Here's Hockey! (1953)

Ahhhh, there's a slight nip in the air here in Phoenix (we've dropped below 90 degrees a few times lately) and a young man's thoughts turn to hockey- despite the fact that the Coyotes have their bags packed for points unknown. You absolutely must drop everything and watch this short film! Great vintage hockey sweaters throughout!

thanks to Uniwatch for the heads up!
Bookmark the addictive NFB site for more fun!

midcentury Levi's silkscreened banner (1950s)

yo yo yo, caught this on the Antiques Roadshow, by far my guiltiest pleasure on television. This silkscreened on denim banner came out of a general store in Camp Verde, Arizona and was valued at $1800-2000. I guess that episode was a rerun from 2006, so I would expect to go for slightly less now, but holy shit, I would LOVE to own that thing! This bad larry is 10 feet long and from the 1950s.

Brooklyn teens (1959)

Members of youth gang, arrested for murder.

questionable fad: Confederate flags (1952)

A unique conglomeration of events in American history seemed to converge in the early 1950s to spur on a the Confederate flag fad. The 100th anniversary of the Civil War was just around the corner, the differences between the South and the North became more overt as segregation began to be changed in de facto and de jure ways in the early 50s (see the Jackie Robinson story of the late 40s, as well as the birth of the Civil Rights movement around that time) and white Southerners began to resist the beginning of the end of overt and socially acceptable white priviledge, and lastly rebellious teen culture just began to creep towards the mainstream from society's fringes. There's a Master's thesis in there somewhere, but I'll just leave it there.

The point is: fads seem to come out of nowhere, but they have a social cause and ignition point. These causes and igniters tell us about our society.

I love swimsuit season!

No one filled out a swimsuit better than Marilyn.

The Esquire- fedoras on the march (1950)

click to embiggen.

"Photograph of a display of men's fedora hats during Spring Market Week in Los Angeles, ca.1950. Two stacks of hats can be seen near center. The stacks are canted outward, forming a V shape. There are more hats on display on the ground at left and right, while several small cacti are at center. A large sign at center describes the events of Market Week, while at left and right, there are drawings of a man tipping his hat. Copies of Esquire Magazine can be seen in the lower left and right corners of the image.The sign at center reads as follows: "Los Angeles Spring Market Week January 21-February 1 350,000 Hats a year made by the George Bailey Hat Company, the largest Men's Hat Manufacturers on the Pacific Coast and the only makers of Straw Hats west of St. Louis"."

the smaller sign at center announces that this particular model was called The Esquire (hence the copies of Esquire Magazine in the corner) and sold for $3.

And how!

Largest pair of Levi's ever made (1953)

From the pages of Jet Magazine.

Wrangler jeans tag books

Wrangler placed these little books on their tags in the Forties and Fifties. I need these!

Davy Crockett t-shirt (1954)

Sitting Bull t-shirt (1953)

Ask your Pops if he still has this one in the back of the closet somewhere!

teenagers in Norfolk, VA (1958)

from the Life Magazine image archives on Google

Pudge Heffelfinger, All American (1955)

This is a world of win for me- great portrait, great name, great leather helmet, and an ACES old Yale Bulldogs logo (to be stolen later).

University of Cincinnati band (1956)

Saddle oxfords, check. Gray skirt, check. Badass Bearcats sweater, check. Grandma had it going on!

found here via link from Uniwatch blog.

Oh, alright, I can't resist posting these other righteous U of C logos:

1961 was the year AFTER the Big O, Oscar Robertson left the Bearcats! Digging the crown on this logo!

Rose Bowl ticket seekers (1951)

Click photo to embiggen.

Rose Bowl ticket seekers, in December 1951. The fellows in this photo rock a badass mix of casual and formal (note wingtips with rolled up jeans, righteous pea coats and leather jackets, etc.) The first national television audience for a college football game saw Illinois clobber Stanford 40-7 in the Grandaddy of Them All (TM) (C) (R) etc

etc

Simpsons Sears Catalog (1957)

Snapped from the Simpsons- Sears catalog, 1957, generously shared by Flickr user Wishbook. I really dig the Hawks sweater and I would definitely take advantage of the complete set savings for toque, sweater, and stockings. The lad models were obviously not enforcers- they are far too pretty. I'm tempted to export this into Microsoft Paint to add some Frankenstein facial scars.

Simpsons-Sears also had a great logo in the Fifties, according to Wikipedia.

the varsity jacket: Mergenthaler Vocational- Technical High School (1954)

"Students sitting outside with school jackets on, at Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School" from Life Magazine, 1954

The students model three, count 'em, THREE different varsity jackets. I prefer the "Mervo" model.

Wampum High School basketball uniform (1957)

" Wampum High-school team member during "handicap" practice session, wearing weighted smocks, golashes, gloves, glasses which partially obstruct vision, all intended to improve their game." from Life Magazine, December 1957

Dig the striped side piping on those shorty short shorts!