Supervixens (1975)

Christy Hartberg as SuperLorna in Russ Meyer's SUPERVIXENS! They sure don't make them like they used to!

From this fellow's great Flickr stream thing

Shannon Tweed before gobs of plastic surgery (added bonus: 20 minute workout! (1983)

Does this scream 1983 loudly enough for you? I grabbed this from Google books' collection of Orange Coast Magazine. You may know her from Falcon Crest, but I know her from Cinemax After Dark.

I saw a lot of young girls dressed as "Eighties girls" for Halloween. I know it's easy to hit up American Apparel and be done with it. But to really do it right, you have to be subtle. An interlocking and work out towel and suddenly you've taken it to another level. Get two of your BFFs together and reinact "20 minute work out"!

I'm pretty sure I had my first masturbatory experience as a kid watching this show.

Southwest Airlines uniforms (1981)

Loving you is what we do! The lovely ladies above can love me all they want. I love latently sexist single entendre of ads from this era. The tag line might as well be "you'll probably get laid your flight." I'm definitely digging the short shorts, go-go boots and string ties on these ladies! Beats the heck out of their plain jane "uniforms" now- or is that Plane Jane? Get it?! I'm brilliant.

Dorothy Stratten and Hugh Hefner

from A Man out of Time

These two seem to keep finding me lately. Something about a girl in striped kneehighs, man.

Playboy's Roller-Disco and Pajama Party (1979)

"In November 1979, Richard Dawson hosted The Playboy Roller Disco and Pajama Party (sic) on ABC With musical entertainment provided by Chuck Mangione and the Village People, most of the activity focused on Hefner and several dozen skimplily clad Playmates roller skating to disco music on the tennis courts, dancing in the mansion's great hall, and lounging by the swimming pool and grotto." - from Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream.

grabbed from some YouTube video. Is that Dorothy Stratten in the final shot? She is not listed as appearing in this on IMDB. Hmm, maybe it's not her, but she was PMOY in 1980. PS. Star 80 is awesome- Eric Roberts' best work.

You may also know Chuck Mangione from his appearances on King of the Hill.

pigtails fad (1940s)

Judy Canova- read more about her on the always fascinating I'm Learning to Share

Pigtails on Shirley Slade, pilot trainee (1943)

Co-ed Lenore Tingle from Life Magazine archives.

Pigtails on a felt bonnet on a comely young lass.

Actress Joan Fontaine (1942) meooowrrr- how natural and cute is her smile? And the perfect amount of sun-kissed freckles!

Co-ed Ann Teal Smith (1941) Hubba hubba!

This last dame? Some skirt named Norma Jean Baker.

I stumbled upon the pigtails trend whilst wasting hours on the Life Magazine image archives on Google. It seems that country singer Judy Canova was the originator of the trend. Her "country" look clearly influence the look of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz (1939)
It seems odd that such a cute and practical look inspired such a trend, but considering the complicated hair-dos of the late Thirties and Forties, pigtails must have seemed like a godsend. I've always had a thing for pigtails.

Margot Kidder is....sexy? (1978)

I never thought of Margot Kidder as sexy, but daaaaaammn, Lois! Come for the nips, stay for the badass Blues Brothers t-shirt!

Debbie Harry- my favorite Girl Scout

I love swimsuit season!

No one filled out a swimsuit better than Marilyn.

Karen Allen in National Lampoon Black Sox t-shirt (1977)

I have had a huge crush on Karen Allen since her turn as Marion in Raiders of the Lost Ark, since I was too young to see Animal House or The Wanderers before that. She just has that too-smart-and-funny-for-you but still devoted girlfriend quality about her, ya know? She especially gets me in Scrooged as well (not such much Starman, which is frigging awful).

Enlarge this cute ad to see more of what I mean. I'd LOVE that shirt in an XL!

Girl in a glass house (1942)

"This girl in a glass house is putting finishing touches on the bombardier nose section of a B-17F navy bomber, Long Beach, Calif. She's one of many capable women workers in the Douglas Aircraft Company plant. Better known as the "Flying Fortress," the B-17F is a later model of the B-17 which distinguished itself in action in the South Pacific, over Germany and elsewhere. It is a long range, high altitude heavy bomber, with a crew of seven to nine men, and with armament sufficient to defend itself on daylight missions"

photos by Alfred T. Palmer.


I absolutely LOVE the style of all of the Rosie the Riveters. This particular photographer, Alfred T. Palmer, was especially gifted at capturing their hardworking femininity. I love how women of that era managed to be stylish and feminine while keeping the world safe for Democracy.

previous posts: Save vs Death (my other blog) "the many faces of Rosie the Riveter"
and
Carpenter at work on Douglas Dam, Tennessee (1942)

those were different times- the Philadelphia Fillies (1971)

from the same April 19, 1971 Sports Illustrated article:

"Throughout the game considerable fan reaction was focused on the usherettes, known as the Fillies. There were 140 of them, recruited from 432 applicants after being advised by letter to wear "your shortest skirt and tightest blouse" to the interviews. The 35 Fillies officially designated as best looking were called, collectively, the Hot Pants Patrol and were attired in red hot pants. in 48 degree inauguration-day weather they were also fitted out in blue cold legs."

Sorry about the terrible screen grab. Any more info about the Fillies would be appreciated, as I am an afficiando of gams, hot pants, and go-go boots.

previous posts: The Soxettes

Debbie Harry - vintage t-shirt icon

Britt Eklund and Peter Sellers- comic book dress

photo grabbed from Sugar and Spice

I'm not real big on ladies clothing, except in a rumpled pile at the end of my bed- am I right, fellas? huh huh! But I know what I like. I'm kind of breaking my own rule about focusing only on American style since Britt was born in Stockholm (another city on my must-visit list), but this photo was too good to not pass on. Ms. Eklund in her prime made anything look good.

Gentlemen, this is even more proof that if you are outrageously funny and fabulously wealthy, you get the best dames. Keep working on those prat falls. Britt and Peter were married from 1964-1968, arguably Britt's prime era of doability, those she was extremely hot in The Man with the Golden Gun, the ninth James Bond film which opened in 1974. Her later taste in dudes took a real plunge in the 70s, seeing how she dated Rod freaking Stewart, but she bounced back in the Eighties, marrying Slim Jim Phantom, drummer of the Stray Cats!

Anyway, cool dress and purse I guess, but it takes a world-class dame like Britt to do it justice!

Britt Eklund and Peter Sellers, 1964.

The Soxettes (1969)

A relic of a more swingin' age. Nothing says national pastime like a gal in go-go boots, a mini skirt and a baseball glove. The Soxettes were employed by my beloved White Sox in 1969 to serve as ushers at the Baseball Palace of the World. I need more photos of them!

Girls basketball team uniforms (1910)

Flouncy skirts and sailors' scarves are hardly conducive to fastbreaks. Fortunately, this squad seems to have a deep bench since there were apparently 32 girls on the team!

Kids always look older than their years in vintage photos, no?

Mrs. Irma Lee McElroy does her part for vintage clothing fanatics (1942)

click for righteous embiggenmentry.

From the Library of Congress's Flickr collection.

"Hollem, Howard R.,, photographer.Painting the American insignia on airplane
wings is a job that Mrs. Irma Lee McElroy, a former office worker, does with
precision and patriotic zeal. Mrs. McElroy is a civil service employee at the
Naval Air Base, Corpus Christi, Texas. Her husband is a flight
instructor-1942 August"

(photo details by Industrial Artifacts Review- very cool stuff there as well! )

This is as right-on as American Vintage Clothing gets! Might need to steal that "Keep Them Flying" logo for something to honor the memory of Irma and the rest of the real American dames who did their part to smash the Axis. It seems that a patch reprint is in order- if only I had unlimited resources. There are a few more photos of her, but none are nearly as charming as this one!

Marilyn Monroe wore Levi's (1960)

Marilyn Monroe on the set of The Misfits (1960)

Bathing Beauties (1935)

Three finalists of Seashore Day, Elks National Convention Bathing Beauty Contest in Los Angeles, Calif., 1935.

I'll take the dame in the middle.

Maria Grygier photographed by Charles Cushman (1949)

From the Charles M. Cushman photograph collection.

I love the absolutely classic beauty and style of Ms. Grygier. Note the appendectomy (?) scar in the middle image. More girls should rock a turban with their swimwear.