Miniskirts, high heels and fishnet stockings were almost de rigueur dinner attire last night in the Adams House dining hall--at least for the men.

Neither residents nor tutors can remember an Adams House without Drag Night, a seemingly eternal annual tradition, held during the normal dining hours shortly before Halloween each year.

In addition to a few hundred students, House Master Robert J. Kiely and resident tutors attended the evening of dancing and lip-synching performances.

Students coming to Drag Night paraded a range of ostentatious, glittering costumes that suspended all gender-determined sartorial restraint for two hours.

Participation is strictly limited to residents of Adams House.

"Once in a while a very, very good Dunster House person will be allowed to slide by," said house resident Sarah E. Tuttleton '96.

Tuttleton, masquerading as Trent Reznor of Nine-Inch Nails, manned a make-up table outside the dining hall. Assisting her was Hannah E. "Jefferson" Schott '96, sporting a pair of breeches.

Josh Buresh-Oppenheim '97 wandered by, sporting a short white dress with spaghetti straps and a green leaf print, trailed by two roommates in similarly alluring attire.

"It's pretty fun and most of the house does it, and it's really not so non-conformist within Adams House," Buresh-Oppenheim said.

"Nobody looks at anybody funny, except the people who aren't in drag," Buresh-Oppenheim said, as Tuttleton applied blue eyeshadow to his eyelids.

Indeed, those who declined to dress up had to soak up some second-hand ebullience from their peers. For those who simply needed some cleavage-enhancing advice, Steve P. Jawak '96 offered a way to solve the dilemma.

"Socks, baby, the secret's in the socks," Jawak said. "Kleenex is just, it's just not fluffy enough. You want big, massive, impressive boobs. If you're going to be a woman for one day you might as well have tits."

Jawak wore a strapless, shiny dress that was tight and colorful, yet not garishly bright. Completing his ensemble was a pair of patent leather pumps and a huge pendant earring.

He has assembled his outfit at Una's, a used clothing store in the Square which has supplied his Drag Night needs for three years.

"I get a different one each year," Jawak said. "I can't be seen in the same thing twice. Too embarrassing."

Jawak and his roommate, Chris M. Andrews '96, wore matching curly blond chin length wigs. Andrews showed an impressively coordinated look: a long, slim, black sheath dress with matching elbow gloves and a small black velvet cap with rhinestones, in addition to black fishnet stockings and shoes.