Let 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… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Vintage
Yardley of London in Wartime 1945
With 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,… Read more »
The 1934 Magical Reducing Perfolastic Girdle!
Wanting 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… Read more »
The Cool Scents of 1973: Charlie, Sweet Earth, and Musk Oil
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,… Read more »
There Were Colorful Nails in 1973 Too!
With 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… Read more »
Ali MacGraw for Chanel No. 5 and Johnson’s Baby Oil – 1971
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… Read more »
I'm Marilyn, and I'm obsessed with vintage clothing, thrift stores, clotheslines, and Chanel. Welcome to my down-to-earth world!