Have You Ever Had a Bad Time in Levi’s?

Finnfemme: Have You Ever Had a Bad Time in Levi's? Vintage 1972 Levi's for Gals adThis is a great Levi’s ad from the September 1972 issue of Seventeen magazine. The “Have you ever had a bad time in Levi’s?” ad campaign was for the newly minted Levi’s for Gals, which was a division of Levi Strauss & Co. I love how it shows the playful exuberance of young teenage girls in their hip and trendy hip-hugger bell-bottoms: Brushed denim Thirty about $11.00, all wool flannel Cuff Stuff about $13.00, TumbleWeed Long Loops about $13, knit tops $12 to $13, jacket about $10.

This was a real change for Levi Strauss, as I remember wearing only the straight-legged Levi 501 men’s jeans throughout the late 1960s. I had to stitch in the waistline to make them fit my girlish curves. I also hand-embroidered them (peace symbols and flower power daisies) and cut the outer seam at the knee to sew in a bright cotton print inset. I really wish I had saved them; they were groovy works of art!

By the 1970s, Levi’s had ventured into making jeans for women (Levi’s for Gals), and it was cool to have jeans that actually fit. They also ventured into making pants other than Levi jeans, like this ad shows.  Hip-huggers and bell-bottoms were HUGE in the early 70s (of course I wore them), and Levi’s jumped on the bandwagon to capitalize on the trend.

~Marilyn

 

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