1977 JCPenney Catalogue, or How to Get Your Ass Kicked for All Occasions

[livius drusus]

Strap in, shut up and hold on. We're going back. (http://15minutelunch.blogspot.com/2007/10/strap-in-shut-up-and-hold-on-were-going.html)

Last weekend I put an exhaust fan in the ceiling for my wife's grandfather. After a bunch of hours spent in The Hottest Attic In The Universe, he had a ceiling fan that ducted to the side of his house.

While my brother-in-law and I were fitting the fan in between the joists, we found something under the insulation. What we found was this:
http://bp0.blogger.com/_8KVGEZEUltI/RxAf-WKFJwI/AAAAAAAAAWE/QNNZYXxINag/s320/77-5.jpg

* livius drusus laughs and laughs.

I think the snap front blue cowboy shirt may be my favorite, but really, I couldn't possibly pick just one.

[curses]

Oh hells yes. JC Penny has always been known for their cutting edge style and chic classics.
http://bp2.blogger.com/_8KVGEZEUltI/Rw-MN-2S0iI/AAAAAAAAAUs/bVt0TxC7XIg/s1600/77-12.jpg

Nothing says high style like a rug for your toilet tank. Bonus style points for the lime green color.

http://bp0.blogger.com/_8KVGEZEUltI/Rw-MBe2S0fI/AAAAAAAAAUU/u2X552EiivI/s320/77-9.jpg

Obviously the Beastie Boys have a copy of this same cataloge.

http://bp1.blogger.com/_8KVGEZEUltI/Rw-Miu2S0oI/AAAAAAAAAVc/7byBKhd2v3c/s320/77-18.jpg

Check it out, with every crap blazer purchase, you get a free mini-me in contrasting color.

http://bp3.blogger.com/_8KVGEZEUltI/Rw-MUO2S0kI/AAAAAAAAAU8/5O9v77YbjLg/s320/77-14.jpg

This picture needs no caption does it?

http://bp1.blogger.com/_8KVGEZEUltI/Rw-MXu2S0lI/AAAAAAAAAVE/uJtQjRLPxsI/s320/77-15.jpg

Impress your woman with this dress shirt straight out of The War Between The States. Miniball and muskets sold separately.

[Plant Woman]

Funneh! :rofl:

[livius drusus]

http://bp0.blogger.com/_8KVGEZEUltI/Rw-MBe2S0fI/AAAAAAAAAUU/u2X552EiivI/s320/77-9.jpg
Obviously the Beastie Boys have a copy of this same cataloge.
Oh. Mah. God! Totally! Dude even looks like Mike D.

http://bp3.blogger.com/_8KVGEZEUltI/Rw-MUO2S0kI/AAAAAAAAAU8/5O9v77YbjLg/s320/77-14.jpg

This picture needs no caption does it?
Okay, is it wrong that I actually kinda like the manshorts? :blush:

[vremya]

LMAO! :LOL:

[Plant Woman]

My husband graduated that year and he was just telling me he had a yellow leisure suit. We laughed as we looked through these photos. I was in Hawaii at the time so we didn't wear this stuff.

[curses]

Oh. Mah. God! Totally! Dude even looks like Mike D.It IS Mike D, he leads a double life as a mail order catalogue model. The Sabatogue video is proof. you just can't make those outfits up.:yup:


Okay, is it wrong that I actually kinda like the manshorts? :blush:
* curses makes note for liv's Christmas prezzie.

[curses]

My husband graduated that year and he was just telling me he had a yellow leisure suit. We laughed as we looked through these photos. I was in Hawaii at the time so we didn't wear this stuff.
I was one. Guaranteed I didn't wear this stuff.

[livius drusus]

My husband graduated that year and he was just telling me he had a yellow leisure suit. We laughed as we looked through these photos.
My dad had a blue one, which he often wore with a light blue polyester shirt with clouds all over it, no less. I don't remember it first-hand, but he made the cardinal error of allowing pictorial evidence to survive the era.


Oh. Mah. God! Totally! Dude even looks like Mike D.It IS Mike D, he leads a double life as a mail order catalogue model. The Sabotage video is proof. you just can't make those outfits up.:yup:
When you're right, you're right. In fact, I'm pretty sure they just dyed that jumpsuit white and reused it for Intergalactic.

* curses makes note for liv's Christmas prezzie.
No need to be intentionally hurtful. :glare:

[Dingfod]

I had a baby blue polyester double-knit leisure suit that I wore with a wide white belt and white patent-leather platform shoes when I was working as a car salesman in *wait for it* 1976. I WAS Herb Tarlek. I even had Herb Tarlek hair.

Actually, I thought the jacket was particularly stupid-looking with it's contrast stitching and cargo-type pockets so I didn't normally wear it.

[livius drusus]

Oh man, contrast stitching. I had almost managed to repress that. :shudder:

[curses]

* curses makes note for liv's Christmas prezzie.
No need to be intentionally hurtful. :glare:What? I was just gonna get you the fabric, not the guy or the shorts. :innocent2:

[curses]

I WAS Herb Tarlek. I even had Herb Tarlek hair.:rofl:


I can has nu car?
http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/a/ac/Frank_Bonner_on_WKRP.jpg

[Ymir's blood]

I'm pretty sure some of that stuff was at the thrift stores the last few days. :examine:

[curses]

I'm pretty sure some of that stuff was at the thrift stores the last few days. :examine:Totally. Be glad we didn't go to the one over off of Moreland Dr. I found a pair of lime green bellbottoms there a few years ago. Lime. Green.

[inland wave]

:giggle:

[Plant Woman]

Hey but I had the Dukes of Hazard's (Daisy?) style cut off jeans! Let's see where did I put that photo?

[Ymir's blood]

I'm pretty sure some of that stuff was at the thrift stores the last few days. :examine:Totally. Be glad we didn't go to the one over off of Moreland Dr. I found a pair of lime green bellbottoms there a few years ago. Lime. Green.
That's worse than the purple flared jeans I saw in Hickory a few months back. :eek:

[curses]

Hey but I had the Dukes of Hazard's (Daisy?) style cut off jeans! Let's see where did I put that photo?

Damn, PW. You're totally rockin the Dukes!

[livius drusus]

And then some! :bow:

[Plant Woman]

Remember that was 30 years ago. We won't talk about getting into those things again, now will we? :giggles:

[Qingdai]

Hey but I had the Dukes of Hazard's (Daisy?) style cut off jeans! Let's see where did I put that photo?


I think we all had those shorts, it was either that or the satin ones with the piping. Suitable for roller disco.
I am jealous of your really nice camera though.
What kind was it?

[Plant Woman]

That was a Bronica medium format camera with a square negative. It was my first big-girl camera.

[rigorist]

To really mess you up, go back six more years to . . . .

It Came From the 1971 Sears Catalog (http://www.aperfectworld.org/sears.htm)!

[livius drusus]

Holy crap! Knee-high vinyl socks to make it look like you're wearing boots (http://www.aperfectworld.org/page_eight.htm). The JCPenney gods are vengeful ones. :sadno:

[rigorist]

Holy crap! Knee-high vinyl socks to make it look like you're wearing boots (http://www.aperfectworld.org/page_eight.htm). The JCPenney gods are vengeful ones. :sadno:

Yeah, rubber socks.

There's something just not right with that.

[livius drusus]

Jesus (http://www.aperfectworld.org/page_sixtyone.htm). Did Lister die in vain?

http://www.aperfectworld.org/Other_Projects/Sears/sears268.jpg

Why not just bathe directly in a petri dish?

[curses]

Oh my god you could LOSE someone in that shag!
http://www.aperfectworld.org/Other_Projects/Sears/sears116.jpg

It's Shari Lewis!!!1

[ShottleBop]

I'm pretty sure some of that stuff was at the thrift stores the last few days. :examine:Totally. Be glad we didn't go to the one over off of Moreland Dr. I found a pair of lime green bellbottoms there a few years ago. Lime. Green.

I owned a pair of lime green bellbottoms with turquoise stripes. And a pair of turquoise bellbottoms with yellow stripes. (Both worn to work with white button-down oxfords.) And a forest-green polyester leisure suit.

[livius drusus]

Kanelekon Couture Wigs: proud sponsors of The Valley of the Dolls, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, and Can't Get Enough of Them Funky Dolls.

[godfry n. glad]

I had a baby blue polyester double-knit leisure suit that I wore with a wide white belt and white patent-leather platform shoes when I was working as a car salesman in *wait for it* 1976. I WAS Herb Tarlek. I even had Herb Tarlek hair.

Actually, I thought the jacket was particularly stupid-looking with it's contrast stitching and cargo-type pockets so I didn't normally wear it.

Mine was pistachio green. I also had a polyester shirt with an urban scene. Very "John Revolta". It was gifted to me. I wore it twice, to please the gifter.

I remember going out to a quality men's wear shop with one of my first "real" paychecks and buying a three-piece camelhair suit, with wide lapels and flares. Of course, I had a 30" waist in those times. I wanted my hair to be like Andy Travis, but the effect was more like Johnny Fever.

Of course, JC Penney was clothier to the glads in those days. Having just moved out of the demin jeans and workshirt uniform period of my college years, I adjusted to being required to wear slacks, shirt and tie, by wearing JCP work slacks, oxford button-downs and plaid ties, and three sports jackets, one gray wool tweed and two cotton, khaki and navy.

[lisarea]

To really mess you up, go back six more years to . . . .

It Came From the 1971 Sears Catalog (http://www.aperfectworld.org/sears.htm)!

We got in BIG TROUBLE WITH MOM when we were kids for freezing and copping Sears catalog poses when she tried to take pictures of us.

She'd line up a shot, and we'd all stop and pose--pointing off camera looking mildly amused, cupping hand to mouth as if to greet a chum, arms akimbo and head thrown back in a hearty chortle, stuff like that. "Stop it! NO! Just DO WHAT YOU WERE DOING BEFORE! STOP DOING THAT!"

Ha ha, Mom. Owned.

[lisarea]

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d2/lisarea/homunculus.png

[Uthgar the Brazen]

To really mess you up, go back six more years to . . . .

It Came From the 1971 Sears Catalog (http://www.aperfectworld.org/sears.htm)!

Apparently the costume designer of Logan's Run bought her/his nightwear from Sears...

[Blake]

"Stop it! NO! Just DO WHAT YOU WERE DOING BEFORE! STOP DOING THAT!"Dang. It's like standard-issue Momspeak while behind the camera. :laugh:

[Chris Porter]

I confess, I was a child model. But thankfully, not a clothes model. I worked with my dad (ad director/graphic designer/photographer) on educational photo shoots for textbook and educational products. And once or twice for some company or other when he worked at an ad agency. I did not have to do any weird posing.

The thing about my family growing up in the 60s/70s is that all our neighbors had the Sears catalog look going on, but not us. Nearly all the walls in our house were white, when there was enough money, the wall-to-wall was torn out and a persian rug put on installed hardwood. There were few concessions to the 70s - the cheap melamine dinnerware of my childhood was replaced as soon as possible with Dansk place settings, the bathroom floor linoleum replaced with unglazed tile. Our suburban track house was the Euro version, not the Sears. So I grew up looking in on the Sears and JCPennys phenomenon, not too much a part of it. Well, except for the clothes. Yes, bought all my stuff from JC Penneys and Sears.

The only two things from the Sears catalog that were in our house were the cheap melamine dinnerware set, and some wallpaper with yellow and green daisies on it, that decorated the kitchen cabinets and complemented the very 70's harvest gold appliances in the kitchen. My dad did all the changes in the house, the flooring, tiling, carpeting, painting, he framed the abstract art on the wall, and built walls and cabinets. I think a lot of the neighbors couldn't do all that sort of stuff, and so relied on decorating from Sears. The neighbors across the street had all that spanish furniture. I once asked my parents why didn't we have living room sets like most of our neighbors, and they just said my dad preferred it that way. Artsy fartsy folk.

[Dingfod]

My god, you're old.

[Chris Porter]

:glare: My bellbottoms were purple. :joecool2:

[Dingfod]

:lol:

[inland wave]

How fun this has been, memories galore. I swear I had that red jumper and body suits remember those? I had three or four of them and wore them with wide legged high waisted jeans. As a matter of fact I went with Roxie to Old Navy the other day and was blown away by a pair of high waisted jeans in the window and they also had them hanging on the rack as you walk in the door. Three girls were standing there looking them over and one shook her head and said, "Ugh, my mom use to have a pair of those"....I looked over at her and said shut up! She turned red and the rest stood there laughing at her.

[Plant Woman]

The thing is, every fashion falls. How much are people going to laugh at the style of kids pants looking like they are falling off of them? I saw a kid walking down the street the other day wondering how the pants were staying up? His hip pocket was almost to his knees.

However, I think the 70s was a time that got men out of wearing the same old thing, and same four colors brown, black, gray and blue. Sure it is ugly looking now, but it did liberate the guys from boring and the women all thought they were cool looking!

Inland Wave, I remember when my daughter was in high school wearing the same style of clothes I wore in high school. That was cool!

[inland wave]

I WAS Herb Tarlek. I even had Herb Tarlek hair.:rofl:


I can has nu car?
http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/a/ac/Frank_Bonner_on_WKRP.jpg

funneh..
I made reference to WKRP just last week when we were talking about the expansion and moving people up a floor from where we are now because we are so crowded. I am going to be like Les Nesiman, weather/AG guy and have an imaginary door. I was listening to an oldies station this morning and the Casey's top 40. The Carpenters in 1970 made #2 with their song We have only just begun it was also being used in a commercial at that time. They didn't say which one though. They made mention of several pop songs that were being used on commercials during those years. It made me have tears in my eyes. What a wonderful voice Karen had.

[Caligulette]

1976. North Miami Beach, Florida. (William Jennings Bryan Elementary, but that's a different subject.)

Plaid Polyester Bell Bottoms. A young girl says, "Mom, no."

"You'll wear what I say until you buy your own clothes, missy! Now put them on and help me find my James Taylor record album!"

The crying...The crying......

[Anastasia Beaverhausen]

I didn't know you grew up in Florida. :aww:

[Caligulette]

Only the 1970's- which is enough for anyone to abandon faith in gord.

[Stormlight]

Check these out ... (http://www.plaidstallions.com/fashion.html)

:lol:

[livius drusus]

:rofl:

[curses]

http://www.foreignmego.com/plaid/brick.jpg

:laughdie: The hair! Oh the humanity.

[Stormlight]

:lol:

[LadyShea]

Love, love , LOVE the Harlequin patterned, um...body suit under a jumper? WTF is that?

And, I totally remember many women looking like this, even down to the bandanna.

http://bp2.blogger.com/_8KVGEZEUltI/Rw-LZ-2S0YI/AAAAAAAAATc/Gx0Lm6YfC0c/s1600-h/77-1.jpg

Why isn't the image working here? I swear I have one in the post.

Here's the link (http://bp2.blogger.com/_8KVGEZEUltI/Rw-LZ-2S0YI/AAAAAAAAATc/Gx0Lm6YfC0c/s1600-h/77-1.jpg)

[Uthgar the Brazen]

http://www.foreignmego.com/plaid/brick.jpg

:laughdie: The hair! Oh the humanity.

Hair - noun. Any of the numerous fine, usually cylindrical, keratinous filaments growing from the skin of humans and animals; a pilus.

or

Polymer - noun. A compound of high molecular weight derived either by the addition of many smaller molecules, as polyethylene, or by the condensation of many smaller molecules with the elimination of water, alcohol, or the like, as nylon.

[curses]

I'm sad to say that the hair was the first thing to catch my attention.

[livius drusus]

The faux sharktooth/banana runts necklace leapt out at me.

[Sock Puppet]

Banana Runts! :laughdie:

[livius drusus]

Hey, they're the money runt.

[curses]

No wai, the orange runts were it. Banana runts were good for throwing on the floor and getting stuck in other people's roller skates.

[livius drusus]

LIES!!1 FILTHY LIES!!

[Ymir's blood]

The faux sharktooth/banana runts necklace leapt out at me.
Me too.

[beyelzu]

LIES!!1 FILTHY LIES!!

indeed bannana runts are all thats good and holy in the world


further, if we didnt have bannana runts we wouldnt have 99 bannanas,

99 proof liquor flavored like the runt.


the perfect addition to hunch punch.

[Ensign Steve]

No way, dudes. The pink ones. They're shaped like hearts and they taste like strawberry. Plus, they're pink. So money.

[chick]

Strap in, shut up and hold on. We're going back. (http://15minutelunch.blogspot.com/2007/10/strap-in-shut-up-and-hold-on-were-going.html).
I got an email with a .pdf of the pics and comments from the blog, it wasn't attributed to any author or website. It was so funny that I forwarded it to all my friends this morning.

[Ensign Steve]

Love, love , LOVE the Harlequin patterned, um...body suit under a jumper? WTF is that?

The "Body Thing". Thanks to lisarea for immortalizing it, because the original site's gone 403.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d2/lisarea/homunculus.png

You know what? I would totally love to wear that. I think it would completely flatter my figure. I was born in the wrong decade, that's for sure.

[lisarea]

You know what? I would totally love to wear that. I think it would completely flatter my figure. I was born in the wrong decade, that's for sure.

I would trade with you, then, because my mom used to make me wear stuff like that. Not the patterned kind, but tights plus a matching either leotard or whatever you call it when you have some tight fitting shirt thing that snaps at the crotch; and then some kind of dress jumper thing over it. (And matching ribbons on my too-tight pigtails, accompanied by stupid bangs.)

But the thing is, I was really really skinny, so if I got tights that fit lengthwise, they'd be totally baggy, and if I got some small enough that they didn't pool around my feet, they wouldn't go up all the way. The crotch thing on the also either too baggy or too short shirt or leotard thing would hold the tights up sometimes for a while, during which time I'd have a horrible wedgie. And the snap ones would pop open all the time and then my too-short tights would drop down to about half the way down to my knees and I'd have to walk like a fucking penguin until I could covertly snap my crotch back up again.

So, yeah. You can have those fucking things. And I should point out that the jumpers were almost always plaid. And when they weren't, they were corduroy in either navy blue, that stupid kind of green, or some disgusting earth tone. Which I hated almost as much as plaid.

(Man, I am so going to call my mom today and yell at her, and she won't even know why.)

And also: If we traded places, I would be younger than you, and I'd be all like, "Eww, you gross old hag! Shut up about everything!"

Ha ha!

[Ensign Steve]

I remember a purple corduroy jumper that I wore over a lavendar turtleneck. They got stolen out of the laundry room along with my girl scout uniform. It scarred me for life, I swear. Would have been about 1983.

[curses]

The "Body Thing". Thanks to lisarea for immortalizing it, because the original site's gone 403.

They featured it on Fark.com last night, it'll probably be back sooner or later.

[dendrast]

Oh my. 1977. The year after I got married. Guess I shoulda waited.

[livius drusus]

Ruffled tuxedo shirt, dendrast?

[Nullifidian]

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d2/lisarea/homunculus.png

This reminds me of the "modesty apparel" worn by certain right-wing Christian theocrats that covers women from neck to toe.

It must have been designed by Rousas J. Rushdoony during his disco phase.

[livius drusus]

I don't know what exact year this (http://www.boingboing.net/2010/11/01/eye-catching-trouser.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29&utm_content=Google+Reader) is from, but it's definitely another outstanding hit brought to you by the 70s JCPenney catalogue. This time it's a selection from the "Big Men's Shop" and they ain't kidding.

http://www.freethought-forum.com/livius/jcp.jpg

[BrotherMan]

Could be a time traveling John Hamm.

[livius drusus]

Can't be. He dresses to the right.