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HISTORY EXTRA is a weekly pictorial history feature showcasing the Miami Valley’s rich heritage. If you have a unique set of historic photos found in your parents’ or grandparents’ attic that depicts the past in the Miami Valley, contact Lisa Powell at 937-225-2229 or at Lisa.Powell@coxinc.com.
Spring has sprung. It’s time get back outside, start planting a garden and for many of us it’s a chance to take a look at our closets and consider updating with the latest styles.
I’ve come across wonderful fashion advertising in the pages of the newspaper as I’ve searched the Dayton Daily News archives while working on History Extra. It’s easy to get caught up in the vintage ads as decades of changing fashion whirl by on microfilm.
I’ve pulled together a selection of clothing advertising from the weeks leading up to Easter in 1972 when folks in the Miami Valley were shopping for new spring outfits or something special to wear for the holiday.
Fashion in the early 1970s is described as more flamboyant than the end of the 1960s according to retrowaste.com. The website says the 1970s brought “some of the best elements of the ’60s and perfected or exaggerated them. Some of the best clothing produced in the 1970s perfectly blended the mods with the hippies.”
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Popular Dayton shops like Thal’s, Rike’s and The Metropolitan sold platform shoes, straw hats and halter-tied dresses described as “slit front slithers of knit.”
An advertisement for platform shoes sold in red, blue and tan smooth kid at the downtown Rike’s department store, described the footwear as “distinctively ‘72 with its heavy slice of heel boldly stepping into the limelight.” The two-toned spectator was also “not for the faint of heart but guaranteed to keep in step with fashion.”
Polyester and triacetate nylon were among the not-so-natural products worn by line drawn models within the pages of the newspaper. Bright color choices came in novelty patterns combining mint, aqua, orange, purple and maize.
Polyester knit striped pants in pink and green or orange and white combinations along with vests in pink or green were sold to women at the Gidding-Jenny store on W. First Street in Dayton.
“Dashing double knit blazers” and “go go go” combinations of shirts and slacks beckoned to men from the black and white promotions. Men’s pants could be found with “the perfect balance of good looks and performance.”
Halston was the most successful designer of the early ’70s. His designs focused on flowing comfort and were popular among celebrities like Liza Minnelli, Lauren Bacall and Bianca Jagger. His designs influenced style around the world.
“In Dayton It’s At Donenfeld’s” sang an ad for a party formal in sweeping two-tone rayon chiffon layered over taffeta that mimicked the Halston style. The party formal was trimmed with lace roses and came in beige with mint or aqua accents.
Children also needed new outfits and Sears sold easy-care suits with flare legs, matching tunic vests and balloon sleeved shirts to “toddler and bigger boys.” JC Penney offered dresses in ice-cream pastels for girls.
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