Sunday, September 5, 2010

Bold Fashion Choices--40 Years Ago, Pretty Was "Passe"

At least it was, according to this one-page feature from Heart Throbs #126 (1970):


Oh, really? Fine, let's see exactly what "individuality" and "flair" look like when you "make fashion part of your soul":

Wait a minute? That's a guy??

"Great things", like donating these clothes to Goodwill 3 years from now?

Ah, the early beginnings of Goth...

Apparently, men had to wear scarves in 1970, or risk not being seen as a "man of distinction."

Despite the signature "O Elizabeth," GCD credits this page's pencils to Ric Estrada. The full page is below, click to embiggen to full psychedelic glory.

3 comments:

LissBirds said...

I shall never understand how anyone survived the 70's intact...

Sina said...

Re: '"Great things", like donating these clothes to Goodwill 3 years from now?'...

Um, 3 years is a *VERY* long time in the fashion industry.

Case in point, the Beatles of 1970 looked and dressed nothing like the Beatles of 1967, who looked and dressed nothing like the Beatles of 1964...see what I mean?

And nothing in the original article is saying or even trying to say that these fashions are now the new standard and that they are here to permanently replace your older designs and will still be worn on an everyday-to-day basis for decades and generations from now like your standard button-up dress shirt or classic jeans-&-a-tee combo.

Quite the opposite, in fact, as the very point of high artistic fashion is almost to be a set piece in time...a quick "hey, this is me, look at who I am" designed to attract attention and set you apart from the crowd at large around you.

And with both Sonny *AND* Cher rockin' the headband-bangles look, you *know* that everyday people were wearing them as well!

PS: Off to the side a bit but I'm just guessing that, based on the fact that there are other circular squiggles in this design similar to the one above the word 'Elizabeth' that you cited, I don't think it's supposed to be part of that name (ie: "O Elizabeth").

I think that the name "Elizabeth" might be a shout-out to a co-worker or an assistant/reference-guide/aide for Ric as he worked on this page, or it might be one of his pen names, or even possibly a requited or unrequited paramour of his that he wanted to drop reference to :)

Sina said...

And re: "I shall never understand how anyone survived the 70's intact..."

I do :)

They were "Stayin' Alive, stayin' alive, a-HA-HA-HA-HA, stayin' alive, stayin' alive, a-HA-HA-HA-HA, stayin' ALIIIII-IIIII-IIII-IVE!!!"

Lol, sorrys :P

"At first I was afraid, I was petrified..."