The Shippensburg University Fashion Archives and Museum (SUFAM) will feature "America Goes to War: Military and Civilian Fashion from Span-Am to Desert Storm" as it fall exhibit.

The opening for the exhibit is from 1 to 6 p.m. Sept. 24. The display features uniforms and civilian attire of both sexes from the United States' international conflicts, including the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm.

The exhibit explores the interplay between current civilian fashions and the ways in which they influence military style and vice versa. According to Dr. Karin J. Bohleke, SUFAM director, "As far as women's uniforms are concerned, contemporary fashion determines the shape and style of their uniforms; in other words, function was subordinate to style. Designers were hired to create attractive uniforms as an enlistment incentive, and this holds particularly true through to the 1950s with the Korean War. One of the uniforms on display, a 1951 nurse's dress uniform is exquisitely tailored with bold pocket details that make it a stunning piece."

Yet, at the same time, she said, wartime situations have a profound influence on civilian fashions: for example, jewelry shows one's patriotism and support of the war effort through World War II. Additionally, wartime shortages resulted in dramatic shifts in civilian fashion. Women's dresses provide a striking illustration as hemlines abruptly rose from an average length of approximately nine inches from the floor to just below the knees in order to save fabric during World War II. The Vietnam era ushered in a period in which multiple fashion influences are evident, but for the first time, anti-war fashions and protest jewelry enter the scene.

"Visitors to the exhibit will see the evolution of fashion over the decades intertwined with the conflicts that helped determine those very fashions,"

Bohleke said. "This particular opening celebration will also feature recipes from World War II that were developed as a consequence of the food rationing and reduced civilian access to simple ingredients such as flour and sugar."

The Fashion Archives and Museum is in the lower level of Harley Hall on campus. It is open Monday through Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. and other times by appointment. For further information and directions call 477-1239 or visit the SUFAM website at http://webspace.ship.edu/fasharch/index.html.

The exhibit runs through Dec. 16 and admission is free.