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.

Andrews had gone to the American Repertory Theater, where for a $100 deposit, he put together his outfit from the company's extensive costume supply.

However, the fun was not limited to the men. Amelia H. Kaplan '96-'97, was "Bert," an auto-repairman. She wore a one-piece blue uniform, a Super Bowl baseball cap backwards, a long black wig and a considerable beer belly. A limp cigarette hung from her fingers.

Her friend Alexa M. Gutheil '96 said, "I think I feel like a Vic...no, a Vinnie."

No slacker when it came to details, she augmented an orange vinyl jacket, blue paisley butterfly collar shirt and brown bell-bottoms with a thick gold chain and a patch of black chest hair.

The scheduled performances began around 6:30 p.m. The first act featured, Elmer Fudd and a strikingly tall Bugs Bunny in drag. Bugs wore a faux fur bikini top and bottom, a faux fur cape, waist-length blond braids, and a Viking helmet with horns.

Other performers included "Courtney Love," "Madonna" and "Norma Desmond." The celebration ended with dancing and an excursion to Lamont Library. Students planned a march through the stacks.

Will randomization affect the long-standing tradition? House Committee members responded to that question vehemently.

"Randomization was created to take down places like Adams House and events like Drag Night," said Jed S. Willard '96, who identified himself as the Adams House Propaganda Minister.

When asked how long Drag Night has been held at Adams House, Tuttleton said, "Forever, and we're hoping that even with randomization it will be a tradition forevermore...I don't know how many years, say 364."

Kiely said he has previously been known to join in the fun, appearing incognito with one of his daughters.

Resident drama tutor David L. McMahon '94 commented that Drag Night has evolved over the years. "Some years in the past it's been a very serious event," he said. "Now it's much more open and lighthearted.