Friday, January 25, 2013

Sorority Fashions from Vicky Vaughn


I admit that I know next to nothing about Vicky Vaughn.  We didn't get any of their catalogs back when I was young, and I never even heard of them until I was much older.  From all appearances they seem to be a little more on the high end on the fashion pecking order - more conventional and less outlandishly 70s.  Which is good if you are a girl attending a sorority, but, of course, it is a big negative for me (a lot less good blogging material). But, as consolation, they put out some really nice photos.  Check them out!


Ahh, yes, the sorority pledge class has gathered in the parlor for their group picture before commencing "hell week".  Yes, it is all ribbons, curls, and smiles now, but what challenges lie ahead?  Could that be, no it couldn't be, Colleen on the first row smiling?  If it is, it's a rare pose for her.


Forced to wear matching bumble bee outfits to class was just one of the horrors our intrepid pledges faced that week.  They became so distraught at the shame and humiliation that they even began to stare off in random directions!  I believe that the girl in the lower left is Kathy, but not sure.  If it is, that is the only pic I have seen where she had that hairstyle (perhaps that was part of hell week torture also). And is that Colleen again smiling in the back row.  This time with a HUGE grin.  Maybe she likes hell week?


Finally hell week is over and the pledges gather by the school fountain for one final picture.  Why are four of them staring off to the their left while two of them (including Kathy) are focused at the camera?  We'll never know.  Oh, and Colleen is up to her usually expression, no smile this time.


Settled into Greek life, the girls face one final decision "Which Vicky are you, Vicky Vaughn or Vicky Petite?".  If I have have learned anything, you never, ever, ask a women if she is regular or petite (that is unless you want a lot of annoying questions afterwards).  Shelley Hack and Kathy appear to be having a stare down over whose ridiculously long dresses are more bizarre!

According to the caption "you'll look great in top notch tweedies" made of something called Creslan Acrylic.  Hmmm, that doesn't sound too comfortable.  Whatever, Vicky Vaughn "lets rick rack ramble" and then "teams it with skinny ribs".  What in the heck are they talking about?  I do believe that the caption writer had a few too many at the sorority's initiation party!  I like the nod to honesty that these ads had back then "Prices slightly higher in the West."  West of what?  So many questions, so few answers!




12 comments:

  1. I am sure that Kathy is sitting on the steps in the very front. She's my fav....!!!!

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    1. Yea, that is Kathy for sure in that photo (Pastels in Pink and Green), but I'm not sure about the photo above that (where they are wearing the black, gold, silver, white strpes). I'm pretty sure it is her.

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    2. Yes, Kathy is in front in the bumble bee outfit. Looks like she could be a cheerleader for the Steelers...It somewhat matches the steelers old uniforms. What a hoot!

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    3. Thanks for the confirmation. I plan to do a post in the future with pics where I'm not sure if it is Kathy or not. This one just fit in with this theme. I didn't think anout the Steelers angle, but these getups would be perfect for that (or for a formal dinner at a beekeepers convention)!

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  2. Hey who are you? Were you a model???

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    1. No, far from it. I just love that particular time period and wanted to start a blog about it. However, there are other nostalgia blogs and I didn't want to just copy them. That led to the idea of blogging about the mail order catalogs. I needed a focal point and Kathy seemed like a natural!

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    2. Oh, I was under the impression that you were a fan of Kathy's when you were a kid in the Seventies. That's my story. Actually I was (and am) a big fan of Colleen Corby, but I liked Kathy and Karen Bruun too, though of course I didn't know any of their names in those days. These Vicky Vaughn pics are all ads from Seventeen magazine; there was no Vicky Vaughn catalog. In the top pic, that is indeed Karen Bruun and Colleen kneeling. You identified Colleen and Kathy correctly in the second pic. BTW, how do you know the names of Kathy's modeling "posse" - the 3 "K"s and Colleen?

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    3. Well I was a big fan of those models back then, and like you I didn't know their names. I first learned of Kathy's name when I saw her in a mag (when I was in a waiting room). It was like "oh wow, that is that model from the catalogs". When I decided to do a nostalgia blog, I saw those sites for Colleen and Shelley Hack and decided to do one centered on Kathy. I got tehe names of the other models from good ole internet sleuthing. I try to make this site a little different than the others. Don't worry, I'll have more pics of Colleen in the near future.

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  3. Karen Welsh is on the top right...Of bottom photo

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  4. Hi again, I just love what you are doing with all this wonderful pictures - I love Kathy Loghry. I don't think there is a more beautiful model today. Keep them coming.

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    1. Oh thanks for the feedback. And I'll keep the pictures coming!

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