Recently, at an antique mall, I found this 1979 Spiegel catalog and purchased it without hesitation. I have a real soft spot for this period in fashion. I also kind of hate it. Thing is, it's a real weird time in fashion precisely because there is so much to love right along side pretty detestable things. Let's look at some examples shall we?
So, I love what is going on here. The colors (or lack thereof really), the bolo tie, the hat, the 3-piece suit with stiff Arrow collar? Heck yes! Annie Hall much? Love it. However, I do, personally, I take issue with that skirt length, it does nothing for MOST gals. I know, I know, it's the midi skirt that's semi-popular now (or trying very hard to be popular), but even so, I feel like there is a "sweet spot" for the midi skirt and if you miss it, you're just gonna look like a sister-wife or a frumpfest. As a side note, I do think the point is moot when you add tight and tall boots to the midi-skirt mix, then all bets are on; prance away in your midi and knee-high boots sister, that almost always looks great.
More I love, more Annie Hall/menswear inspiration, more beige (sorry, I really do love beige)
and the woman on the left is sporting a brooch, word up!
Yep, I even like these, look at the cute shoes too! Gettin' all Teutonic, get me to the beer tent! I dig it!
Ok, these are great dresses on a summer night, sure. You might get super hot sporting the polyester jersey,
sure, but at least you won't get all wrinkly. And if you pass out in your dress you will actually be quite comfy. AND THEN, in the bright light of morning you can throw that frock in the washing machine and put your hungover arse back in bed.
Ok, more good stuff - these caftan dresses are super pretty and the basic black beach attire is a total go. A side note here, there were many pages of swimwear and I kid you not, not one gal has bigger boobs than an A or small B cup. It was flippin' refreshing. What an anomaly in our world today, swimsuit models with women of my tiny-titties tribe!
And here we turn a corner...the first outfit, cute. The other two? Wow. The green one is particularly heinous. It's nearly Victorian & not in a way I like. I mean, where is her BODY? She looks like a giant triangle and not in a cool avant garde fashion way, but um, again, in a sister-wife way. No, you don't have to show off your body to look great, but this is something entirely ugly.
Shoes that are cool. Shoes that if I found while thrifting I would consider it a pretty great day.
Annnnnnd some hideous shoes. Cute & sexy dresses and then really awful white strappy shoes. Notice they are also worn with suntan colored nylons...awwww yeah...
Finally, just some, what I think are, super pretty hairstyles that are blissfully non-fussy.
Which is more than one can say about those undergarments...
13 comments:
I really enjoyed this post! My mom always got Spiegel catalogs in the mail each season, and I loved to cut up the home section to make little scrapbooks of the way I imagined my house to be when I grew up. I can't say the fashion appealed to me much, but those beige suits you picked out are quite darling, very Dolly-Parton-Nine-To-Five-ish, don't you think?
Also, I could swear some of those models are the same they used all the way through the early 90's!
Ah.. memories. In the pics of gowns, I had one very similar to the salmon one third from the left, only mine was in a pale lavender color. Wore it to a college formal in 1979. I think I may still have it somewhere!
Hate to admit we wore suntan pantyhose with everything back then, but at least I didn't have any of those awful strappy white shoes!
Those maxi dresses with large floral prints are so beautiful!
xx
Maya
Heh. I got a little sweaty just looking at that shiny poly jersey (and having dug through bags of it before, I can smell it, too). I also love those Annie Hall looks, and love the *idea* of midi skirts, even though they're tough to wear. I always think they look awesome on other people. Love the shoes, though the crochet clogs look like an accident waiting to happen.
Lauren, I love "frumpfest" and loathe the midi! Can't ever get into the caftan look, but the poly jersey dresses (yes, as long as they're thin!) and the cotton florals & cut out wood heels (YESSSS!!) something about looking at these old 70s ads makes me want to buy peach lipstick.
Oh my god I belong in the late 70s. Sometime I'll have to show you the modeling photos my mom did for JCPenneys during that time. HOT stuff. So rad. Want that black swimsuit. Want that wool suit. Want the wispy hair. THANK YOU LAUREN YOU MADE MY DAY!
but where is the MAN GIRDLE, LAUREN??
I had those those shoes~ the woven one #11 and several others from the same manufacturer, I just wish I knew where they went...I can't believe you have a photo of them...
LOVING the top knots and all of the woven shoes!
Love this post! I'd love to see more like it.
And they are checking out each other's boobs
My mom still wears her hair in that wispy up swept bun. She's worn it like that for at least 24 years,every day. Everyone always used to ask her how do you do it? and she only uses 1 bobby pin. her secret!
Love the photos! What I particularly appreciate is how all the women look like grown ups. I get very tired of the current "try and look as young (and immature) as possible" moment. - Queen Lucia
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