1964 in ads

Ads are so annoying, aren't they?  Yet, when done well, they can be works of art in their own right--entertaining, even!  And when I page through a vintage women's magazine, I actually usually find the ads more intriguing than the non-ad content.  Maybe it's the influence of Mad Men, but when I was looking through this May 1964 issue of McCall's (the "First Magazine for Women"), it was the ads that caught my eye.  There's a lot of color, a love of all things French (and Hawaiian!), and a focus on convenience--particularly when it comes to food and cooking.  (Click here for my previous post featuring fabric ads from this same issue)

I love everything about this, from her headpiece/hat to the shades of pink (I'd love that lipstick she's wearing) to the awesomely groovy typeface they used!

I'll try the Rose Geranium splash.

"Just wear a smile and a Jantzen" gals, and "you'll never ride alone"--!!!  The ad copy calls the blouse on the lefthand woman a "prissy print."

Tampax makes your ladytime so Untroubled that you can rock your all-white outfits, even in the great outdoors.

Hunt's uses not just any tomatoes for its catsup--it uses the big ones.

So this is insane.  Nothing showcases canned fruit better than a gelatinous shroud of lime Jell-O--even better when you can whip it up right in the can!  I'm really disturbed by the lettuce and what appears to be a dollop of Miracle Whip on the plate.

The National Steel Corporation wants you to believe that canned meat is the best thing ever.  I just want to know wtf that ham-like thing encased in pastry is, and how any part of it came out of a can.

Capture the romantic feeling of the French Riviera with a table full of elegant Lenox china, displayed on a table under a lovely damask tent.  Inside your house.

European women stay younger looking by using Palmolive soap.  But do the women of Vienna really dress like sheepherders for nights on the town?

I'm loving all the colors and color combining ideas in this Cannon ad.  My mom used to keep lidded apothecary jars of sea shells in our bathrooms, too (like the one on top of that stack of towels).

This Aileen ad looks so modern to me.  Maybe it's all the white space, or the strips of photos on the left side.  I love the blouse the model is wearing.  I'm slightly confused by the "smog" aspect of this ad, but I do like how it sort of accepts the smog and talks about it, rather than trying to present some smog-free paradise (in which we romp in all-white outfits during our ladytime.  Yes, I'm talking to you, Tampax.)

More Francophilia.  This Drexel bedroom set is inspired by Louis XIV and "the age of courtly elegance and romance."  It "whispers of court intrigue."  Or perhaps key parties and divorce.

"Shocking" looks just a little bit drunk.

Has Stouffer's changed its packaging at all?  I think it still looks pretty much just like this, which I kind of love.  (I do enjoy the very occasional Stouffer's French Bread pizza.  It's a nostalgia thing.)  I think I'm a little bit in love with the cheese award-toting Viking potato guy.

Love the artwork on this ad!  Apollo 11 won't happen for five more years, but the Soviet Union and the US had unmanned moon landings in 1959 and 1962.  Though this ad has more of an astrology/tarot card feeling than a space age NASA one.

Ladies use pink toilet paper.  Tell your friends.

No, don't thank me.  I do believe that's a vinyl floor.  Because I crawled around on one through my toddlerhood.

Back to the Hawaiian food in cans.  Canned ham, "magnificently" decorated with pineapples and cherries.

How flipping cute are these Ship 'n Shore girls' blouses--especially that whale print!

xo

K

futuristic fabric

This post was originally going to be about magazine ads of 1964.  (I'm still going to do that post.)  But as I was going through my May 1964 issue of McCall's, I noticed a large number of fashion ads that were not for the garment itself, but its fabric.  I don't think this is something we'd see much of in today's women's magazines.  Why would the women of 1964 care about whether their dress was made from Dacron, Orlon, Fortrel, or treated cotton?  Nylon and polyester fabrics had been in use in fashion for some time, but in the 1960s, we became obsessed with all things modern and convenient.  The fashions shown in this 1964 magazine aren't quite the futuristic vinyl/PVC mod looks of the Youthquake, but the ads do still focus on the modern aspects of the fabrics.  The ads tell us that Dacron and Fortrel are flattering, easy to care for (requiring little to no ironing), that they "stay fresh" and keep their shape.  (Note all the DuPont logos you see in these ads!)

An R&K Originals dress made of a Dacron polyester and cotton blend that "keeps its head on the hottest day," and retails for $20.00.

Several styles made of "Lovely to live in, non-stop neat" Dacron from manufacturers Jantzen, Ship 'n Shore, Sue Brett, McGregor, and Koret of California.

This Gay Gibson gingham set is particularly cute!

A striped $13.00 Orlon beach shift, by Boepple.

This ad is so weird, but I kind of love it.  It's like happy desert noir.  And that guy's hat!  Anyway, this Dan River Fabrics ad points out that even good old 100% cotton can be modern and convenient...when it's treated with "Wrinkl-Shed with Dri-Don."

A lovely $20.00 Leslie Fay dress, made of printed voile that's a blend of Fortrel polyester and cotton.

And don't worry--the cotton people were on top of things, too!  100% cotton is the best fabric in the heat, and it "never clings.  It's never clammy."  Also, you can iron it and it won't melt!  (Hm, not sure that's the best selling point...)

xo

K

washington d.c. school trip, 1962

This was a real gem of a find in my family photos: my mom's 1962 high school class trip to Washington D.C. It is showcase of early 60s goodness: fluffy hair (I sense lots of sleeping in rollers!), cat's eye glasses, wonderful coats, and cute print blouses.

I'm pretty sure I squealed when I spotted my mom in this photo.  She's the one in the sassy leopard print blouse!  If only she were standing right next to the nun--that would be amazing.  I'm loving her righthand neighbor's dark coat (and wish I could get a better view of the print on her blouse), and her lefthand neighbor's cable knit cardigan.  Also: girl in lower righthand corner, white blouse, dark cardigan?  I can relate to your expression.

These gals know how to sit in the grass in skirts and not look indecent.  One guess who my favorite is in this photo!  Yes, it's Miss Plaid Coat and Specs in the center.  Footwear appears to be mainly pointy-toe flats--sensible and chic--though I think I might spy a pair of Keds.  I'm also loving the contrasting fabric on the collar and lining of the jacket on the far right, and that bracelet (charm?) on the wrist of the young lady to the left of Miss Plaid.

These jackets!  I'm not sure if I love the giant collars or the no collar with a little bow more.

Loving the contrast of houndstooth coat and polka dot blouse.  Want that coat.  And happy to see a typical-of-the-era shirtwaist dress with Peter Pan collar and roll up sleeves in nature, as it were, as I've sold so many of these.

Oh my.  There is some hair in this photo.  


But I really do love the mosaic print blouse, as well as the floral print cardigan on the gal on the right.  And in the front row--stripes, plaid, and a ruffly-collared blouse with cardigan!  

And not to sound like a grumpy oldster (which I suppose I am), but even with their nearly-bouffant 'dos, these women knock the style socks off the muffin-topped skinny jeans and Ed Hardy t-shirt-wearing teens of today.  Am I being too harsh?  I know not all teens dress this way (I didn't dress the way most other teens of my era did, either.)  Please feel free to chastise me in the comments.

xo

K