The Cool Scents of 1973: Charlie, Sweet Earth, and Musk Oil

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Admittedly, 1973 was a pivotal year for me. It was the year I turned 18, graduated from high school, got my first part-time job, and started college. So things from that year particularly stand out, especially poignant fragrances. Perfumes took an original, more natural turn that year. Gone were the scents that your mother wore, you wanted to smell young and fresh. These three scents were very popular in 1973, and I remember wearing all of them…

Vintage 1973 Charlie perfume Revlon adI remember this coming out and just glombing onto it. ‘A most original fragrance’, Charlie perfume by Revlon was a gorgeous, sexy-young smell. The ads always featured a lanky model in a pantsuit, striding confidently down the street. It was a fun, kicky, and decidedly modern fragrance and I LOVED IT!

Vintage 1973 Coty Sweet Earth Fragrances adAnother unique 1973 scent was the Coty Sweet Earth Fragrances. They came in a compact, in solid form so you could carry it with you. The scents were a decidedly ‘natural’ bent: Clover, Gingergrass, Hay. The fresh scent scents of a newly mown meadow. In another, rare flowers: Tuberose, Jasmine, and Mimosa. These definitely had a ‘green’ scent that perfumes in the 70s were turning to.

Vintage 1973 Jovan Musk Oil adMusk oil was huge, HUGE, in 1973. The Animal Kingdom by Jovan was probably the most popular brand, debuting ‘The Hunting Kit’ for today’s woman. It had a ‘fragrance arsenal’ of allure your man with Musk Oil, excite him with Civet Oil, and bring him to his knees with Ambergris Oil. Definitely no beating around the bush with what its intention was! I liked these fragrances, but in very small doses. A little definitely went a long way. The problem was that most people wore too much of it and it stifled everyone around them. Exercising prudence when using musk oil is key!

~Marilyn

There Were Colorful Nails in 1973 Too!

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Vintage 1973 Max Factor Nail PolishWith all the wildly different nail polish colors of today, it’s easy to think that it is only a current thing. But this Max Factor Nail Confections ad from 1973 tells a different story; that all the nail polish colors of the rainbow were available then. Even black! Which I thought came about during the goth 90s.

The Nail Confections colors were pretty amazing. Everything from Mocha Malt to Lemon Meringue to Pistachio to Frosted Blue Gumdrop. They were meant to costume your fingers and toes; to make you look deliciously different. And that you would like the colors so much that you’ll start picking your clothes to go with your polish.

It just goes to show you that what goes around, comes around. Even 42 years later!

~Marilyn

Ali MacGraw for Chanel No. 5 and Johnson’s Baby Oil – 1971

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The 1970 movie, Love Story, starring Ryan O’Neal and Ali Mac Graw was another movie that was etched in the zeitgeist of my teenaged years. Ali MacGraw, with her dark smoldering beauty, was just impossibly cool. And she, like Olivia Hussey (Juliet) before her, parlayed her beauty into a modeling career. I found these two ads in the same issue of Glamour magazine, May 1971. The ads are a bit dichotomous, but Ali was certainly versatile!

Ali MacGraw for Chanel No. 5 ad 1971The first ad features a classic, extremely pale-faced Ali posing for Chanel No. 5 perfume (and bath powder, spray cologne, and eau de Cologne). Very chic and beautiful.

Ali MacGraw - Johnson's Baby Oil ad 1971The second ad features an extremely tan Ali posing on the beach for Johnson’s Baby Oil. Quite unbelievable now, but they used to promote basting in the sun with only baby oil. Sunscreen? Bah! Baby oil was supposed to ‘turn on your tan’ by tanning you faster and deeper. And a deeper tan was supposed to last longer. It probably worked for olive skin types like Ali, but for us pale-skin types it was probably the worst thing we could do for our skin. Here’s to versatility, Ali; you certainly knew how to rock it!

~Marilyn

 

Diane Washington, Glamour Cover Girl 1970

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Diane Washington, cover girl Glamour November 1970I’ve been going through my stash of early ’70s Glamour magazines that I had the excellent foresight to save. Okay, I’m a bit of a hoarder when it comes to fashion magazines, but I am so glad that I have them. I feel that they provide a truer snapshot of the trends of the time, rather than any fashion history book.

On cover after cover, there seemed to be the same white, blonde, blue-eyed, All-American models: Cheryl Tiegs, Cybill Shepherd, Evelyn Kuhns, and Christie Brinkley. With Cheryl and Cybill being on the most covers. Then, finally, there was the wonderful November 1970 cover of Diane Washington; a gorgeous black model with an Afro and a natural, no-makeup look. I know Beverly Johnson became a supermodel later in the ’70s, and was on many covers, but the lovely Diane was first.

Even now, 45 years later, a black cover girl on a fashion magazine is a relatively rare occurrence. I am just glad that they finally had the sense to shake up the blue-eyed blonde assembly-line parade in 1970!

~Marilyn

 

Making Your Boho Peasant Wedding Dress for $2.36 (in 1971)

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Singer Sewing Wedding Dress Ad 1971 - FinnfemmeThese days there are a plethora of DIY projects on Pinterest, Blogs, YouTube…everywhere! It seems as though everyone is getting crafty, making up their own goods. But this is certainly nothing new – especially in the sewing department.  Back in the ’60s and ’70s, when I was in school, everyone learned to sew in our required Home Economics classes. Well, correction: only girls learned to sew. The boys got to take wood shop, which seemed a lot more exciting, but I digress. It was just common to be able to sew up a dress, or have your mother sew it for you.

With the emergence of a more hippie/folk vibe in the late 1960s/early ’70s, this naturally extended to weddings. More people were turning away from huge, elaborate weddings and to a more simple ceremony on a beach or in the woods. A single rosebud or bunch of daisies instead of a big bouquet. And definitely a more earthy wedding dress.

This 1971 Singer ad perfectly captures the Bridal zeitgeist of the times. Here was a way to make your own boho wedding dress for ‘almost no money’. You merely sew it up in that most modest fabric of all – unbleached muslin – which in 1971 was 59 cents a yard. The dress took 4 yards, so it was $2.36 worth. Set it off with old lace and new trims you dip in tea (this was a biggie) until the color is right. And you’ll look exactly like you always wanted to look on your wedding day – like your own true self!

I really love this dress, and I’m hoping that the tide will turn away from the Bridezilla weddings we have now, to something more simple. The pendulum always does seem to turn though!

~Marilyn

Model Jean Shrimpton for Ray-Ban Sunglasses 1971

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In 1971, the ever-lovely Jean Shrimpton seemed to have moved on from her days in the Mod ’60s as the Yardley Girl. She was a perfect model for Yardley of London, capturing that ethereal English beauty look that so few can. But it looks like she got another great gig as a model for Bausch & Lomb, makers of Ray-Ban and Sun Tints Sun Glasses. She can really rock those glasses! Of course, it helps to have those stunningly beautiful eyes – and have her excellent fashion sense. Not only does she model B&L sunglasses in these ads, but also manages to fit in modeling a groovy designer outfit.

Jean Shrimpton Ray-Ban ad vintage 1971B&L Sun Tints Sun Glasses were meant to frame your eyes in big, bold shapes – splash them with color – add pizzazz to your total look. Utilitarian too, with protective lenses to ban sun glare and irritating rays. I love the shape and violet-hued color of these Belhurst glasses.  In the inset, ‘The Shrimp’ is modeling a dazzling Persian print cape by Calvin Klein and is wearing Belhurst sunglasses with protective lenses.

Jean Shrimpton Ray-Ban ad 1971 Aviator sunglassesHere Jean is modeling B&L’s classic Ray-Ban Aviator shaped sun glasses, framed with black chrome. Ray-Bans block harsh glare, ban harmful infrared and ultraviolet rays, and keep your precious orbs sparkling bright. In the inset, Jean is modeling a cool lace beach suit by Jacques Tiffeau and is wearing Aviator glasses sleekly framed with black chrome.

Pretty cool! ~Marilyn