Thursday, May 26, 2011

Slips & Bloomers '35 (Plus Hose!)

Excerpts from a Chicago Mail Order Company catalog dated 1935, with a first part focus on slips, bloomers and hosiery for the ladies. Stunning lay-out, design, and illustrations, this is a true gem in my collection of old catalogs, and I'll be posting more from it as this month slowly winds down. Would anyone else have a problem living in an era where the women looked like either Fay Wray, Vivien Leigh or Myrna Loy? Time machine-- take me away!!








NEXT: Shoes & Hats!

8 comments:

Mr. Cavin said...

Man, I love love love spot-color advertising. Back before there were CMYK photocopiers, I used to like to make two- and three-pass spot-color artwork, flyers mostly, changing the toner from black to red to blue in between passes. Those quickies didn't look all that much like these, of course--my separations weren't usually in overlays but in sections, and the finished product looked more like a mosaic than an ad--but the family resemblance was still there.

I'm going to have to get some old catalogs like these. I love how all the pages look pasted up together on your blog page. I am certain this would make an excellent framed collage.

[As a side note: this is the first time all week I've been able to even access the comment function at Blogger. Google recognizes the problem--there's been a note about this on their Unresolved Issues blog since Tuesday--but they've not managed to make it work again yet. Eventually I had to upgrade my popular brand-name internet browser from a version that was not even five months old. That seems to have done the trick. If anyone else out there is having similar issues, an upgrade might help.]

Mr. Karswell said...

Thanks for the info and comment Mr C... I was wonderng where everybody went, (here and at THOIA), I guess the blogger gremlin is on the loose again!

Jil Casey said...

Boy, I wish we could go back to those prices!

Mr. Cavin said...

"...I guess the blogger gremlin is on the loose again.

I thought it seemed kind of tumbleweedsy too. It was really strange all week. I could see the posts and even open the post page (by clicking the title), which meant I could read the comments. But if I navigated to a secure area to post one, Blogger would redirect me to a log-in screen. It would also redirect me there if I tried to access a blog through a content warning page, or if I tried to log in. Being redirected to a log-in screen whenever one tries to log in is kind of when the process hits its feedback loop and begins to approach eternity.

Anyway, hopefully folks who want to post will be reading this and that browser upgrade will work for them.

Obligatory on-topic comment: and thanks for all the textiles illustrations on this one. Man I am really getting into that--it's even made me love old Japanese block prints more, which I thought was not possible.

Postino said...

"Mommy, may I see your catalog when you're finished with it? I like to look at pictures of ladies' underwear...it makes me feel kinda funny, but I like to feel funny, if you know what I mean..."

Mr. Karswell said...

>I am really getting into that--it's even made me love old Japanese block prints more, which I thought was not possible.

I know what you mean! Lots more to come from this catalog, (I'm looking at maybe 3 posts total from this catalog), so stay tuned, and thanks again for the blogger info!

>I like to look at pictures of ladies' underwear...it makes me feel kinda funny

If this is the sort of thing that young boys in '35 had to work with, then I can't say I feel sorry for them-- because even in 2011 it totally works for me!

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Crafty C said...

I wouldn't mind a full-cut, reliable, quality, knitted rayon garment or two to wander around the house in.