Catherine Deneuve 1969

A hint of space-age jewellery configuration suggestion atomic diamond head wear will be de rigueur in The Future.

Eastern European Fashion Knitwear 1968

Russian, I think, but hedged my bets with that heading. Retro Eastern European knitwear made from original patterns (of course) is very on-trend this winter in London. Fashionistas are scouring second-hand bookshops for gems like this now that their ironic Xmas jumpers are useless (I said that would only last about three days). I'll soon be selling this on eBay for an extortionate amount.

Men Only Magazine 1950 Cartoons & Ads

Nice find last week - for 99p. Founded by C. Arthur Pearson in 1935, it stated in the first issue: 'We don't want women readers. We won't have women readers...' ! That's women told then. Smutmonger Paul Raymond took it over in 1971, no doubt taking it to new lows, although I can't vouch for the quality of it's content before that, of course. There's just one very soft nude pic in this issue. I particularly like the second cartoon - bloody bohemians! There's an article on ferrets too. It's just called 'Ferrets'. Thus, town and country tastes were catered for, and it all seems pleasingly tame compared to what it turned into.

Disco Fever (New English Library 1978)

I've had this book since it was published. As a 'disco devotee' I rarely felt great the next day, contrary to the claim made here, unless a girl accepted my offer of a slow dance, in which case, should it have lead to me also being able to whisper in her mouth, I would have felt great. Not being beaten up by a rival gang (known or unknown) was also a bonus, but most of all, the joy of dancing to certain tunes was rewarding enough. I sometimes wonder what happened to those girls, and my compatriots on the dance floor...but I know that if we met again we'd have little in common today.

The In and Out Book - Robert Benton & Harvey Schmidt (Viking Press 1959)

In/Out, Up/Down, Bless/Blast, Hip/Square...such lists have long graced magazines as largely ironic signifiers of social trends. This tongue-in-cheek (what else could it be?) book captures the spirit of '59 in the USA, by which time the Beat Generation was 'OUT', as was seeing Kerouac in public. Aside from the content, I love the wonderfully stressed cover. 

The World's First Cartridge Tape Recorder!

Playboy, May 1968. Whilst French students were revolting, Akai revealed the world's first cartridge tape recorder, and as you know, literary revolutionary William Burroughs made great use of tape recordings. Here is Brion Gysin talking about that. Meanwhile, whilst students attempted to shape the future, Botany '500' man models the 'wave of the future' in sports clothes, although I'd like to see him surf in that gear. Talking of the future, this issue featured a short story by J.G. Ballard ('The Dead Astronaut'). Ballard, and Playboy, what a combo. I think the Honda ad illustrations are especially fine.

 

 

A Reformed Hippie Writes - Playboy Ads & Fashion April 1968

A word about the Hathaway shirts ad and how the eye patch became a fashion accessory. Legendary ad man David Ogilvy saw a photo of the US ambassador to Britain, Lewis Douglas, wearing one in a photo after a fishing accident. He bought some and took them along to a shoot for Hathaway in 1951. The wearer was George Wrangell, not a handsome young model, but an ex-Russian baron who Ogilvy thought would lend distinction to the product. He would feature in the very successful campaign, and Hathaway's sales rose between 1950 and '69 from $2 million to $30 million dollars per year. The eye patch novelty was born.