Crazy Catalog Stuff: DIY 70s Style!!

Kiddos, today we have HGTV showing us all the latest DIY household updates and projects (1).  But there was a time in the ancient past where nobody would dream of stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, light colored walls, or open floor plans.  

Nope, back in the 70s , we had the Big Book catalogs showing us the shag carpets, avocado appliances and dark, fake wood walls.  So hold onto your tool belts for a blast from the past!!

Hey that's our Kathy!! And she isn't exactly dressed for the job I'd say!! (2)

Avocado appliances baby!!  I'm getting nostalgic already!!

Nothing says 70s decorating more than vinyl flooring and shag carpet...

Good Lord that's bright.  I've never seen a bathroom like that on Flip or Flop!!

That covers the kitchen and bathrooms, but what about the living room?!?

One of the things I remember most from that era was the fake wall coverings.  Normally it was fake wood paneling, somehow that was considered luxurious.

 And what better to go with the fake walls than a fake fireplace....

Or fake wood beams!!

And capped off with some groovy 70s lighting!!

Good heavens, even the bedrooms were dark!!

I guess that safety glass was a new concept back then....

So what was the payoff for all that hard work updating teh homestead??

Ahhh, the good life with indoor / outdoor carpet!!  And who is that relaxing with a drink, admiring the view??

Hey that's Rande Hague!!  These models popped up in the most unusual places in these catalogs!!

footnotes:

(1) HGTV has cost me a LOT of money over the years.  I need to put a block on that station.

(2) It always amazes me where some of the top models of the 70s would show up.  

(3) I almost missed this one when I first went through the catalog!!

Winter Solstice Music

And now for something a little different....

It's that time of year....

Lovely Lounge Wear, Again!!

More Lounge Wear for wintertime!

 "Luxurious Lounging" from Penneys!!

"Irresistible" says it all in Lounge Wear!!

Lovely Lounge Wear!!

Cozy warm and just in time for winter!

 Hmmm, we seem to have a large Kathy and a small Kathyin teh same pic!

The magic of 70s photo shopping!!

More Bodysuits for Christmas!!

The 70s were the decade of teh bodysuits!

 Colleen, Kay, and Wendy for the Holidays!!

Christmas morning 1972 must have a been fun!!

Hey wait!  Bodysuits in the 80s too?!?!

Crazy but true! (pic is courtesy of FlashBak.)

It's Christmas!!!

And the Kings of Earth lay down their crowns....

Bodysuits OMG!!

Just cause it's Christmas, and I'm that's sort of guy...........

Yeah, you're welcome!  and Merry Christmas!

Bodysuits for Christmas!!

How long since we've had a post on 70s bodysuits?  Well pardner, that's too long....

And just in time for Christmas!! How nice!!

How very, very nice!!

Christmas Time is Couples Time!!

Now in His 'n Her Shirt Jackets!!

And no hover hand here either!!

Christmas Time is Couples Time is Sweater Time!

The sweater tsunami continues!  Must be close to Christmas! Let's check out how are catalog couples are doing.....

Hmmmm, I'm not sure these couples are getting into the holiday spirit.  The guy with Kay has a case of the "hover hand".  And both gals don't seem too thrilled about their pairings.

Can we help these guys out?

Yep, this is how it's done!  No "hover hand" here.  The guy with Kay is probably about to play "Baby it's cold outside" on the stereo with a mischievous jerk boy smirk on his face, no doubt!

Christmas Time is Couples Time!!

And when you say Christmas couples wear, there is only one word that comes to mind.....

Sweaters!!  Well that and big collars (That's Sooooo 70s!!)  Kathy and Greg are here, but where's the rest of the gang??

There they are!!  Sweaters and big collars galore.  That's so Christmas time back in the 70s!!

Brrrr....

Looks cold to me!!

But I'm snugly warm now from head to toe in Penny's Sleepers!!

Sleepwear Christmas!!

JCPenneys 1973 Christmas sleepwear!  Enjoy!!

Shelley Hack and Kay in Young Look sleepwear.  Just in time for Christmas!!

The genesis of Pajamagram?!?  Matching family sleepwear featuring Kay and Peggy Palmer!  

Sleepwear - PJ Time!!

Staying with the snugly pajama theme this week......

Warm and Carefree!  That's what the Big Book catalogs of the 70s were all about and these models showed it!!

Sleep Time - Animal Style!!

You want to heat up those cold wintry nights???

Animal Prints from Penneys brings out that Animal Spirit to keep you warm!!  I really like Kay's hat: very cool, er, I mean hot, oh, you know what I mean!  Were the other models jealous??  Who wouldn't be?!?!?

Sleepwear Wintertime Warmth!!

And I'm feeling the wintertime warmth already!!

Snow!! OMG!!

Sorry to get a little crazy but..... we get snow here in South Texas about once a lifetime, soooo Let It Snow!!

Yeah, you don't believe me, well........

 Yeah, this is today baby!!  First the hurricane, then this!!

Palm trees never looked so, well, completely out of place!!

I'm sure the plaids had something to do with this.....

Yep, that explains everything.  Gotta be the result of the plaids!!

The Plaid Madness Ends....

For this week at least....

Plaid minis!! No madness here, just pure 70s hotness!!  What a way to end this series!!

The Plaid, Plaid World of the 70s....

Nope not over with yet!!

But with Karen and Kathy, plaid madness turns into pure plaid sexiness!!u

The Plaid Madness Continues.......

What kind of evil 70s fashion trend were these plaids?  They wouldn't stop until they had covered the entire globe in plaid madness!!  The horror, the horror!!

And with "Peppy Plaids" like these shown here by Kathy (Kathy Jackson that is), Joan Paulson, and Kay, the threat of world-wide plaid domination was very, very real.  Who will save us from this plaid madness?!?

That's So 70s: It'a a Plaid, Plaid World - Again!!

Programming Note to my Loyal Readers:

I've decided to try something different with this bog.  As you know, I normally post once a week on Mondays.  However, I've decided to change it up and post multiple times each week, BUT the posts will be shorter - one or two pics.  You'll still see the same number of pics, but spread out over the course of week.

I appreciate any feedback to comments!  Now back to our regular programming.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One thing that you could say about fashions in the Biog Book catalogs of the 70s: they loved plaids!

And Kathy and Kay got into the plaid, plaid madness in a big way here.  All I can say is: That's Sooooo 70s!

Christmas Season - Part 1

Random Goodness: Rare Find!

One of the more interesting things about running this blog is the hit or miss nature of collecting material.  And believe me, I've been burned a number of times.  The reason?  Well, although Kathy was a very popular model during her day, her appearances were spotty at times.  She was a mainstay in Sears and Penneys, but others, well, eh, not so much.  In one Speigel she would would have a ton of pics, and the next one nada.

So when two 1971 Eatons catalogs came on the market, I was on the fence. (1) But the price was right so I rolled the dice and took a chance.  And the result was........zero.  Not even pics of Karen, Colleen, or Kay.  "Rats" I said to myself and put those in a stack to be scanned later. (2)

Well, not so fast my friends!!  When I went back to scan them, I found to my astonishment, pics of Kathy and Karen in, of all places, the young teen section!!  (3)  What a pleasant surprise!!

The early 70s were The Age of Ruffles! Yeah, even in 1971 Kathy could pull off the "Young Teen" look (4) 

Bonded Acrylics!  All I can say is "That's Sooo 70s!"

More young teen fashions but this time without Kathy.

Did I mention that Karen made this layout as well?  And what an entrance in red gauchos with matching red boots.  Whoever said that the early 70s were all drab earth ones?!?

And a closeup of Kathy

A final pic.  There's more, but I' saving those for other posts!!

footnotes:

(1)  I was really on the fence about this one.  There were some appearances by Kathy in a few, but not in most.  However, the date was good and the price was right.

(2) When I get a new catalog, I do a quick scan.  If there are a lot of good pics, I scan it right away.  If not, then I wait until later.  However, once a scan it, I take more time and am more thorough. That's when I found these!

(3) The Young Teen section is not something that I normally pay much attention to.  That's how I missed these pics the first time.

(4)  Kathy mentioned in an article for a local Oregon newspaper in 1969 that she wan't sure how long she could do the "young thing" as a model.  Well, apparently it was quite a long time!

David Cassidy, RIP

Yeah, he was an icon of the era....

With Susan Dey as bonus...Nice.........

.......

...

And my favorite...

When Life Was Groovy, Part 7 - The Midis!!

And thank goodness for the midis!!  I mean after all, who in their right mind would want to see attractive women in mini skirts?!?!?  Okay, okay, don't answer that.

And it was in the late 70s when the midis came into fashion style.  What can I say, but why, why, why??

To be classified as a midi, the skirt must be long enough to cover the knees but not much more.  So basically it's just a blah length.  Still there's nothing blah about these gals!  Barbara, Kathy, and Pam can make any length dress look great!

 Some may say that the midi is just a regular dress.  Well.......

 those people would be right....

 Yeah, basically the midi is just a regular dress.

So this post is basically going to be a bunch of pics of nice looking 70s models in dresses like here with Peggy.

 Hey, I see knee, so these aren't midis!! Oh well, close enough.

Okay here we have some midi skirts with some 70s flair thanks to Karen and Kay!!

Sorry, with models like Pam and Kathy, it's a waste to but them in plain Jane dresses like these.  Still it was part of the scene of the late 70s, so I, your humble historical blogger, must cover this phenomena (there'll be plenty of other posts for the minis!)

 Laura looking fine in a very stylish outfit!!

 Hey, how'd a pantsuit sneak into this post about midi skirts??

 And another!!

The beret style hat was also a thing in the late 70s - pretty cool if yo ask me!

Even in Italy they had the midis!! (Pic is courtesy of "Al")

And, of course, we have to check out the inset pic....

Wow!! With smiles like that, I almost don't miss the minis!! (almost that is...)