Matching, Clashing, and Fashion

Please meet our stylish contestants for the 1970s version of...

Fashion Your Room!

These wonderful ladies each have a distinct personality. It's up to us (by us I mean me) to find the perfect room decor to suit their style. And then Photoshop them into place. And then it's your job to mouse over the image and be amazed.

I admit, the 1970s were kind of extreme (and often ugly), which is why it's all so fascinating to me. High necklines, prints, medieval sleeves, bellbottoms; everything so brutal, garish, outrageous... no wonder the 80s were so bonkers. They had to find a way to top the previous decade.

Even the trends in interior decor involved overwhelming colours of wall paint, rugs, ephemera, assembled to really make an impact. Like a mallet to your brain. To be clear, I could never live in such a place, and I don't condone it. But it's so much fun to look at!
 

And now, on to our lovely ladies.

            
   Shelly

  Age: 28

  Profession: Interpretive Dance Instructor

  Hobbies: Geometry and Lamp collecting

  Favourite Drink: Cherry Cola

  Guilty Pleasure: Swinging on the weekends

Unveiling, the perfect room to match Shelly! Mouse over to see her in it.

         

   Margo

  Age: 21

  Profession: Veterinarian

  Hobbies: Parasailing and Making jewelry

  Favourite Hangout: In a tree

  Guilty Pleasure: Wearing sunglasses inside

Here is the room for Margo! Mouse over to see her in it.

         

  Linda

  Age: 25

  Profession: Opera Singer

  Hobbies: Space Invaders and Gardening

  Favourite Food: Strawberry sauce fondue

  Guilty Pleasure: Blackjack

Check out Linda in her killer living room!

         

  Rita

  Age: 29

  Profession: Carpenter

  Hobbies: Winemaking and jousting

  Favourite Music: Organ music

  Guilty Pleasure: She never feels guilty

Here's Rita, in her serious serious chamber:

       

  Terry and Mary

  

  Age: 24

  Profession: Nurses

  Hobbies: Checkers and Double dates

  Favourite Nightspot: The Disco

  Guilty Pleasure: Knitting each other vests!



Since Terry and Mary are inseparable pals, here's the perfect pad for the pair:

This was essentially a one-player game, but thanks for coming along for the ride. The women were sourced from my 1972 Joan Fisher's Guide to Needlecraft, and the decor was taken from something like Interior Decorating on a Budget (1970s).

I have a small amount of OCD. Like many people. And I love matching things up, because it makes me feel complete in some way. Steady. 

However, my clothes never match. I was actually having a conversation about this with my very fashionable friend Victoria. She basically said, "It's funny how some people think that wearing everything in their closet in a random arrangement means they're on the cutting edge of high fashion." (Visit some hipster fashion blogs and you'll know what we mean). 

 I completely agree with her. But don't get me wrong. Mismatching is totally legit. Check this: I've been mismatching my clothes since I was 6, and it's because I wear what feels flattering and exciting, and if the colours do it for me. Even someone as lazy as I am can put together a completely clashing outfit. And I'm pretty sure I don't deserve a pat on the back for that. 

But I'll take an iced tea, if you've got it.

Take a look, it's in a book! A Reading Rainbow

Why, hello there. Welcome to my secret cove of handheld delights.

It's super convenient that books are available electronically now, and I no longer run the risk of smearing chocolate all over the cover, or accidentally lighting pages on fire.

But beautiful and absurd books are my weakness. Sometimes I actually avoid stepping into used bookstores, because I might want too many of them, just based on their looks. Living in a teeny apartment means no storage, and no room for such stray dogs I want to claim as my own.

The thing about those paper pups... is that they always find their way to me somehow.

These relics are my little treasures. I always try to downsize my stuff upon stuff, but I just can't toss these:


101 Glamorous Gifts to Make by Miriam Morrison Peake, Scholastic Book Services 1967

Design by Roger Heins, Photograph by John Gruen 

Found: Garage Sale (I think), from when I was 9ish. I tried to make some of these crafts, but only got 1/8th of the way through, every time. Love the *glamorous* cellophane lion. This handy book also includes plenty of gift advice, such as:

The Masculine Approach
"Men, it has often been said, are really just grown-up boys. For them, humor, hobbies, and sports replace the little fripperies that delight a woman's heart. You should flatter their egos, appeal to their sense of fun, and cater to their preferences [...] Wrappings can have masculine flavor."



Cavalcade of Comedy by Louis Kronenburger, Simon & Schuster 1953

Design by Seymour Robins

Found: Last year I went to a Korean restaurant, and for about 15 minutes no servers seemed to notice us. So we left, and lying outside was this court-jestery consolation prize.

Carefree Gardening by Jean Hersey, Van Nostrend Reinhold 1961

Found: Value Village in Barrie, Thanksgiving 2008. My bedroom is adorned with many faded old photos of sunny gardens and fields, and this cover + the typography = slam dunk. I've been meaning to frame it. Alas, I can be pathologically lazy sometmz.

Heloise's Hints For Working Women by Heloise, Simon & Schuster 1971

Found: Recently a neighbour was moving, and tried to give me a ton of her old things. Then she asked me for a monetary donation for them. This book was worth it, I think. I dig the title typography. The content is a confused little mix of sexism and go-get'em-gal-ism:

"It's unfair that working gals, who have to be seen in public so much, are the ones with the least time for beauty and grooming. Though we all want to look nice for our families, they'll always love us, even if our nail polish is chipping a bit. But appearance on the job really counts! If you work in an office, naturally, your boss is going to want a well-groomed, attractive you to welcome his clients."

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Pan Books 2001

Found: Antique Store on Queen West, on a summer stroll in 2009 (although it's not exactly an antique, as this commemorative edition was published in the current decade). This cover looks like a photographed tv screen, in friendship bracelet colours. Neat science fiction type treatment.



Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Doubleday and Company 1945

Pride and Prejudice, inside cover

Found: Junction Value Village last year. There seems to be a dust jacket missing, but we don't need it. It's so cute, it looks like Pride and Prejudice for Newborn Baby Girls. Oh, the lessons they'd learn.



Vivre en Amour by somebody amazing, 1974

Found: Value Village in Montreal, summer trip 2008. A ton of NSFW illustrations inside, with French Canadian couples frolicking in bed and doing stuff. It's a seriously informative book, but nothing beats the ridiculous photographs:

Oral Contraceptives

Fantasies

In-Laws

Hand Intercourse

Puppets In 3D

These posed photo fairy tale books totally take me back to a time when puppets weren't meant to be ironic; when plush kittens in gingham dresses sharing a danish, with bulging green eyeballs didn't seem all that creepy. The 1960–70s were glory days for Froebel-Kan & Rose Art Studios, makers of these '3D' fairy tale books from Japan. Amazing lighting, with colours so vivid it's like pixie stix for your eyeballs. I was lucky enough to come across a 1970 copy of Three Little Kittens at Value Village for just $1 (the V.Village on Lansdowne is usually pretty picked through, but this gem had somehow fallen behind the videotapes... I spied and snagged it. Like the ninja I am).

Three Little Kittens

The attention to detail in these books is incredible... I can imagine some people may find them super strange, but I just think they're mindblowing! Check out some of these other brilliant covers and spreads from the book series: 

Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty

Hansel and Gretel

It's so stunning and ridiculous, and we should do more of this: telling stories with puppets and figurines!

Hmmm getting a bit too excited here. In 'Real Life', I really don't think I have room to start collecting tiny teapot figurines and little fake trees. My mansion (aka basement apartment) will hate me if start a new collection of stuff. And trust me, seeing a shelving unit cry tears is truly disturbing. 

How about this: We should continue to find ways to tell stories that endear and intrigue others, create worlds that are somehow fantastic and sincere (rather than the alienating and artificial feel of bad computer generated work). I guess that hand-making is a timesuck... but this makes me treasure it more. And I'll take any opportunity to use the word timesuck.