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#1 2017-05-10 17:05:13

Berkeley_Breathes
Member
From: Crabapple Cove, ME
Posts: 4519

BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

Working my way backwards from 1967... Apologies for creating a new thread separate from Boom Years but I'm planning on putting a bunch of these here...

Interestingly, PB didn't market Ivy style too aggressively... In the early years it didn't have big advertisers, and once it got the reputation that could get big brand names in its pages it always seemed to have more of a Euro slant to it, as that was seen as younger and hipper than Ivy... In that way it's a fascinating document of aggressive marketing of fashions that were a flash in the pan if they ever hit the streets at all... But that's what PB was about, a fantasy of the hippest life imaginable...

Check out a bio of Hef by Steven Watts, really informative and fascinating as to the philosophy of the man and the mag, goes into the way it marketed material goods as a gateway to happiness and fulfillment...

***Sorry if any of these have been posted in the Boom Years or any other thread... Just went through all of Boom Years today and hope I won't post repeats... obviously companies like h.i.s. or Clubman put their ads in many publications so if it does happen it's unintentional!


"The only comment a gentleman’s outfit should generate is that he is properly dressed for the occasion" - Calvin Trillin

 

#2 2017-05-10 18:36:52

Berkeley_Breathes
Member
From: Crabapple Cove, ME
Posts: 4519

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

PB had a big circulation among soldiers in Vietnam...

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/28/opinion/how-playboy-explains-vietnam.html


"The only comment a gentleman’s outfit should generate is that he is properly dressed for the occasion" - Calvin Trillin

 

#3 2017-05-10 21:55:46

Armchaired
Ivy I.V.
From: Old England
Posts: 7580

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

Thanks BB, these are superb ...keep em coming.


�Careful with that axe Eugene.�

 

#4 2017-05-11 00:57:27

stanshall
Member
From: Gilligan's Island
Posts: 12991

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

enjoyed those BB ... from that selection, we had the Interwoven and Burlington Adler socks in some cool colors, including some heathers, Jockey Life, and Van Heusen.

the strangest thing in this group of ads might be that suitcase with the bottle of Old Crow in its easily accessible recessed special compartment .....


"bow wow wow yippie yo yippie yay"

 

#5 2017-05-11 02:10:07

ZarJazz
Member
Posts: 1337

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

...enjoyed that!
Many thanks, BB.

 

#6 2017-05-11 06:27:10

Martin G
Member
Posts: 51

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

Great stuff. Appreciate the efforts posting these.

 

#7 2017-05-11 18:04:42

Berkeley_Breathes
Member
From: Crabapple Cove, ME
Posts: 4519

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

A 1966 Career Club ad above asks, “Wild or tame? Get both. At $5.95 you can afford to.” To our eyes, $5.95 is nothing for a shirt with a great plaid and great collar roll like the one above. But how much did it really cost?

To find out, we have to answer two questions. First, how much was $5.95 in 1966? Easy peasy - it was $45.17. Not such a cheap shirt anymore!

The second question is a little more interesting. Today, you can buy a plaid button-down shirt from Land’s End or L.L. Bean from about the same price. But what percentage of income was that in 1966 relative to today? In other words, we know that a $5.95 shirt in 1966 costs $45.17 in 2017 - but is that really more expensive?

Let’s assume that a plausible reader of PB in 1966 was a young professional approaching middle age, in his 30s, comfortable enough to get a taste of the bunny lifestyle but buying the magazine to fulfill a fantasy of having enough to escape the rat race. PB, after all, was an aggressively aspirational magazine.

In 1966, the American Mathematical Society noted that the median income for a professor of mathematics (i.e. holding a doctorate degree) for the 1966-1967 academic year was $7800-$8500. http://www.ams.org/profession/data/annual-survey/1967Survey-Report-Salaries.pdf

In 1966, the census found that the median income for a family with a male head, married, wife present, was $7265. From the 25-34 age bracket for heads of families, the median income was lower - around $7000. For 35-44, higher - around $7800. https://www2.census.gov/prod2/popscan/p60-051.pdf

This study https://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/patc_1966.pdf is even more useful, because of the specific jobs listed. For example. a chief accountant (a supervisor position) in 1966 made anywhere from roughly $10800 to $16800; Level VII attorneys (“defined to include attorneys in charge of legal staffs… usually subordinate to a general counsel”) could make up to $26000.

Remember our $45 Career Club shirt?

In 2017:

- the median annual math professor salary is $94699. http://www1.salary.com/Professor-Mathematics-salary.html

- a managing attorney makes a median salary of $191000. http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Managing-Attorney-Salary-Details.aspx

- a senior accountant makes a median salary of $75000. http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Accountant-III-Salary-Details.aspx

And our median 2017 salary for a (white) household of the same type as above was around $85000.

SO…

- In 1966, our $5.95 shirt was 0.00076% of total income for a low-earning math professor, 0.0007% for high. In 2017, the $45.17 shirt is 0.00048% of total income for a math professor. (Income for this position has risen.)
- In 1966, the shirt was 0.00035% of the total income for the high-earning chief accountant; today, it’s 0.0006%. (Income for this position has dropped. A LOT.)
- In 1966, the attorney was spending 0.00023% of their income on the Career Club shirt, while today they would spend 0.00024%.

Take everything here with a grain of salt. These are all stats from quick searches and don’t take into account many factors, including (for the most part) race, as well as living expenses, taxes, etc. So how feasible purchases would be on an average budget isn’t covered here, even though price relative to total income is.

But, when a 1967 Cricketeer ad says, “Wear an outfit that really looks like an outfit. Cricketeer Bold Traditional Coordinates. A Shetland sportcoat. Hopsack slacks. A hat and a sleeveless sweater with colors and fabrics that match the sportcoat. For about $75.00 (plus $8.95 for the hat) you can afford to wear the whole outfit even if you haven’t really made it big,” they are appealing to a demographic that wants to be upwardly mobile. In 1966, that household income was around $7000 for a 30-year old married man. That $83.95 was 0.012% of the total income. Today, that package is $637.37, pretty steep for someone who hasn’t necessarily “made it big,” and it’s 0.0075% of the total income.

Numbers make my head hurt - but if you want to try this out, and maybe do it in a better way than I have, here are some other prices, for 1967, from the ads above:

$45 sportcoat from Worsted-Tex
$25 slacks from Worsted-Tex
$5 Truval shirt from Career Club
$1.50 Burlington socks
$10 Pedwin loafers


"The only comment a gentleman’s outfit should generate is that he is properly dressed for the occasion" - Calvin Trillin

 

#8 2017-05-12 04:42:41

Martin G
Member
Posts: 51

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

Cheers mate. Absolutely loving this stuff. The '67 JB ad looks like a bizarre mirror universe image where Morecombe and Wise were in fact a couple of classy handsome studs. So many standouts from '66 but that Madras is a stunner. The girl in the 'What Kind Of man Reads Playboy' ad looks like Barbi Benton who was Hefner's partner for some while during the 60s and 70s. Loving it. Thank you fella.

Last edited by Martin G (2017-05-12 06:17:45)

 

#9 2017-05-12 13:10:32

Berkeley_Breathes
Member
From: Crabapple Cove, ME
Posts: 4519

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

My pleasure... Agreed, that madras is beautiful... More coming up from '65...


"The only comment a gentleman’s outfit should generate is that he is properly dressed for the occasion" - Calvin Trillin

 

#10 2017-05-12 13:57:27

Armchaired
Ivy I.V.
From: Old England
Posts: 7580

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

Love this stuff, great selections BB.
hilarious that someone thought people in Shropshire had cockney accents.

Gawd bless ya Mary poppins  smile .

Last edited by Armchaired (2017-05-12 13:57:49)


�Careful with that axe Eugene.�

 

#11 2017-05-12 13:58:58

woofboxer
Devil's Ivy Advocate
From: The Lost County of Middlesex
Posts: 7959

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

'Natural Shoulder Trousers', now I haven't heard that expression in a while. I thought it was just a term that had been invented by clothing forum madmen.


'I'm not that keen on the Average Look .......ever'. 
John Simons

Achievements: banned from the Ivy Style FB Group

 

#12 2017-05-12 14:06:08

Armchaired
Ivy I.V.
From: Old England
Posts: 7580

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

Last edited by Armchaired (2017-05-12 14:06:25)


�Careful with that axe Eugene.�

 

#13 2017-05-12 15:39:56

stanshall
Member
From: Gilligan's Island
Posts: 12991

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

the high-top sneakers on the guy in the Grant's Scotch "So the marlin don't bite" ad, what are they?

wondering who currently carries the best version of the Catalina sweater worn by the chimp in "The bulky look is ape" ad?

enjoying the spectacular look on the guy's face in the "Act like you've always worn Tropi-Tex" ad  ....

and the old McLovin joke in the "Harris Slacks" ad ....


"bow wow wow yippie yo yippie yay"

 

#14 2017-05-12 21:26:45

Berkeley_Breathes
Member
From: Crabapple Cove, ME
Posts: 4519

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

stan, I looked long and hard at those sneaks... They look almost like some kind of homemade PF Flyer, with that thick outsole...

These ads really have so many great details...


"The only comment a gentleman’s outfit should generate is that he is properly dressed for the occasion" - Calvin Trillin

 

#15 2017-05-13 04:07:51

colin
Bright Light
Posts: 1310

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

Last edited by colin (2017-05-13 04:09:17)

 

#16 2017-05-13 11:51:52

Berkeley_Breathes
Member
From: Crabapple Cove, ME
Posts: 4519

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans


"The only comment a gentleman’s outfit should generate is that he is properly dressed for the occasion" - Calvin Trillin

 

#17 2017-05-14 02:12:25

Martin G
Member
Posts: 51

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

Again I have to thank you for sharing these lovely old adverts mate. Loving them. Looks like KOLCHAK is the model in the KEDS one in his seersucker suit and sneakers. Fantastic stuff.

 

#18 2017-05-14 10:49:06

stanshall
Member
From: Gilligan's Island
Posts: 12991

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

/\  been far too long since the last Kolchak reference here, thanks Martin G, and thanks for the great crop of images BB!

one more thing: I love you, green striped shirt ...


"bow wow wow yippie yo yippie yay"

 

#19 2017-05-14 17:36:02

Berkeley_Breathes
Member
From: Crabapple Cove, ME
Posts: 4519

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans


"The only comment a gentleman’s outfit should generate is that he is properly dressed for the occasion" - Calvin Trillin

 

#20 2017-05-15 01:26:14

Yuca
Member
Posts: 8543

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans


some sort of banal legitimacy

 

#21 2017-05-16 06:51:16

Martin G
Member
Posts: 51

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

Another fantastic slew of images mate. Thanks again. Loving the seersucker jackets particularly as well as the collars on some of the shirt ads. Top class.

 

#22 2017-05-16 14:31:17

Armchaired
Ivy I.V.
From: Old England
Posts: 7580

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

These are far better than the esquire ads in my opinion.
Great stuff!


�Careful with that axe Eugene.�

 

#23 2017-05-16 15:03:04

Berkeley_Breathes
Member
From: Crabapple Cove, ME
Posts: 4519

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

I've found incredible stuff in those Esquire ads... they were the inspiration for this project for sure... Just went back through the Boom Years thread right before doing this, found a great spread from Esquire, the tropical/winter spread with ski boots and espadrilles, loved that...

Glad you're enjoying this AC, high praise... Much more on the way, going through '63 now... Having every issue from '59-'69 really allows for a depth of what I can post here that gives new light to some of these ads/clothes even if the actual rolled collars or Cricketeer sport coats are nothing new in themselves...


"The only comment a gentleman’s outfit should generate is that he is properly dressed for the occasion" - Calvin Trillin

 

#24 2017-05-17 06:48:13

Martin G
Member
Posts: 51

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

I think one of the attractions even beyond the clothing and general style of the models is the advertising itself. I love old ads for baked beans, cars, cigarettes, travel whatever from this period really. I appreciate you sharing fella. Thanks.

 

#25 2017-05-17 12:55:37

Yuca
Member
Posts: 8543

Re: BB's Boom Years bunny mag scans

Great stuff I agree, but can we have the ones from 59 please? All these slim fitting shirts and trousers without cuffs are making me a little uncomfortable.

Last edited by Yuca (2017-05-17 12:57:04)


some sort of banal legitimacy

 

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