Ad Campaign – Ship ‘n Shore, 1957

 

for the feel of luxury… whisper-soft acrilan knit sweater blouses

One of my all-time favorite ad campaigns was run by blouse maker Ship ‘n Shore in 1957.   Even though by the late 1950s photography was replacing fashion illustration, they went with an illustrator who captured the lines and details of the blouses beautifully.

Even though the ads are lovely, the campaign didn’t last long.  By the end of the year Ship ‘n Shore was back to using photographs to advertise their blouses.

You can see two more of the ads in a post from last year.

Ad Campaign – Ship ‘n Shore, 1957

Ship ‘n Shore fashion talks embroidery behind your back

Since we all loved the Ship ‘n Shore blouses from 1953, I thought I might share some from a few years later – 1957.   Like the earlier blouses, these all have a small detail that makes each special, whether it is a line of embroidery down the back or a pocket stitched up like a maze, or a notch cut out of a sleeve.  I can see why the products from this company were so popular.  They were nicely designed and sold for a reasonable price ($3.98 equals $32.49 today).

I’ve now got plans to make that blue blouse.  That is my favorite collar, and I just can’t resist those sleeves.

Ad Campaign – Ship ‘n Shore, 1953

More here than meets the eye…

Ship ‘n Shore tailoring is so kind to the curve of an armhole… so generous where a shirt-sleeve meets a shoulder… no wonder it brings out the best in fine fabrics! 

Ship ‘n Shore is another of those brands from the mid twentieth century that despite being a big deal then, is all but forgotten today.  At $2.98 ($26.60) today, the line was affordable, but even from a photo one can tell this was a quality product.

One of my very favorite fashion details is a mitered collar in a stripe.  That collar took expert precision in cutting and in sewing.  And I also love the contrast of the horizontal placket against the vertical stripe.  And even though we can’t see it, we are assured by the ad that the curve of the armhole is properly cut.  Today you can easily find a sleeveless blouse for less than $26.60, but not with this quality.

Ship ‘n Shore was founded in 1916 as the Susquehanna Waist Company in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, by Samuel Netzky.  You might know that a waist was what we would today call a blouse, and even though the company ventured into making other women’s garments, the blouse was their mainstay.  According to an article that quoted a great-grandson of Netzky, the company changed its name to Ship ‘n Shore in 1954, though it is apparent from this ad that they were using the name before that date.  The US Trademark site gives 1939 as the first use of the Ship ‘n Shore name by the company.

The Netzky family sold the business in 1977, and it was eventually bought by Montgomery Ward.  In 2002 some of the Netzky family purchased the rights to the name from Montgomery Ward.  They formed a corporation, SWC Enterprises, Incorporated, and began plans to revive the label.  In the article I found I thought this bit was very interesting:

To understand what customers want today, SWC conducted market research with two groups of women, ages 35 to 49 and ages 50 and up, and found a desire for moderately priced clothing that looks youthful but not dowdy and fits women’s bodies better as they age, he said.

“There was a sea of complaints about styles of clothing for the age 35-plus woman,” Schwartz said.

Unfortunately, it looks as if the plan did not materialize, as today the trademark status is dead, and I could find nothing about SWC after 2003.  Now that is a real loss opportunity for the plus 35 set.

I have a few more great Ship ‘n Shore ads I’ll be sharing in the next few weeks.

Information from Philly.com, accessed April 16, 2014.