The Night Editor and I worked together at a large Minneapolis publishing company in the 1990s. One of our colleagues had worked there 20 years earlier, and unearthed this gem of a memo for our amusement. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you . . . the pantsuits memo. Please, I beg you, click for a readable size.
Then thank me for keeping this around for the last 15 years.
This memo has inspired me to start a contest (which incidentally may help the delurking week effort). I want you to find an image of the most hideous early-1970s era women's pantsuit. It can be from your family photo collection, fashion magazine photos, whatever.* Enter by emailing me the image (juliloquy at gmail) or posting it on your blog and leaving the link in a comment to this post. Contest closes at midnight EST on January 16, 2006. HPR and I will choose the winner and perhaps a runner-up or two and will award a fantastic prize selected from among our Great Winter Decluttering-the-House Project. (Really, we are getting rid of some decent stuff. Or I might choose something hideous. Take your chances.) Up to three entries per person.
* Edited to add: People, "whatever" can include results from creative Googling!
I'm not lurking this time, but I often do, which is kind of my nature, actually.
There. I said it. I'm a lurker. Damn straight.
Posted by: SteveO | January 10, 2007 at 02:57 AM
I was getting all excited, thinking the contest would be for the most twit-witted memo. Because I could submit some examples that would make your toes curl.
Pantsuits, not so much.
Posted by: sgazzetti | January 10, 2007 at 03:00 AM
Is it a problem that I wasn't really alive in the early 1970s? Mid- to late-1970s, yeah, but I wasn't paying much attention to the fashion trends... :) I'll look forward to the contest results.
I try to comment frequently, so I guess I can't be called a lurker here.
Posted by: Erin | January 10, 2007 at 08:43 AM
Curses, curses I say!
I'm pretty sure the adults in my early-70s life wore some worthy outfits but all my early-days photo albums are in a land far, far away.
*walks away muttering morosely*
Posted by: Jennifer | January 10, 2007 at 09:17 AM
This is hilarious. And they spelled judgment wrong, which is pretty funny, coming from a religious publishing house. I was but a babe in the seventies but my dad wore some killer pantsuits that would make Glen Campbell pretty envious. I'll do a little digging.
Posted by: Pam | January 10, 2007 at 11:37 AM
Shhh! I knew that! About the Googling! I just didn't want to give anyone else the idea!
Now you've gone and let them all in on it.
*continues muttering morosely*
Posted by: Jennifer | January 10, 2007 at 04:05 PM
You know you're in Minneapolis, when the author of the pant suit note is Judy Thorkelson!
Posted by: pbhurley | January 10, 2007 at 08:41 PM
Ms. Thorkelson needs to have a drink or four. That is hilarious. I have no pictures of pants suits but what a fun idea. Perhaps I will go digging around. :)
Posted by: el-e-e | January 11, 2007 at 07:38 AM
Robyn's in! http://crochetbyfaye.blogspot.com/2007/01/pants-suit.html
Posted by: juliloquy | January 11, 2007 at 12:36 PM
the memo reminded me intensely of "9 to 5," a movie i have just seen for the first time. did they have pantsuits? i'll try to find out.
Posted by: kilowatthour | January 11, 2007 at 02:22 PM