Arthur C Clarke’s Last Novel
The Last Theorom, due on bookstore shelves August 6, is the final novel from Sci-fi giant Arther C. Clarke. Clarke passed away in April at the age of 90. With him, the golden age of science fiction is becoming a distant but fond memory to some. Isaac Asimov, and many other prolific writers of the genre and the time are already gone. Like the classic actors of the silver screen, few are left.
One man determined not to let the 100 pages Clarke started to fade away is Frederik Pohl, author of the Boy That Lived Forever and other titles. As Asimov’s health and memory started to fade, Pohl, 89 years old himself, took on the task of deciphering Clarke’s penmanship. He fashioned the writing into a complete novel, making it Clarke’s last novel and last collaboration.
While still in relatively good health, we don’t know how many more times we will hear from Pohl in book form as well.
I am looking forward to this book with great interest. For fans of classic 50s and 60s science fiction, it will be a treat.
Uncategorized | Comment (0)Brochures Can Lead You to a HandShake
Our grandfathers did business on a hand shake. A man (or woman’s) word was enough to seal a deal. At least, that is how they say it went. Maybe that is how I would like to think it was. At any rate, before you convince someone to shake your hand, you have to give them enough reason to even want to meet with you in the first place. What some antique dealers, fashion designers, and vintage clothing enthusiasts neglect is that they people are inundated with so many possibilities that they need a reminder on why they came up and talked to you in the first place.
You might have had a booth at a trade show or an arts and antiques show, and they were attracted to come hither by your items, but so did a lot of other people. Giving someone a brochure is a good way to remind people to call you or make a purchase later on. Business cards get lost or don’t have enough information on them. Sometimes having Brochures made up really fills the need. If you are wary about putting them out only for people to toss them, then hand them out personally to people that you have an interested conversation with.
Right now, VistaPrint has a coupon, where you can get 25 free brochures! It is enough for you to get your feet wet in your practice of using them, or makes a big order just that more thrifty. Remember to use coupon code FreeBrochures08. You can upload your own design, or there is an extremely reasonable creative fee for the talented folks at VistaPrint to design one for you.
One of Our Favorites from Sears
I sold this suit last year, but it is in our “short list” of favorites. It was (is) a metallic suit from the late 60s. Although it is from the tail end of the decade, it has major mod sensibilities with its Italian cut and slim collar placement that we would place just a couple years earlier.
Tailor tags can be very important in dating menswear, especially because the classic suit doesn’t change as rapidly as ladieswear and is sometimes harder to pinpoint in less than a 5 year period even if one is very knowledgeable. Of course, there are “of the season” cutting edge looks available for the fashion forward, but for the average man, a suit is an investment piece. They want to be stylish, but they don’t want to look dated the next year, especially if their employment or social outings do not require a suit for daily wear.
This particular suit came from Sears. The tag is not specifically a tailors tag of a custom suit, but the date the suit was altered for the original buyer. Unlike high fashion magazines that show what the designers introduced each year, the Sears catalog was a very good record of what the average person was actually wearing that year, just like the paint colors represented what was actually in the average homes of America. It may not be nearly as exciting as haute couture, but is invaluable for historians, reenactors, vintage lovers, and costumers alike.
In the fall of 1968, the year of this suit, though the Brits had moved onto more fluid lines, American Mod was still showing an influence on American fashion and was interpreted in a little more of a relaxed fashion.
At the tail end of the 60s, because of the new synthetics, shades that could never be achieved before were everywhere. I have seen quite a few menswear in the jewel tone blues, greens, and teals during this time period in many eye tricking fabrics and hues that begged the question “Is that blue or is that green? Greenish Blue?”. I have often needed a second or third opinion myself!
Having a specific date always makes me wonder if the date had been around a special occasion. I always imangined with the suit being tailored in proximity to Halloween, that perhaps someone bought it who went to an alternate event. They might have gone to a performance at a concert hall instead of a costume party that night. Or maybe it was just a coincidence, just another day.
Fashion on the Cheap!
I used to wear glasses when I was ten to twelve years old. All optical shops were the same. You got in, and for the “special” you got very unattractive frames. To get anything cool costs an arm and a leg. F orget the ads that encouraged people to buy multiple pairs so they can change “with their mood.” Most people do not live their lives like the imaginary people the models portray in fashion magazines. They don’t have one pair of studious looking glases, sport glasses, and sparkling ones for going out. You either stuck out a sore thumb at the grocery store with flashy glasses, or looked like you were going to play racquet ball at the theater because you couldn’t choose both.
I just got a tip about ZenniOptical.com. I have heard the name before, as I have read about their “too good to be true” $8.00 frame deal before. Apparently, its NOT too good to be true. The price is not a “come on.” Once you ad your prescription, you can reasonably expect to get a complete lens and frame package for under 20 bucks. Check out the consumer report about Zenni on Fox
What does this mean for retro fashionistas like us? Zenni has several retro inspired styles, but for purists, you can drop big bucks into a pair of authentic 1950s Buddy Hollys or horn rims, or 80s Wayfarers, but stock up at Zenni for your everyday kick around glases. That’s a different and economical way to preserve history!
Until Next Time…
When Socks Mattered
Socks are something that are sorely neglected today. I don’t mean “today” literally. It is obviously the middle of summer so a lot of you are not wearing socks everyday. I meant, in general. Flashback to 1947, where hosiery ads (a.k.a. sock ads) were evenly sprinkled throughout the March 1947 Fairchild Men’s Wear Magazine (A trade publication to the industry). The argyle numbers, above, were being touted for the outdoors inspiration in their patterns and colors. They were retailing at $2.00 per pair. Sounds pretty reasonable for fine Australian wool, right?
Adjusted for inflation, men expected to pay approximately $21.03 for a pair if you converted into today’s money. A lot of you would say that was quite pricey, when you can make your way over to the mall and buy some for $1.99 on the clearance rack and scoff at how the $9.00 socks are the result of price gouging. The fact of the matter is, socks were just made a heck of a lot better. In fact, people used to repair their socks. When proper ladies and gentleman want to swear, but are not angry enough to forget their matters, they say “Darn It,” to this very day. So it is actually a very positive statement versus merely being a euphemisn for something far less polite.
Even though socks were more cared for back then, apparently they were still a cause for unrest. This ad from Westminster Ltd. was a little puzzling. The slogan was “You’re Asking for a Good Sock…”
The message is simple enough. What is a little puzzling is the whole scene that is playing out in the restaurant.
We have a waiter that is looking either a little peeved that the gentleman left a rotten tip or is a little snooty. The man looks really angry or embarrassed about something. The young lady appears to be looking at you, maybe to motion over to you to intervene, or to sort of apologize for what has just happened? What does this have to do with socks? Maybe I have it all wrong, and the waiter can’t believe the man lights up a cigar in this white table-clothed establishment. However, the man is so uncomfortable because he is wearing socks are too tight, and his toes are poling through the holes, that he can’t help but act on it.
This ad was directed towards the “industry:” clothing stores and boutiques, manufacturers, and others in the trade. Therefore, I am wondering if I am missing the joke or the reference, not being a post-war textile manufacturer, or perhaps this is something that will make perfect sense when I have a eureka moment at 2 A.M.
Sometimes I just think too much…
Until Next Time….
Mirror Shiny Shoes
Awhile back, I wrote an explanation of the differences between real patent leather and its various substitutes. There is a work boots site that has a pair of poromeric oxfords. In other words, this is the version that is not leather through and through, but it offers the high gloss mirror shine. Often, they are used for certain dress uniforms and occasionally limo drivers. Of course, there are many other uses, but I thought I would point them out.
At the $39.99 price point, you can afford to stock your theater company’s wardrobe with a variety of sizes. They would be perfect for ballroom scenes, as well as for the military officers and chauffeurs that often drop in on the characters in your show.
Fashion Defined: Argyle
The design was first seen on the tartans worn by members of the Campbell clan from Argyll, Scotland. The clan found popularity when it was mentioned by the Scottish novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott. By the late 18th century, the knitted pattern of the argyle was beginning to be adapted by manufacturers as the argyle plaid and socks knitted with the patterns became known as “argyle socks.” Although the original pattern of the Campbell clan was a traditional green and white, today argyle socks can be a combination of any two or more bright colors.
Save that for a cocktail party. You are sure to dazzle someone with your knowledge!
Until next time,
The Ultimate Flirting Challenge
What is Victory Hair? It has nothing to do with WWII, I assure you. It is when your hair is so perfectly styled that it is a definite head turner to admirers. That could be the Veronica Lake look for ladies. Yes, the overstyled big hair look is dead for men, but there is a big difference in a guy giving off the aura of being unhealthy and a stranger to the shower, and a guy whose hair at least looks like he is in a reasonably good state of affairs, so in that him being alive for a second date is highly favorable.
When two people with hair they have taken many conditioning treatments to cultivate these looks over time, something happens that is far more magnetic than when the two blonde kids decide they have to date in middle school just because they match. When I was not married and was far more insecure I used to spend lots of time on a shampoo and conditioning regimen. For those of you that are still out there, it is still a sport that I am sitting back and enjoying the “people watching.”
The Extreme Style by VO5 Ultimate Flirting Championship is now underway. Go to the site now to play the game! See how you stack up!
