails to the date to the dress and to the shoes. The freshman man, Brian Byrd, confessed he didn’t know what to expect but knew it would be very expensive for him and was looking forward to finding out if it was worth it (Byrd 6).

The sophomore woman, Bernadette Kempton, praised Fancy Dress, reminiscing upon her good experience, and concluding that it is what you make of it. The sophomore man, Richard Martz, wrote a story about finding a date, emphasizing the pressure of finding a good date, and then the consequences of having a bad date.

The junior woman, Lori Richardson, gives her perspective on finding a date, using an anecdote from the 1988 Fancy Dress to emphasize the importance of a good date that makes you feel comfortable and confident. The junior man, Wesley Goings, also speaks on the date experience. He writes about his last two Fancy Dress balls and thus his last three dates that either drank too much, slept around, or was negligent and annoying. However, he writes, “I’m really excited about this one. I even asked a sweet little freshman girl before break, which is a miracle for me,” so 1989 FD seemed to be looking up for him (Goings 7).

The senior woman, Alston Parker, spoke highly of Fancy Dress, recalling the escape from academic pressures it provides and the enjoyment of the company of friends. The senior man, Kevin Struthers, told the story of Fancy Dress 1987 during which his date passed out, not reliving happy memories from the event.