Retro Dee writes about music, fashion and other trends of the 1950s on this site. Check out her blog, Retro Dee’s Guide to the Best Era Ever here, and her column here every Wednesday.
Hi folks and Welcome to another new segment of Retro Dee’s Guide to the Best Era Ever. I call this one “Slogans From The 50’s You’d Never Hear Now”.
The 1950’s were a very different time, and that gets more and more obvious each day as we struggle forth in the 21st Century. Life back then was far less complicated and people’s goals and ideals were much different from what was to come.
The idea for this first episode of “Slogans” came to me when I was shopping for (more) true vintage clothing for my closet. This was not from a printed advertisement; it was actually printed on the product itself. It was on the seams of the cotton cloth from which dresses were made!
It said:
“A Regulated Cotton Rarely Misbehaves”
Now is that 1950’s or what? It’s like, who gives a damn about cotton behaving itself these days? But back in the 50’s, a good cotton was a very important aspect of daily living. If you were a lady of the day, you did not want your cotton garment wrinkling or creasing on you. God knows you did enough ironing as it was!
Plus, neatness was high on the list of needs as far as daily living was concerned. No man or lady would be caught wearing sloppy-looking clothing even on the most casual of days. Good behavior of both people and products was the Gold Star Standard in the 50’s. It was not always cool to rebel, especially where making a good-dressed first impression was concerned.
I found this phrase to be both charming and amusing. Out of the hundreds of dresses I looked at this past month online, I found two of them with this slogan on the seams of their pretty prints. I think it’s really amazing how much pride was taken in products of those days, especially in materials that goods were made from.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture. The dresses are currently for sale and I didn’t want to swipe the photos off the sellers’ sites. One of the dresses is on my Wish List, (I love it and it’s my size to boot), BUT it’s just not in my budget right now. However! If it goes on sale, I’ll seriously consider purchasing it! Alas, this will have to be a “take my word for it” post without any visual proof.
So remember, folks, as you go about your day, here are a few things to think about: Is YOUR cotton regulated? Does it misbehave? Why can’t we go back to the days when stuff like this actually mattered and was one of the thoughts just behind “I hope I don’t burn dinner tonight”? Why can’t things be simple again?
I hope you enjoyed this post!
For more, stay tuned and please follow Retro Dee’s Guide to the Best Era Ever. You can also follow Retro Dee on Twitter @RealRetroDee and Instagram @mariepascal82
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