Random Weirdness: Bodysuits! Part 8

And what does every bodysuit need?  Well, some bodies.  And not just any bodies, THESE bodies...

Gulp!  Not much more needs to be said here.  Karen and Kathy show us that they are not just any bodies, they are the some bodies that these bodysuits were made for!  (1) (2)

Having barely recovered from the first pic, I'm not sure I'm ready for this "Jungle-Printed Daything." I've never heard of a "Daything,"  Is that a "some" thing that goes with "any" thing or "no" thing? Seriously, Randee Hagee is definitely some body, not just a no body, and certainly her body suits that bodysuit fabulously (Groan.) 

Okay, instead of bodysuits, now we have bodyshirts and from the Aldens Bodyshirt Boutique no less. So I'll have to cool it with the whole play on words deal.  I mean what could I do with the word "shirt?"  By the way, Dottie is certainly no redshirt freshman when it comes to this bodysuit thing!

Aldens may have had the bodyshirt boutique, but Sears had the Body Suit Shop.  And here we have our favorite Mystery Model who is somebody, does anybody out there know her name?!?

Not to be outdone, Jane Cullen, Pam Anderson, and Pam Erickson (Pam squared?) show how its done, certainly well done, but not over done - also from the Sears Body Suit Shop!!

Attention everybody out there.  We didn't start this post with just anybody.  No we began with Kathy and Karen, and that's how we'll end it (along with our other favorite Mystery Model.)  These some bodies are showing us the Top Fashion for Every Body.  Which , of course, are bodysuits!! (3)

footnotes:

(1) Pic courtesy of Blue Senshi.  Thanks!

(2) This pic is from a sales circular.  There were some real gems in those things!

(3) Two five star pics of Kathy in bodysuits in one post!  You're welcome.

Crazy Catalog Stuff - Part 5: Wishbook Wonderland!

So now that Thanksgiving is upon us, the Christmas shopping season officially kicks off.  Today it's crazy with Black Friday, Cyber Monday and all that.  But back in the good ole 70s, there was one unmistakable sign of the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

The arrival of those Christmas catalogs from the big mail order retailers.

At the time, all I cared about much was the toys, but looking back they had some classic 70s craziness as well.

Nothing says "That's So 70s" like this pad!!  We have the turntable, fake animal skin rugs, and of course, a groovy place to store your favorite records (1) (2). Kathy certainly feels right at home!

"Mod-Style" record cubes no less!

Naturally you're going to need some black lights, lava lamps, and glitter ball in that special 70s pad while you're jammin' to your favorite 45s!

"Lights of the Future", uhh, I think not.  Now these are the "Lights of Christmases Past."

More ways to set up that perfect 70s hideaway.

Nothing said 70s elegance quite like the bean bag chairs!

Nope, nothing!

Tired to passively listening to records?  Well then, you can start your own music group - all right out of the Christmas catalogs.  I wonder how many neighborhood garage bands got their start on December 25th back then?

Even in Germany, they could outfit their home in that special 70s grooviness.  However, I can't recall anyone who had those white cabinets.

After all the Christmas gifts were unwrapped, mom and dad needed their place to unwind from the hectic holiday season (and escape the newly formed garage rock bands).  Note the extra deep, goldenrod shag carpeting!

We started this post with Kathy and a storage box and that's how we'll end it.  Those clever 70s engineers even thought of making those storage boxes double as game boards!

footnotes:

(1) For all of you younger readers of this blog, records where large, flat circular sound storage devices.  One needed something called a "turntable" to activate the sounds.  It was the main way recorded music was bought and sold.  Barbaric, I know, almost stone age technology compared to today.

(2) A number of these pics are from VoicesOfEastAnglia blog.  Thanks!

The Big Book Catalog Series (Part 8) - 1976b

Ahh yes, 1976.  It was a year right on the edge of the disco craze.  But from the looks of the fashions in the two of the main Big Book catalogs, you wouldn't know it.

JCPenney and Sears were two of the mainline, middle America retailers of the era.  Did they see disco coming?

 Nah, they were still stuck in the earth tone phase of the middle 70s.  The hoodie on Kathy is nice.

No sign of disco!

Pretty standard stuff here.  Karen, Kay, and Wendy look great and all, but that's not disco fashion at all!

Is this a little bit more in the disco spirit?  Nah, just more Random Weirdness from the 70s.

More earth tone drabness from the 70s.  Saturday Night Fever hasn't taken the country by storm yet! And yes, that is my favorite Mystery Model.

Yawn.  More of the same.  From this catalog it appears as if fashions of the 70s were really, really dull.

Perhaps Sears can liven things up.

Kathy's smile is dazzling, but the fashions are a bit everyday.

Let's face it.  There is simply no way that any amount of hype can make "medium gray flannel" sound exciting.

Hey! Here some snappy colors. Perhaps we've turned a corner at long last.

The hat on Karen is great.  Still not feeling the disco here.

Ladies I'm very disappointed.  Maybe the guys can help us out?

Nope.

And........

Nope.  Leisure suits. Shudder!  I guess that people in 1976 simply had no idea of the fashion nightmare that was just around the corner with disco!

That's So 70s: Winter Wear - Part 4!

Yep, it's that time of year when we have to put aside thoughts of the groovy swimwear, min skirts, and hot pants of the 70s and prepare for. brrrr, Old Man Winter.  But not to worry, the Big Book catalogs of the 70s had you covered from head to toe in the grooviest winter fashions.

Well you can't hardly get any groovier than these two.  They're not going to let a little cold snap ruin their fun!  Those bright smiles are bringing on a heat wave instead!

Let's check out that small pic of Kathy shall we?

That looks like one very heavy winter coat!

Coleen is definitely bundled up and ready to face the elements in "Sueded Split Cowhide."  Yes, I know that some of my readers may find such items offensive.  If the cowhide bothers you, then perhaps should avoid the next couple of pics.......

Is that, GASP, real fur?!?  Yes, and from Montgomery Wards no less. I do believe that is Kathy in the lower left.

Yep, it's her.

What! Now Kay too??  Nah, it only looks like a giant fur hat.  Instead it is mode of the finest man made, artificial fabrics available in the 70s.

Great imitators indeed!  The trees may be bare and the weather frosty, but these gals almost make you feel glad that it's Winter, almost.

Forgot about "almost", with snazzy winter coats like here from Wards, who wouldn't like wintertime in the 70s?!?

Well at least we seem to have escaped from the real fur coats of the 70s.  These fakes from Aldens are groovy cool and snugly warm at the same time!

Arrrgghhh!   Not only do we have real fur but also cowhide in the same outfit - a PETA supporter's nightmare!!

What, oh what, can save us from this trend?!?!?

Instead of fur, one could wear a, a, tapestry??  That's one 70s fashion idea that didn't make it out of the decade.

The Dogs of Mary Quant

"Huh? Has he finally lost his mind?" I'm sure you're thinking after reading that title..  Well not yet.  Allow me to explain.  See, our furry, four legged friends were often props in the Big Book catalogs, and nowhere was this more true than in this JCP photo shoot featuring fashions from Mary Quant. (1)

Well there's certainly no dogs here! Kathy and Susan Dey (2) seem very happy to be wearing the latest Mary Quaint fashions (from London no less.)  Oh wait, on second look there IS a dog at the bottom.  At first I thought a rodent had sneaked into the frame.  He should watch out, or he'll get smooshed by one of those heels that Kathy and Susan are sporting!

Okay, no doubt about THIS guy!  There's no way he'll get mistaken for a rat.  He seems very, very content.  And why not?  He's the center of attention.

No sir, this guy isn't budging one bit!  I believe that he is in the exact same spot as the previous pic. And with beautiful models fawning over him, I can't blame him.

How many different hounds did they have for this shoot?  Looks like Susan is trying to pull that dog over.  He's not having any of that.  Nope.  He's staying put.  You have to love the groovy threads that Susan is wearing.  It looks like she just stepped off the set of The Partridge Family.

Hey!  That's the same beenie that Kathy was wearing earlier.

Well this fellow isn't quite as calm as his buddies.  I'm not sure what he's up to here. And based on the looks from Susan and friend, they seem a little concerned also.  I guess that's one of the hazards of having animals on the set!

I'm not sure what to say about this pic because I'm not sure how the dogs tie into anything,

Well finally the dogs have been to the background and the models are up front.  Somehow there's something oddly strange about this photo. The purse seems to have been photo shopped in later.

You're probably thinking "Hey enough with the canines, what happened to  Kathy?"

There's Kathy again!  Susan appears to be distracted by the dog (lucky mutt, yeah I'm jealous.)

It seems that the beenie has been stolen by this fellow.  I guess you can see that this post has at long last "gone to the dogs!"

footnotes:

(1) Mary Quant was an influential fashion designer in London during the mid 60s and 70s.  She is generally credited with popularizing the min skirt and later hot pants.  Not a bad resume at all!!

(2) Of course you know Susan Dey as Laurie Partridge on The Partridge Family.  The show began in September of 1970, so this shoot must have been taken not long before that.