February 18th, 2018

Timeline – 1973 Part 2

by Brian Walker, Greg Walker and Chance Browne

Hi and Lois Sunday page color proof, March 18, 1973.

The clothing that the characters in Hi and Lois wear has not changed much over the years. Hi with his frumpy golf sweater and khakis. Chip with his baseball cap, T-shirt and blue jeans. Dot and Ditto with their big shoes that resemble the boots in Beetle Bailey.

But Lois Flagtson occasionally flirts with fashion. In the Sunday page above she buys a stylish pink pantsuit and goes to Hi’s office to show it off. She vamps, sings, spins and prances in her new threads leaving Hi’s co-worker in a state of shock. Lois is a mother but she is also an attractive young woman who likes to flaunt her figure.

Dik Browne must have consulted some fashion magazines when he drew this episode.   Below is a photo from the November 1973 issue of Vogue that he might have come across.

The colorful mini-skirts and bold prints of the 1960s also made their way into the panels of Hi and Lois. In this strip from 1967, Lois tries on a very mod-looking outfit that doesn’t go over well with daughter Dot.

Although Lois usually wears practical clothing – comfortable sweaters, skirts and pants – she does like to dress up now and then. It’s fun to look back and see how fashion trends have been reflected in the strip throughout its long history.

Next week we will continue our Timeline series in the year 1973, so stay tooned.

– Brian Walker