Ring Check!!

 Back from a break to handle some personnel issues and back to the groovy fashions of the 70.  This week we check out what the ladies wore while expecting....

And of course back then, if you modelled maternity wear, you HAD to have a ring on that left hand!  Looks like here all of the ladies have a ring (or are hiding that left hand!)

Looks like everyone here passes the ring check!

Here it looks like Kathy realized at the last minute that she didn't have the obligatory ring and went for the behind the back pose! I mean it's a little silly if you ask me.  Everyone knows that these models aren't actually pregnant in the pics!

Looks like both models went for the "hidden hand" move here!

Even when modeling maternity swimwear, you had to have the ring!!!  The hat Kathy is wearing looks nice...

Yes, very nice!!

When Life Was Groovy: Pants!!

Time for some groovy pants from the 70s!!

Starting off with a bit of a Western them with Wrangler jeans.  So if a cowboy is also called a 'poke, the is a cowgirl also called a 'pokette??  Oh never mind.....

Not so Western, more casual from Aldens.

Hmm, I'm not so sure about these pants that Kathy is sporting.  I can't recall ever seeing these in real life!!

Well back to a bit if a Country theme........I guess???  

Okay, this is getting ridiculous. No way you can call that "country looks" and no way you'd wear that in "the big outdoors."

Wendy and Karen in some nice Springtime 70s pants.  Although it looks like they are on some kind of farm, at least they are not claiming that the look is "country." (And what's up with the fish them on Karen's shirt??)

These were "hard to find" and for good reason....

And finally we'll end on an elegant note.  At least what passed for elegance in the JCPenny catalogs from the mid 70s - long, floppy bell bottoms in bright prints.  Somehow I just don't remember seeing anything like this in the discos back then!!!

Fall Sweater Capes!!

Here's a little known (and long forgotten) fashion mini rend from the mid 70s - groovy sweater capes for those chilly Autumn mornings!!

Yeah I don't remember anyone wearing these things either, but maybe I didn't notice them at the time.

They do look warm and easy to shed if one gets too warm.  But let's face it, these are not exactly "figure flattering."  I mean even these model are having a hard time with them.

And, of course, they almost always had Kay wear to the oddest clothes.  I guess she was their go to model to move the goods!!

Sweater capes - can't say I recall them, can't say I miss them!!

Random Goodness: What's Next???

What do I mean with "What's Next???"

Apparently in 1970, what was next was a variety of artificial fabrics!!  You have ot admit, that the plaid minis are nice though!!

 Yep again with the polyester, and Kathy in a wig!!

One final close up of Kathy!! 

Ransom Goodness: Springtime in the 70s!!

And that could only mean two things.....

Mini skirts and shorts!!  And here we have double the pleasure of Kathy and Karen, just in time for Spring!!  I'm certainly ready for some warmer weather and fun in the sun!!

Random Goodness: Knits are Nice!!

Knits are nice!!  Especially those groovy knits from the early Penneys Big Book Catalog!!

 Lots of 70s grooviness going on here with the shirt and giant tie!!

 Much more subdues here, but still very nice!!

 Knits from Dacron polyester!  Of course they keep their shape!!

 "luscious because they're acetate"  Hmmm, not sure that's a selling point, but back in early 70s, maybe?!?!

Let's finish with some knits made of Orlon acrylic, whatever that is.  Apparently they were proud of that fact back then.....

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!  

That's So 70s: Fashion as Couples Therapy - Part 3!

See last weeks poll results at bottom (1)!
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Shows you what I know!  What started out as, I thought, a single post on the subject has become one of the most popular subjects yet on this blog.  Well I SHOULD have known, dag nab it!  After all, nothing quite says 70s fashions as much as "His N' Hers" matching outfits!  So let's get to it!

I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free....Okay, since it IS the 4th of July week, let's start off with a little flashback to the summer of 1976 - which was the big Bicentennial year.  I remember that as a "sort of" big deal (2).  However, and I make this comment purely as an apolitical, dispassionate observer, when I peruse the catalogs of that year, what  I see is a rather subdued (by today's standard anyway) set of offerings on the event.  This pic here is about as "rah, rah" as you can find and even this focuses more on heritage than pure "USA, USA".  Like I said, not making a judgement either way, just saying...

Serious stuff aside, now this is more like it.  Kathy is with a guy who has pigs on his shirt?!?!?!? Say what?!?!?!  I can't really tell what the picture is on Kathy's shirt, but I really don't want to know at this point .  The gal in the upper pic is Jayne Modean who was a big model in the mid to late 70s and, I do believe, that this is her first appearance in this blog - congrats, I guess?  As far as the three guy "couple" n the lower right, no comment,  not that type of blog.

I'm sorry, but this pic disturbs me greatly.  Why is the couple in the groove-o-delic shirts holding a baseball bat?  Otherwise, it looks like an ordinary 70s "key party" scene except for that odd fact - images of the cult movie "Eating Raul" somehow come to mind.  Like I said - disturbing, subliminally disturbing.

While we are on the "fun-a-delic" theme...

Fun Fare! Yeah Baby!  Check out the happenin' hats, vests, and booties here!  Yep - that's so 70s!, but wait there's more!!!!

You want "rustic", yep we can "Make it Rustic" and Kathy can pull that look off too!  The lesson here is that, if a guy wears flannel, expect to be single - even in a catalog.

Finally, to round out this summer edition of couples fashions....

Eke gads, summertime stripes to the max baby!  Let's roll to the beach in these smashing sand n' surf fashions with mega stripes!  Let's shoot the Bonzi Pipeline in style baby!


Footnotes:

(1) Well, in a bit of a surprise (At least from my perspective) the results of last week's poll are thus: Sears walloped JCP, winning 2 of the 3 rounds with the third round ending in a draw.  Congrats (35 years after the fact) to Sears.

(2) I know, I know, you can't delve into any kind of comment that is remotely political without pissing someone off.  However, these comments were made PURELY in my role as a historical blogger - you can read your own political prejudices into them, whatever.  If you MUST know my political affiliation, it is this - a pox on all of them (okay NSA, I mean Skynet, I mean The Borg, just kidding - really, just kidding around here, just a silly little blog, no harm no foul, right, RIGHT, I know resistance is futile, AHHHHHH!).

K Club Special Part 2 - Karen Bruun

Karen, like the other members of the K Club (1) dominated the world of catalog modeling for a long, long time.  She was born in Seattle but grew up in New York and got involved in modeling when she was just 15.

I assume that the $60 is her hourly rate?  If so, that is pretty good for back then.  However, I admit that I do not understand what the"5-6-7" and the 7 1/2b mean.  They must be measurements of some kind, perhaps some kind of shorthand?

She appeared in some girls magazines in the 60s like so many of the better known models did back then.

Is that Colleen in the bottom pic?  Probably so, she was on practically every page of those mags back then!

Of course, like the other K Clubbers, she was literally everywhere in print media during the 70s.

Here, she is in one of the sewing rags called Columbia Minerva (whose awesome displays of 70s fashions have been explored before and will be found on this blog in the future)!

Like the other K Clubbers, she appeared in a lot of other print ads besides catalogs.

A really nice pic of Karen!

In addition to  her popularity in catalogs, she was probably best known being one of the iconic Black Velvet girls.

This is the one and only pic of any of the K Clubbers (that I have found so far) in a liquor or tobacco ad.  Naturally, that gives me the opportunity to comment on the complete ridiculousness of these ads.  Does anyone really think that by drinking second rate scotch, that a beautiful women will fall all over you?  However, I like the Black Velvet approach of ONLY showing the girl - instead of some dude with 2 or 3 women draped over him (2).  It makes me think that "Heck yeah, maybe that girl really is available and wants me to drink with her all night, well maybe?!?". 

Of course, for us, Karen is best known for being everywhere in the catalogs of the 70s.  She was often paired with Kathy.  At times they seemed like sisters!

Kathy and Karen displaying the groovy fashions of the 70s!  How many times have we seen that!  That jumpsuit with the matching purse? / handbag? / giant beer kuzie?  is sooooo 70s!! 

Karen (along with Wendy Hill) on the cover of JCPenney's 1976 Spring Summer big book catalog!

Like I said before, her career was a long one.  Here is a pic from 1978 (3)!

Unfortunately, I must end this post on a sad note.  As many of you probably already know, Karen passed away in 2010 at the age of 59.  Below is a photo of her from 2000 and a link to her obit which gives a pretty good rundown of her career.

http://www.silive.com/obituaries/index.ssf/2010/03/karen_bruun_danser_59.html

footnotes:

(1) For those of you that just stumbled across this incredibly awesome site, K Club is the term I use for four of the catalog models of 70s:  Kathy Loghry, Karen Bruun, Kay Campbell, and Colleen Corby.  Their names all begin with a hard K sound, hence the name.

(2) These old liquor ads are a hoot!  I wish the K Clubbers were in more of them because that would make for one fantastic post!  Back then, these ads were all serious like.  Remember that time wasn't that far removed from the Mad Men days of the 60s.  Nowadays, alcohol ads spoof these old ads with good effect as in "The Most Interesting Man in the World".  I have an old print liquor ad from the early 70s that I swear is the guy that Dos Equis copied that idea from.  

(3) Actually I have a pic of Karen from the early 80s which perfectly captures the spirit of THAT decade.  I almost included it here, but it fits better with another subject.

Denimy Daze at JCPenneys

Last week's post on Glad Rags got me curious about what else was out there in the early 70s world of denim fashion and oh boy did get I blindsided.  It seems that Glad Rags wasn't the outlier but instead it was right in step with the times!  Of course, I shouldn't have been too surprised.  After all denim is about the most American of fashion statements there is.  Naturally JCPenneys was all over this as these pics demonstrate.

The first pic is titled "Bold Tartan Plaid and Deminy Blue".  Isn't all tartan both bold and plaid?  I can't say I've ever seen "subtle" tartan.  Also, what does the adjective "denimy" mean?  It's either denim or its not.  Oh I get it.  It's the mood the outfits set - like dreamy only, in this case, denimy.

Kathy is a fine lookin' young filly in a overall style dress seems to say "Yee haw ya'll.  Meet me down at the JCP corral for a boot-scootin' night of two steppin, line dancin', and if it really gets wild - square dancin'!".   Her expression seems to say "Yea, I'm sexy and I know it".  Otherwise it looks like Hee Haw collided with Braveheart.   Note that the boots are 14.5 inches and made of leather! No pleather here in this pre-peta age!   Not sure why one would wear work boots to a square dance, but they definitely give the outfit a casual, working-on-the-farm feel.

Meanwhile Karen's outfit looks like Braveheart goes corporate with a combination tartan vest, pants, and a three button denim jacket (with tartan trim) and a red scarf.  Hmmm, let's see, she is wearing a shirt, a vest, AND a jacket - seems a bit much.  Also this ensemble seems to violate the denim-on-denim rule (1).   And both ensembles seem to violate the tartan-on-tartan rule (2).  You know a little tartan goes a long way, no need to overdo it.

As a bonus, there is something about both photos in this post that is unusal for catalog shots in this era.  Can you spot it?  The answer appears at the end (no peaking!).

Next up is another pic of Kathy and Karen wearing more denim, this time tartan-less.

Karen's sweater seems to scream "Hey over here, notice me!" with the 60s rainbow colors on the sweater AND the sleeves.  You see this kind of reach back to the 60s every once in a while in these pics.  Meanwhile, Kathy's outfit definitely looks like it came out a modern Cabela's catalog with the western style look, except for the massive gaucho pants!  Good thing she is sitting down in these because those things are not kind to any girl's figure (sorry, ladies but guys don't find these at all attractive on girls).  Maybe she DEMANDED to sit down for the shot "No, if you're going to make me wear these gawd awful things, I'm going to pose where they don't make me look fat.  And we'll be talking to my agent later!"  And again Kathy spotlights knee high leather boots, but in this case they look a bit more dressy and come in high heels!

Once again can you spot what is unusual about these two pics?

Footnotes: (Second post with footnotes!)

(1) The denim-on-denim rule is that you are not allowed to wear more than one piece of denim apparel at a time.  The only exceptions are: you are a real cowboy doing actual cowboy work (such as roping a calf), a member of a motorcycle gang (who is going to tell them no?), or John Wayne. 

(2) I just made up the tartan-on-tartan rule for this post, but it is like the denim-on-denim rule except there is only one acceptable exception: you are playing bagpipes and wearing a kilt.

Answer to the quiz. 

When I first pulled these pics I got the strangest feeling that something was different about them compared to the usual catalog pics of the era.  Then it hit me.  Look at the eyes.  That's right!  Both models in both shots are looking directly at the camera instead of staring blankly off at some odd, unexplainable angle like a human mannequin on narcotics.  They are posing for the pics like, well, a normal person would.  Both of these photos are from 1976, so perhaps the style of modeling was changing.