Frederick's of Hollywood 1947-1973: 26 Years of Mail Order Seduction--Book Review

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I often wonder where, as a child, I got this idea of glamour. Yes, the Dean Martini show; yes, the old gentlemen's magazines I found where I wasn't supposed to be looking; but where did I get this idea of fashion so fierce it could barely exist in real life?

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The answer is here in this book: Frederick's of Hollywood catalogues. The cute? You can't handle the cute! I got my first pair of stockings and real garter belt when I was in high school in the 1970's, inspired partly by Rocky Horror and primarily by the fact that real stockings even existed. Though I love a pair of fishnet tights, you'd be hard-pressed to get me into pantyhose, which I have always associated with all the least desirable qualities of being "ladylike." I wanted a little more freedom than that, and since I went to a high school where leg coverings were required, stockings it was. Remind me to tell you sometime about how those garters and stockings caused a ruckus in 1979!

I'm not so much reviewing this book as tempting you with it. I know it's cruel, as this one is out of print, but I found it on ebay after glimpsing it at Lola Starr's studio, and I have faith that if you're as set on it as I was, you can find it too! Happy hunting!

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mermaid
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jumpsuit
If you know me, you know I love a 70s jumpsuit!
leopard
And if you know me really well, you'll have no doubt that the image above is my favorite in the entire book.

Comments

Miss Tami Lee said…
oh that is just too fabulous
June 29, 2011 at 2:28 PM
Quantum Jane said…
Oh my.....the hair is so fabulous in these illustrations
June 29, 2011 at 6:27 PM
Michelle Baldwin said…
Makes me wish I could take a shopping trip back in time!!!
July 1, 2011 at 1:04 PM
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