I love how this Bazaar from 1972 is not just a mishmash of randomness, but instead, is built around a theme. So much nicer than features on mothers who snatch food from the hand of a dieting seven-year-old, don’t you agree?!
Photographer: Hiro
Model: Marisa Berenson
Copyright: Hearst Corporation
Filed under Fashion Magazines
This cute little tennis dress is from the 1970s, and is a good example of the direction tennis clothes were headed at that time. For many years, white and only white was the color of tennis. The tradition of tennis whites possibly goes back to Edwardian days, when people played in white cotton and linen because these fabrics were easy to launder. At any rate, the tennis whites stuck, but in the early 70s color began to creep into the tennis wardrobe.
Of course, the amount of color one could get away with depended on where one played the game. Many private clubs had strict dress rules, but the popularity of tennis in the early 70s lead to more public courts being built, where pretty much anything went. In my own little town, the two public courts that went virtually unused for years were all of a sudden inadequate, and the town quickly began a building campaign to help ease the long wait times.
So why did tennis suddenly gain popularity in the early 70s? A lot of it had to do with Chris Evert, who at 16, made a big splash at the US Open in 1971. She became a media darling, and the game of tennis was the big winner.
This April, 1972 Harper’s Bazaar cover shows the young Evert with her famous two-handed backhand and her ruffled panties. She didn’t invent the ruffled tennis panties, that was glamourous Gussie Moran in 1949, but she did re-popularize them.
For years I’ve looked for a good pair to add to my collection, but I just couldn’t seem to find any on which the panty people didn’t run the price up. I was lucky enough to spot two pairs of unworn “Poc-a-ball tennis panties” recently, a pair in both red and blue. There’s even a bit of ruffle!
And as a bit of icing on this tennis cake, I also found a tennis themed bandana. These were great for tying all that long hair back. On this players feet you’ll find a pair of Tretorn tennis shoes. All I need are a couple of terry wrist bands and this outfit will be complete.
And a few final words… This Virginia Slims ad from 1972 shows the trend toward color quite nicely. There is no all-over color, just touches of it here and there. And look closely, and you’ll see a super influence from the 1920s. Her tee shirt has a John Held illustration printed on it.
Filed under Sportswear, Summer Sports, Vintage Clothing
The early 1970s were a lot like today in that so many people were into crafts and home sewing. We didn’t have the advantage of ten thousand craft and sewing blogs, but we managed to gather inspiration from magazines and TV. My 17 year old self would have loved Pinterest, but I only had Seventeen and McCall’s special issues on crafting from which to be inspired.
Still, I can’t imagine what my teen years would have been like without my trusty Kenmore machine. A new outfit was only a good Saturday afternoon’s worth of sewing away!
Filed under Advertisements
Bazaar took a bit of an odd turn in the early 1970s, focusing more on issues and less on fashion for fashion’s sake. One of the more interesting covers of those years is this one from 1972, where we see the fashion stars of the day playing a sort of “Hollywood Squares.”
Can you name them all? Give it your best shot, and I’ll fill in the names as they are correctly given. Please, if you have this issue of Bazaar, limit yourself to only one of the really hard ones.
Row 1:
A) Bill Blass
B) Oscar de la Renta
C) Betsey Johnson
D) Geoffrey Beene
Row 2:
A) John Anthony
B) Donald Brooks
C) Anne Klein
D) Kasper
Row 3:
A) Halston
B) Pauline Trigere
C) Chester Weinberg
D) Victor Joris
Also, can anyone remember another time when a fashion magazine featured the photo of an actual fashion designer on the cover? (No, Kate Moss does NOT count!)
Filed under Designers
The Vintage Traveler 