Groovy Glo-Weave

Another recent find, a vintage Australian made Glo-Weave body shirt. These big-collared body-hugging bad boys were popular from the late 60s well into the 70s disco era. This one's a survivor from the time when Australian shirt brands like Gloweave and Pelaco were still being made locally.

Above: Peach coloured stretch poly/cotton body shirt by Glo-Weave, c1970. $6 from the Sebas Salvos.
Right: note the dual imperial/metric sizing on the tag (Australia started going metric in 1970).

Chunky time

Found last weekend, a working SEIKO "Transistor" battery powered wall clock from the 1970s. A predecessor to the ubiquitous modern Quartz wall clock, it dates from a time when Seiko was enjoying huge success (even James Bond wore a Seiko in the 70s).

Seiko "Transistor" electromechanical movement wall clock, $14.95 from the Wendouree Salvos.

Big eyed waifs & breezy women

Some retro kitsch prints encountered at Op Shops over the past few months. While not precisely my thing they were interesting enough to snap some pictures of:



Above left: Big eyed waifs of the 1960s by F. Idylle. There seems to have been quite a market for images of disadvantaged or suffering children back then, and the whole vintage "Big Eyed" genre is quite collectible today.

Above right: "Jaqueline" 1977, by Sara Moon. These breezy women (frequently in hats) first appeared in 1976, and marked a shift from the bold and bright decor of the early 70s, to a more subdued look in general by the end of the decade. The original Sara Moon was actually a male commercial artist named Bijan. The line continued being produced into the 1990s, with some in the early 80s also done by another artist called Christian.

Happy New Year!

2011 has started well for me, with these recent finds over the holiday period. A vintage Titoni Airmaster Automatic watch and cigarette case, both from the 50s/60s.

Left: Mens 25j Swiss Titoni Airmaster watch ($30 eBay) and West German made chrome cigarette case ($5 St Vincents Op Shop Daylesford)

Ghosts of Christmases past

Hi, back from a blogging hiatus here's something for the holiday season. Children's Books and Annuals are an old-school Christmas staple, here's some from the 1950s seen recently at a local Op Shop.



While these are before my time, I do remember getting annuals myself like "The Thunderbirds" and "Shiver and Shake".

Stationery Pursuit

I know someone that collects writing materials (letterheads, journals, pens, etc), so every time I travel I feed their obsession by souveniring the complimentary hotel stationery.

Here's what they got from my recent trip to Sydney.

Brief respite from the cold

I don't often get to travel for work, but was sent to Sydney this week to enjoy some balmy weather at my employer's expense. After weeks of bitter cold in Ballarat a day of 22°C humid warmth was a pleasant change. With a busy round of flights, taxis, hotel, & meetings there was no time for leisurely pics of the city, but here's a few from the comfortable room at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth where I spent Wednesday night.