The Ultra Brite Love-Bug – Vintage 1975

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Vintage 1975 Ultra Brite Love-Bug VW Beetle adIn 1971, LA based advertising consultant Charles E. Bird started a company called Beetleboards. It was a way for college students to advertise and make money ($20 per month) by driving around with groovy graphic ads on the sides of their VW Beetles. This continued throughout the ’70s, but fizzled out by the ’80s. Which is too bad, because they were awesome!

I remember how envious of VW Beetle owners I was because I REALLY wanted to do this. Unfortunately, as a college student, I drove a huge boat of a 1964 Chevy Impala. And that wasn’t going to make the Beetleboard cut, no matter how much I wanted it.

This Ultra Brite toothpaste ad from the October 1975 issue of Glamour magazine, presented a “How’s Your Love Life?” sweepstakes. Five lucky Grand Prize winners would be given a very special limited-edition Love-Bug decorated by Beetleboards of America. All you had to do was enter (sending two end flaps via snail mail) and brush with Ultra Brite – dynamite taste and more whitener than any leading toothpaste. I’m surprised that I didn’t enter this contest – the entry blank is left intact!

~Marilyn

Towels on the Clothesline in the Breezy Warm Sunshine!

Posted by & filed under Daily Life, Fashion, Frugal Living, Vintage.

Spring laundry on the clothesline - Finnfemme BlogI’ve been air-drying for about 10 years now, and it’s just become second nature I guess. The thought of using a dryer again is mystifying; why use an energy-sucking contraption when other options are readily available?  Air is completely free and does a splendid job! Yes, it takes a little longer but it’s much gentler on your clothes.

I use a mixture of indoor drying rack and outdoor clothesline to accomplish this. But nothing is more fun than when the warm spring weather comes and I can hang my laundry outside, like today. I have my towels hanging out because they take longer to dry inside. The warm air coupled with a stiff breeze is great for drying them a little bit faster. And it infuses the laundry with a poignant spring air scent that is completely natural – no chemically scented dryer sheets or fabric softener for me!

“After enlightenment, the laundry.” – Zen Proverb

~Marilyn

 

 

Vintage 1934 Chesterfield Cigarettes: “I enjoy them a lot”

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Vintage 1934 Chesterfield cigarettes ad Woman smokingLet me preface this by stating that I am not a smoker, nor have I ever been. But I’ve always been fascinated by cigarette advertising, especially when it is directed towards women. This ad was on the back cover of the January 1934 issue of Picture Play magazine. What struck me most was the sheer artistry of the ad – a lovely portrait of a blue-eyed blonde elegantly holding a cigarette. Chesterfield – I enjoy them a lot… to me they’re MILDER … to me they TASTE BETTER. They Satisfy.

This was before doctors started making “health” claims about cigarettes in the 40s and 50s. And before all that “You’ve come a long way, baby” business from Virginia Slims in the 70s. Nope, it’s just a simple statement that she enjoyed smoking, and that they satisfy. Bam. Nothing else. And that’s kind of refreshing!

~Marilyn

Yardley of London in Wartime 1945

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Yardley of London vintage 1945 40s adWith Yardley of London reaching its groovy heyday in the late 1960s/early 70s, it’s easy to forget that it’s an old company. A very old company! Established in 1770, it was a major producer of soaps and perfumes. English Lavender soap, anyone?

Since Yardley’s soaps and cosmetics were so popular with the Victorians and Edwardians, a shop was opened in 1910 on Bond Street in London.

This Yardley ad from the April 1945 issue of McCall’s magazine, is for “Bond Street Perfume” and “English Complexion” Powder and Lipstick. It perfectly captures the glamour of the 1940s. The lovely model is wearing red gloves, a purple dress, and statement necklace and earrings. Wide-eyed, with a beautiful complexion and lush red lips, she was certainly a forerunner to all the gorgeous Yardley models to follow.

What’s interesting is that, since it was during WWII, it was noted that Yardley products for America were created in England and finished in the U.S.A. from the original English formulas, combining imported and domestic ingredients. It’s nice to know that Yardley carried on during the war, and provided a touch of familiar beauty to war-torn countries.

~Marilyn

 

The 1934 Magical Reducing Perfolastic Girdle!

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Vintage 1934 Perfolastic Girdle ad 30sWanting to look smooth and shapely under your clothing is nothing new, despite the current pervasiveness of Spanx and other modern shapewear. This Perfolastic Girdle ad is from the January 1934 issue of Picture Play magazine. 1930s fashions were more sleek and form-fitting than the relative bagginess of 1920s Flapper styles, so a proper foundation garment was definitely in order.

Not only did the Perfolastic perform as a girdle (and as an ‘uplifting bandeau’ and garter belt), it promised to reduce your waist and hips 3 inches in 10 days – without diet, drugs or exercise – or it won’t cost you a cent. How did the Perfolastic do this? Apparently with every body movement the girdle gently massages away the surplus fat, stimulating the body once more into energetic health. Goodness, sign me up!

Made of perforated rubber, it was ‘ventilated’ and had a satinized fabric lining. It was supposed to keep your body cool and fresh at all times. And a special adjustable back allowed for perfect fit as inches disappeared.

In reality, it’s really not all that different from Spanx. Maybe the materials used, but certainly not the format. I, for one, always feel completely restricted, stifled, and uncomfortable in Spanx – so I’m sure the Perfolastic girdle would have felt pretty much the same!

~Marilyn

 

The Boho Folkloric Yardley of 1971

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Yardley of London Cellophanes ad Vintage 1971Yardley of London always seemed to be spot-on with trends in the late ’60s and into the early ’70s. Their late ’60s advertising tended to be either London Mod or Ethereal Romantic, and featured gorgeous ‘Yardley Girl’ models Jean Shrimpton, Olivia Hussey, and Patsy Sullivan.

By the early ’70s, Yardley took on a more Folklorical (their term) marketing campaign. This ad from 1971 for Cellophanes Colours features more of a fresh-faced outdoors country look. Models are in flowing peasant dresses, ethnic tops, and hippie jeans and overalls. The makeup colors are earth-toned and bare. The back-to-nature bohemian ’70s had begun!

~Marilyn