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Tag Archives: pants
The Roaman’s Catalog, 1971
While working my way through references to half sizes in Women’s Wear Daily, I discovered a new-to-me source of clothing for larger women, Roaman’s. It is an old company, beginning as a store front in Manhattan. The first ads I … Continue reading
“Pants People—All of Us,” 1971
This 1971 booklet from Vogue Patterns was a lucky eBay find. “The ‘70s see them [pants] as a mainstay of feminine wardrobes,” reads the peppy opening paragraph, “totally fashion-right everywhere, any time, for any occasion.” (4) This bold statement was … Continue reading
Pants in the Seventies, Part Two
Just why did many older American women turn to pants in the 1970s? Certainly fashion changes had a lot to do with it. In the sixties, pantsuits became a stylish, although still bold, choice for fashion forward women. By the … Continue reading
The Turn to Pants in the 1970s
When did older women take to pants in significant numbers? It isn’t easy to prove. You can find evidence in photos and in the impressions of people selling clothes. But perhaps the best way is to ask women themselves. It … Continue reading
Arlene Dahl’s War on Pants, 1967
I wonder if Arlene Dahl, film star of the forties and fifties, was ever embarrassed by her anti-feminist manifesto, Always Ask a Man. Written in 1967, in the early years of second wave feminism, it is all about performing for … Continue reading
Slacks and Callouses, a Memoir from World War Two
The subtitle of this wartime memoir, “An account of the experiences of two teachers in an aircraft factory,” tells the story. Written by San Diego High School English teacher Constance Bowman and illustrated by her Art teacher friend, Clara Marie … Continue reading
Home on the Range, 1948
What to wear on vacation? The high summer issue of Vogue Pattern Book in 1948 tackled this very question. It presented four different holiday scenarios—a weekend at the shore, a week on a ranch, a two weeks’ cruise, and a … Continue reading
Older Women and Defense Work during World War Two
For the month of October, I had access to an online version of Women’s Wear Daily—what a treasure trove! My first priority was to trace the history of half sizes, but my passion for discovering the history of older women … Continue reading
Pants (and Other Bifurcations) Go Mainstream, 1971
When did pants become acceptable garb for almost any occasion? Of course that answer depends on where you look. However, judging by the International edition of Vogue Pattern Book for August/September 1971, pants had really taken off. I counted nineteen … Continue reading
Book Review—Dress Like a Woman: Working Women and What They Wore
I was attracted to this book by the two big names on the cover, feminist scholar Roxane Gay and the New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman. Gay wrote the foreword, a brief examination of the many laws and customs … Continue reading