Ad Campaign – Chesterfield, 1942

In wartime, more than ever, a satisfying smoke is a comfort and a pleasure.  It means a lot to men in the Service and to men and women everywhere.

Here’s a war time ad that has it all:   war bonds poster, attractive woman in a uniform, patriotic jargon and a reminder that the product is “On the Nation’s Front.”

In the US, cigarettes were not rationed, but they could be hard to come by because most of the production was going into soldiers’ ration kits.  My father entered the army in 1944 as a 17 year old.  Grandmother Lizzie agreed to let him go as long as he promised two things:  no tattoos and no smoking.  He resisted the tattoo, but the lure of free cigarettes was just too much.

Ad Campaign – Eve and Paganne, 1972

The lady has taste.  Her cigarette is Eve – good looks, great flavor.  Her fashions tastefully modern by Gene Berk for Paganne.  Both are natural choices for ladies with taste.

It was 1972, just one year after Eve cigarettes were launched as a rival to Virginia Slims.  I can’t imagine a clothing company doing an ad campaign with a cigarette company today, but somehow it seemed the thing to do 40 years ago.

From its beginning in 1968,  Paganne was a maker of print dresses.  The owner/designer, Gene Berk, turned out prints that incorporated Op and Pop art, geometric and abstract designs, scenics and prints based on works of art.  The prints were engineered to  fit the designs, as you can see in the dresses in the ads.  Made mainly from knits and printed in Italy, Paganne dresses were often silk knit, but as the 1970s progressed, they also used the popular Quiana nylon.

Paganne closed in 1983, a victim of the economic times and the changing winds of fashion.  In 2006, two European fashion entrepreneurs attempted to reopen the Paganne line.  They were on their way when one of them fell ill and died.  Eventually, new owners were found, trademarks established, and they hope to have the new line available soon.  I wish them well.

Photo courtesy of and copyright of PAGANNE™

Ad Campaign – Chesterfields 1937