The Cotton Shop of South Carolina Mills (1954)

Good morning!\

It's midweek and  I'm drowning in school work, as usual-- this time a cross-cultural examination of immigrant Iraqi and Vietnamese minorities and the effect of their native cultures on L2 English literacy (you can't beat that with a stick!) which has got me pulling my carefully coiffed hair out looking for sources, trying to synthesize information into concise little paragraphs, etc, etc. But! I need some cheering up, and these culottes, pinafores, and (be still my heart) PINA-SHORTS are painting a much needed smile on my face this Wednesday early afternoon.

How about you take a look at these 1954 Cotton Shop of South Carolina Mills ensembles, and tell me which one you favor the most? How'd that be?

As usual, I just get giddy at the thought of ordering something out of a mail-order form that will result in something more exciting than an ant farm or a snuggie (though, speaking of it, I don't know that I don't actually want an ant farm....Christmas is coming!). These ads ran in an article sidebar to a few issues of Life magazine in 1954, and I was mondo-taken with the one at the top left. The text describes it as "the value win-nah [sic] and style champion!", but I have my doubts. As if quarter sized polka dots weren't enough to knock your eye out, what about front pockets? AND DRAMATIC CULOTTES. Ay yi y i. While the woman does look to have a tiny, actual wasp like waist, I guarantee you the women on the far side of this sizing structure (the ad says they run sized 12-20) will look like an actual circus attraction in this outfit. If not the bigtop itself! Things calm down a little with a pretty, "pique" or "plisse" design pinafore on the right. Thank god.

The I Love Lucy polka dots are back on the right. And a somehow much more reasonable pina short to the right. I think that outfit is a cute as a button, but its culotte cousin has got to go.

Am I the only one hoping against hope that the basket is really one of those neat floral basket purses you see every once and awhile, and not an actual basket of cut flowers? The lady in the other pinafore ad is carrying one that's a little less trompe l'oeil, so I hope this one is what I think it is. HOW. CUTE. ARE. THE. PINASHORTS. The color, the little buckles...

Ok, so your turn. Which Cotton Shop apparel piece gets your vote? Am I wrong about the culottes? Would you wear pinashorts?

Gotta get back typing of a different (less fun) sort-- I'll see you tomorrow!