The Lingerie of the 1950s

I have a slight infatuation with 1950s lingerie advertisements. Most of them have images drawn as opposed to photographs, for one, looking a lot like those vintage pinups I love so much (more on pinups later!). Advertisers were so eager to sell the product, too! One catch-phrase after another, the beautiful mixture of fonts, all the adjectives - oh my! 

Take a look at this catalog page. Now, this specific bra was scientifically designed. That means they're serious business. Oh, the lives these scientists must've changed! A style to flatter every bust size. Try it for 10 days, and if you don't like it, send it back! No big deal. Though you won't have to send it back because the scientists did their job right the first time!

This Life by Formfit bra will give you that perfect "sweetheart" figure. Having the perfect hourglass figure a la Marilyn Monroe was very important in the 1950s. Being curvy was beautiful!

 This page from a Sears catalog boasts their "Heavenly Bodies" collection. How celestial!! All sorts of corsets and girdles to give you the perfect shape.

Now this next advertisement is perfect for you thrifty ladies looking for a deal! SIX pairs of briefs alone is enough to sell me on their product, but they're throwing in that 45! Elvis, Eddie Fisher, Perry Como -  who would you choose? I'm an Elvis girl myself. Who doesn't go looking for a RCA record when they're underwear shopping?! Brilliant!

The Hickory PermaLift bra adverts are among my favorite ads of any kind. Their tagline, for starters, is a double entendre, which I LOVE. "The lift that never lets you down!" Beautifully said. Secretly processed cushioned inserts - that's the ticket for that perfect lift!

Cone bras. I know we've all seen those old movies and television shows where the woman had the pointed breasts. Sweater girls were all the rage in the 50s. Women who, like Lana Turner, had the silhouetted bosom in her favorite soft sweater attained her look with these ringlet bras like Lovable made. Circle after circle sewn to uphold the cone shape forever, or so they say in their ad! 

Do you have a problem with your bra fitting you evenly on both sides? Never fear, for ExquisiteForm has designed the bra for you! The Bra-O-Matic adjusts each cup to fit your individual shape! That's right, just a "quick click" and your bra's lift will be just right for you!!

Of course we can't leave the fellas out! Jockey underwear will make your guy feel like a million in these super attractive styles! Just take it from the guy with his shirt tucked into his Jockeys. 

Do you have a favorite lingerie advert from this era? Please share! 

Until next time,

Vintage Adverts

Advertisements from decades ago are extremely interesting to me. The colors, the use of words to tell the consumer why they should invest in the product, and even the products that used to frequent the pages of magazines on adverts are all so much different than what we see today in magazines or on TV. Sure, we obviously still see car ads, makeup ads, and soda ads. But how often do we see advertising for cigarettes anymore? Also, compared to 60+ years ago, we see more ads directed towards both genders instead of just females! 

1930s

Advertising in the 1930s seemed to be heavy in cigarettes and Coca Cola. The United States was in the midst of the Great Depression, so ads for big ticket items such as automobiles or radios seemed to be few and far between, and advertising for luxury items such as makeup were also sparse. Even in the '30s, advertisers knew that the use of movie stars would help promote a product big time! 

Actress Claudette Colbert (It Happened One Night, 1934) for 

Lucky Strike cigarettes

Claudette Colbert tells how the throat-strain of emotional acting led her to Luckies.

Miss Colbert says: "After experimenting, I'm convinced that my throat is safest with Luckies." 

Jean Harlow (Hell's Angels, 1930) for Coca Cola

This drink just naturally fits into a pause from work or play....Tastes good when

nothing else does....Leaves you cool and refreshed.

1937 Chevrolet

You get all the newest things of 1937 in Chevrolet

"The Complete Car - Completely New!"

Irresistible Talc

Easily, quickly, you can dust your body odor away with this dainty deodorant talc. Apply it generously all over your body. No matter how great your body warmth....the exquisite perfume of Irresistible Talc keeps its exotic delicacy....keeps you irresistible.

Westinghouse World Cruiser

Just taste the thrill of World Cruising with Westinghouse - of choosing your radio entertainment from the best the whole world affords.

1940s

With the Great Depression behind them, advertisers in the 1940s shifted focus to the glamour of Hollywood movie starlets and how to look like them. The war effort and how those at home could help were also prevalent in advertising. With the men fighting overseas, ads were still aimed at mostly women. After the war, more women could now afford the little things such as lipstick and other beauty items and families could spend money on a new car.

Rita Hayworth (Gilda, 1946) for Max Factor Tru-Color Lipstick

The color stays on through every lipstick test.

Martha O'Driscoll (Carnegie Hall, 1947) for Cashmere Bouquet Beau Cake

And, as beautiful Martha O'Driscoll says: "Such a time-saver! When I open my Beau Cake, the sponge is always ready for use."

General Electric appliances

Hers is the bloom of youth. She's taken advantage of the age she lives in - the age of modern electrical servants that lighten household tasks. No wonder she looks younger than women to whom home-making is a daily round of drudgery! 

1949 Ford

We think you'll agree the '49 Ford has "the look of the year!" 

Nestle chocolate

Delicious, nutritious and compact - chocolate is everybody's favorite, whether on the fighting front as an energy food, or on the home front as a quick pick-me-up.

1950s

The '50s brought about Marilyn Monroe and women everywhere were trying to attain that perfect figure. With the end of World War II came (mostly) the end of the working woman. More women were able to be housewives, and advertisers took note of that and household products to make running a family easier became a focus.

Marilyn Monroe (Niagara, 1953) for Westmore Hollywood Cosmetics

Even more important, it imparts a radiant natural glow that brings out your true beauty!

Perma-Lift Brassiere

"The Lift that never lets you down!"

7-Up

Crystal-clear, sparkling 7-Up is so pure, so good, so wholesome that folks of all ages can "fresh up" often!

DuPont Cellophane

Good things are twice as good in Cellophane.

Crisco 

Crisco-fried foods are so digestible you can eat them 7 days a week!

Now, I'm no advertising expert and I certainly don't keep up with today's adverts, but I know we would never see babies in cellophane in an ad today! It's fun for me to see old ads. They all have so much wording, really trying to sell their product! I really love the ones featuring the most beautiful movie stars, but that brassiere one really speaks to me!

 Until next time,