December 27, 2007
The 1977 J.C. Penney catalog
This one is making the rounds of the Internet -- excerpts from a rediscovered copy of the 1977 J.C. Penney's catalog, at this link: Strap in, shut up and hold on: We're going back.Many classics here in terms of home furnishings (barrel chairs, shag toilet covers) and clothing (wide belts, jumpsuits, plaids, snap-fronted shirts). "I laughed to the point of tears on this one," my sister Maureen noted.
What was striking to me was the photo of the boy in the Dorkville belt, below, and how much his shirt reminded me of the kind of outfit in most of my brother Paul's school photos of the 1970s.
Lo and behold, I found a picture of Paul in a very similar shirt on my dad's family photo compilation CD, which is fairly packed with gems from the 1970s. A side by side:
Now the question is whether I dare show myself in the outfit I wore to the Rolling Stones infamous Bicentennial Concert in 1976 at RFK Stadium in D.C.: blue halter top, red white and blue bell bottoms with stars everywhere, wide white belt, clunky watch, miles of midriff on show. Someone will have to dare me! It's a little more Late Woodstock than true 1970s to be honest.
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