Random Goodness: 70s Fall Fashion Fun - Part 3!

Whoa!  We're well into Autumn and I almost forgot to take another look back on Fall Fashions from the 70s!  Now that just would not do!

Who said that the 70s were all drab and earth tone?  Not these gals!  Kay, Karen, and Kathy start us off with a jolt in "High-Voltage Blues"!  Now that should chase away the Autumn blues, I mean the blues as in the feeling of melancholy not the color blue which these are, which chase away the blues, oh never mind!!

More blues to chase away the blues of Autumn.  Wait I'm getting confused again.  Still Pam and friend look great no matter what.  The "gull wing" lapels were a thing back then in the mid-70s.  Let's hope that fashion statement doesn't make a comeback! (1)

Tired of the blues?  Well how about some shockingly bright red shown here by Pam and Shelley! Nice boots by the way.

"Wait, where are all the drab, subdued browns and grays of Autumn?"  you may ask.

Not a chance with high class gals like Kathy around!  I always love the way Aldens tried to make their stuff sound so appealing "Fall-Fresh Toppings in fine flowy Polyester Knits".  Uhhh, how exactly is polyester "flowy"?  And that hat, not sure it's the correct size for Kathy, oh well.

Besides the great smile that Kathy is flashing, there's nothing remarkable about this.  Until, you look at the small inset pics.  Aldens has got some groovy head wear going on there!  

Not sure what a "soft shirting" is, but hey, whatever, these gals look great!  Fall was definitely the season for groovy fashions back in the 70s!

Still there's something I'm missing, something that just defined 70s Fall fashion like no other, something so evil, so vile, that it forever scarred me as a youth.  Wait, no, NOOOOOO, not the...............

Leisure suits!  I had to include this for the tortured description of how great they are.  "Look at the styling, the workmanship..."  Yeah right. Let's face it, there is no amount of spin that will ever make make wearing a leisure suit a badge of quality.  How in the world did my brother and I ever survive the indignity of these monstrosities I'll never know. (2)

footnotes:

(1) You may notice the American flag themed post in this pic and the next pic with Shelley.  This was the mid-70s and the big bicentennial celebration.  You can see some is this in the Big Book catalogs of the era.  However, like I've mentioned before, it is interesting to see how subdued the whole thing was, at least by today's standards.

(2) You are probably thinking "Hey is he breaking form by including a pic from the men's section?"  Well maybe a little.  Don't expect a big change in that direction.   Maybe one or two here and there when they are theme appropriate - like this one with the infamous leisure suits.

A Brief History of This Blog

Over the course of this blog's history, I've gotten a number of inquires on various aspects of the Kathy Loghry Blogspot.  And since we are starting our third year, I thought it would be a good time to get everyone up to speed on how this blog began, how it evolved, and address its future.  And in a few weeks, I'll have another post on other aspects of this blog such as common questions I've received.

The Beginning

I didn't set out specifically to do a blog of this sort.  Rather I had wanted to do a more general nostalgia type blog, and I had actually sketched out a few concepts (they all stunk pretty bad).  It is awfully difficult to come up with something original and something of interest.  There are a number of great retro type blogs out there, and I didn't want to just do a knockoff of one of them.

Then late one night while perusing the internet looking for ideas, I stumbled on the site ShelleyHack.Blogspot.Com (1).  It is a very good blog that focuses exclusively on Shelley and her career.  I thought to myself "Hmmm, this is an interesting concept."  And then it hit me "Hey, I could start a blog about one of the other popular models of the 70s and then use that as a jumping off point for other nostalgia subjects."

Eureka!  I had a solid concept that could work!  So the original plan was to focus on one model that was popular during the 70s to bring in viewers and then spin off into different directions: politics, history, fashion, etc of the 70s.

My first choice of a featured model wasn't difficult at all.  I immediately thought Kathy would be perfect.  She was everywhere during that time.  And she had that iconic smile that was unforgettable! That brings me to .....

The First Big Problem

One tiny, little problem: I didn't know Kathy's name.  Yeah I know that sounds weird - trying to start a blog not knowing the name of the featured person.  However, the creative process works in strange ways.

I did, however, know her first name - Kathy with a K.  That was it (2).  So I did a quick internet search and immediately got hits thanks to ColleenCorby.Net (another great site.)  They have a bunch of pics with the models names including Kathy, Kay and Karen.

Thank you ColleenCorby.Net!  Without the models' names on pics like this, I may have never been able to launch this site!

I then thought "Well, she probably already has some fansites."  However, try as I might, to my utter astonishment, I couldn't find any.  Immediately I set up this site, found some pics floating around on the internet and published my first post.

The next morning, after I had sobered up a bit, I vaguely remembered launching the site "Oh no. What did I do?"  That brings us to.....

The Second Big Problem

You can probably guess this problem.  If I started a website about someone without even knowing their name, then naturally I would launch it without having any material.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I had, oh, all of about 10 pics of Kathy which would be good for, oh, about 2 to 3 posts.  That was when I decided to post once a week (to give me some time to find more material).

So the first few months was a continuous, frantic search for material.  Basically as soon as I found some good pics, they were published the next week.  As you can imagine, that can't be sustained for long.

Fortunately I found some catalogs on Ebay and began to acquire them to the point that I have a pretty complete collection by now.  That has been one of the unexpected side benefits.  Collecting those catalogs, magazines, and ads from that era has been an absolute joy bringing back lots of great memories from the 70s.

Also I have been contacted by others that collect the same sort of material and have been able to trade with them (Thanks Blue Senshi and JJ of JJ's Playhouse!)  So by the end of the first year, the material crunch was over.

The only pic of Kathy that I had when I started this blog - obviously I needed more stuff and fast!

The Metamorphosis of the Blog

Like I mentioned, the original concept was to use the Kathy's pics as a launching pad into various topics on the 70s.  And you can see that vibe in some of the earliest posts.  However, that concept - as clever as it was - just didn't pan out.  During those early days, I actually wrote a couple of posts that I deleted without publishing - they were that bad.  The problem is this: the groovy pics of Kathy and friends just don't mix well with discussions on Vietnam and Watergate.

Very quickly, I realized that I needed to focus on the catalogs themselves and feature Kathy and the other models and their careers.  That was what people wanted to remember from the days of their youth (me included!)

The other three members of the original "K Club" - Karen, Colleen, and Kay show us the fun side of the Big Book catalogs! (pic provided by JJ's Playhouse!)

So I pretty much just dropped the whole nostalgia / retro idea.  I still spin off in different directions, but I keep it focused on Kathy and the other models from the Big Book catalogs.  I've added categories and themes, but that is the primary focus and probably always will be during the life of this blog. Which brings me to......

The Third Big Problem

And that would be the future.  Despite having an abundance of material right now, it certainly won't last forever.  Kathy and the K Clubbers were busy models during that time, but let's face it, there is a finite amount of material out there.  Right now, I have plenty for years three and four, but after that I don't know.  I'm afraid that the material crunch will rear its ugly head again at that time.  

Possibly the last pic of Kathy that I will have obtained?  I hope not, but if so it's a great one (well they're all great).  And it would be appropriate that it would be with Shelley whose fansite was a major inspiration for this blog!

But hey, that's still far off.  Let's not worry about that now, and just enjoy the grooviest fashion decade of all time - the 70s!!

footnotes:

(1) You should check out the ShelleyHack.Blogspot.  It is very well done.  We have also re-blogged pics with each other, so I'd like to tell them "Thanks!"

(2) A quick story within a story about how I knew Kathy's first name.  Back in about 1977 (or perhaps it was 78, not sure) I was in the waiting room of an Oral Surgeon's office (had to get the ol' wisdom teeth taken out).  As I shuffled through the stack of old magazines on the end table, I ran across a Bride's magazine with Kathy on the cover.  "Hey that's that cute model in all the catalogs!" I thought.  Deftly covering that mag with a Field and Stream (just reading about hunting elk in Canada, just manly stuff ya know) , I hurriedly flipped over to  the article on her.  She was getting married and that was the subject of the article.  Wouldn't you know that as soon as I started to read it, they were calling me in for the surgery!  I tried to commit her name to memory.  However, with the anesthesia and all the trauma, I kind of forgot about the whole thing.  A couple of days later I thought "Rats, what was the name of that model?  Oh well, it's not like I'll ever NEED it for anything anyway."  The only thing I remembered was that her first name was Kathy with a K.  By the way, that Bride's magazine is ironically one of the few glaring omissions from my collection!

Spiegel Back to School Special!

Fall is here and with the fresh coolness in the air, it's time to look back on how the Big Book catalogs of the 70s got all the groovy kids ready for that first day of school!

Wow, these gals are ready to take the college campus by storm!  Busting through  the gates of higher learning is hard work, but that doesn't mean it can't be done in style and with a smile.  I imagine this campus was never quite the same again after this entrance! (1)

Yep it may be Autumn, but in the 70s, every season was mini-skirt season (Oh yeah).

Later in the semester and these gals are still all smiles and still stylish!  What a contrast between the drab, stern looking buildings and the bright 70s styles of our coeds!!  They are really heating up the cool weather on campus.

Minis, boots, and caps, oh my!  The question that I have is "where are all the guys?"  (oh wow, that was a cheesy rhyme!)  I mean, come on man, with lovelies like this on campus, you can surely afford to miss class!  Oh, I get it.  All the guys on this campus were studious types (like me in college) and couldn't be distracted from their academic pursuits (yeah, right).

Of course, Fall naturally turns to Winter.  That means the minis have to be put away and all the students need to bundle up for the cold weather.  No matter!  These gals still kill it with in the happenest winter fashions from Spiegel.  Perfect for those semester ending finals or for going to the stadium to watch the big game, these coat styles will still turn heads!  For every back to school need, Spiegel had you covered during the grooviest decade of them all - the 70s!

footnotes:

(1) That is Jill Twiddy on Kathy's right.  She appears in all of the pics on this post.

K Club Special (Part 12) - Kathy Loghry (Part 2)

Welcome to the start of our third year at the Kathy Loghry Blogspot!  And wow, what better way to kick off a brand new year than with a K Club special featuring Kathy herself!! (yeah I know it seems a bit redundant, but so what?!?!)

Let's look back at just a few of the many pics from Kathy's career over the years.....

Kathy had a few appearances in Seventeen Magazine such as this Penney's ad here from 1970!

Another Seventeen pic was covered last year, but I thought I'd give everyone an update.

At first I thought this was some sort of tea party, but look at the bottom of this updated photo.
Yep, those, are ???potatoes????  Yes, indeed, they are.  Here is other page of the article.

Yes, it's about "potato pan flips".  Huh??  I'm more confused now than before.

Kathy also appeared in a number of magazine ads.  During the early to mid-70s, she was everywhere!!

Here she is in an ad for Landlubber jeans circa 1975.  You may remember that Landlubber had some rather risque ads back then.  However, here these gals keep it classy and fun!!

Kathy also made all the rounds in the various knitting mags back then such as here. A vest with strawberries was a "must-have" with every fashionista in the 70s! (re-blogged from My-Retrospace.Blogspot).

Naturally, we here at this blog know Kathy best from her numerous appearances in the "Big Book" catalogs of the 70s. Here are some examples during that decade....

A triple Kathy attack from 1970!!  Just too cute!!

Polka Dots from Aldens in 1972.  You just gotta love Kathy's hat!!

Simply a classic Kathy catalog pic from 1974.  The minis were still kicking back then, and somehow Kathy made them look sweet and innocent!!

One of the reasons that Kathy was one of the "go-to" models back then is that she could make anything look good - even this purple monstrosity from 1975.  A brave smile indeed as she shows off this purple pantsuit with cuffed bell-bottoms topped off with a purple scarf.  And where one would wear such as getup?  How about a.......farm.  Yeah, sure, why not???

One of the more popular Kathy catalog pics from 1977.  Actually, this outfit makes more sense to wear at the farm in the scene above. On the other hand, the purple outfit makes more sense to wear....oh never mind!

Yes, I'm looking forward to another here at this blog.  I know we're going to have lots of great posts of Kathy and the gang in the future!!

Can We Talk?

I must take a break from our normal posts on the catalog fashions of the 70s for a special post.  It is with great sadness to report that Joan Rivers passed away today.  I remember seeing her on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson when I was young.  I thought she was the funniest women - no scratch that - funniest person I had ever seen.  Her absolute frankness and complete dis-regard for what we now call "political correctness" was a fresh breeze in a world going increasingly closed and serious.....

Yeah they had their differences, but in the day, WOW what a pair.  There will never be another.....

The Year in Review - Part 2

Man, has been another year already?!?  Yep, hard to believe but it's true.  We're coming up on the second anniversary of the Kathy Loghry Blogspot.   And just like the end of our first year, we'll take a look back at some of the best / choicest / zaniest pics from our second year......

You probably figured that I'd have this pic on the short list.  Vaya con Dios Fluffy the Rabbit, you will be missed.

Westward Ho for great His 'n Hers coordinates from the 70s - country style!

Skirts and dresses came in all different lengths in the 70s, such as these midis here.

And long dresses like here....

And here....

And now for the first of two pics that I selected from year two that didn't have Kathy in them....

I still have.no.words........

Kathy, Colleen, and Shelley looked great in this Vicky Vaughn ad! (1)

Oh yeah, the pants in the 70s were fantastic too!!


And the second non-Kathy pic for our year end review....

Aldens, you were spectacular in your awesomeness.  R.I.P.

The hot pants were "terry-ific"! (2)

I'm still trying to block access to that "Say Yes to the Dress" show at my house, but it's still popular with the young ladies at my home.

Bodysuits are always a favorite category, and you can see why here. (3)

Sleepwear is another category that I'm sure we'll see more of in the next year!

Kathy and Karen were certainly a pair back then! (2)

Oh, almost forgot about the minis of the early 70s! Sigh.....

And, you guessed it, I'm going to end the year - once again  - on a swimwear pic.  Duh!!!! (3)

I would like to thank all my followers for another fun year here at the Kathy Loghry Blogspot.  I really do enjoy running this blog and look forward to another year looking back at the great Big Book catalog fashions from the 70s.  So keep checking back often and keep those comments and feedback coming!!

Oh yeah, just like last year, we'll start off year three with a big K Club special.  I can't tell you who the featured model is, but let's see.  We've had specials on Kay, Karen, and Colleen again this year (along with some others).  So whose turn is it again?!?   Hmmm.  Well, you'll just have to check back in a week to find out!!

footnotes:

(1) Pic re-blogged from Shelley Hack Blogspot.

(2) Pics courtesy of Blue Senshi.

(3) Pics courtesy of JJ's Playhouse.