Anonymous
02/08/2026 12:48
Subject: Question re catalogs of yore
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It seemed higher end to me circa 1980 when my aunt was the only person I knew who had the catalogue and every time we went to her house I’d page through it and wish I could have Gloria Vanderbilt jeans.
+1
It was a great catalogue. My mom was on the mailing list. She was a SAHM in a 5 bedroom colonial in a DC suburb with kids in private school and a breadwinner husband with a white collar career. My mom also shopped at Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales, and Woodies/Hechts/Macys.
PP with the long post. Yes, this is a person from a demographic who would buy bridge sportswear. Core UMC department store shopper. Too financially prudent to shop in the Saks/Neiman Marcus price range. If they wanted that price range for a special occasion, they might have moved to the most expensive brands at their customary store. Generations earlier, this demographic might have considered owning at least one fur. Like a mink jacket.
I mean, most women had a fur coat in the 1950s/60s/70s/80s.
Fur didn’t go out of style until the 90s.
I am rewatching the 1980s sitcom Kate & Allie on Prime, and there’s an episode centered around a fur coat. They were all over 1980s tv. The Reagan 80s were all about overtly showy luxury/wealth.
+1
Agree. Lots of fur in the 80s.
Anonymous
02/08/2026 12:45
Subject: Question re catalogs of yore
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I was born in 1969. Worked in a department store equivalent to Macy's one summer in 1987. In misses' clothing.
I remember the name Spiegel but my family did not buy through that catalogue. My mom was a department store customer and my grandma also (plus Talbots and Pendelton).
The mention of the brands Ralph Lauren and Liz Claiborne in the TV ad place this fashion in the department store brand category today. Ralph Lauren's regular department store price level (not at the higher stand-alone store level, although the merchandise might overlap). Liz Claiborne was very successful in creating a company that sold versatile women's careerwear. Eventually it ran out of gas, the company transformed into a conglomerate of cooler brands (i think they had Kate Spade, Juicy Couture, etc.) and let Liz Claiborne and Claiborne (for men) be sold to JCPenneys to become JCP house brands.
These fashions were maybe considered "bridge sportswear" although I don't know the exact price positioning. Here's an AI explanation of "bridge sportswear".
"Bridge sportswear refers to a fashion industry category originating in the 1980s that bridges the price and style gap between higher-priced designer clothing and mass-market brands. It offers premium, career-oriented, or versatile clothing at a more accessible, mid-tier price point.
Key Aspects of Bridge Sportswear:
Positioning: Located in department stores between the designer and better sportswear sections.
Target Audience: Consumers looking for quality and style at a moderate price, often referred to as "investment dressing".
Components: Includes a mix of tailored career apparel, stylish casual wear, and versatile pieces suitable for work or weekend.
Examples of Brands: Historically and in the 90s, this included brands like Ellen Tracy, Dana Buchman, DKNY, Coach, and Michael Kors.
Evolution: While highly popular in the 80s and 90s, the category evolved towards "contemporary" fashion or "accessible luxury" in later years.
It is often associated with "diffusion lines," which are secondary, lower-priced collections created by high-end designers.
Wtf did I just read.
What is your problem with it? Fashion is a business. I just explained, perhaps in fashion business technical terms, the answer to the OP's question.
And before you ask, no, I'm not on the spectrum. And, "sweetie", I'll bless my own heart so you don't have to say it.
I mean, you're the one who said this, so... clearly, you've heard it before.
Lol. No. Those are the two most aggravating responses that elderly women on here deploy against anyone who gives too detailed an answer.
Go check out the Bridgerton thread in Entertainment. You'll see somebody deploying the "spectrum" comment against someone (not me) who was too eager to share her college lit class findings about actual Regency novels. And Lord Nelson's mistress.
And I don't know if it's Southerners or just nasty old ladies but I've never heard "sweetie" and "bless your heart" deployed insultingly anywhere but here. People around me do not use those expressions. They are ridiculous.
“Elderly women”? You seem really sure that anyone making statements you dislike is “elderly” or a “nasty old lady,” not to mention a “southerner.” Frankly, the ugliness seems to be coming from just you, and you alone. Maybe give that a thought.
And Bridgerton? No thanks! 🤮
Anonymous
02/08/2026 12:40
Subject: Question re catalogs of yore
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It seemed higher end to me circa 1980 when my aunt was the only person I knew who had the catalogue and every time we went to her house I’d page through it and wish I could have Gloria Vanderbilt jeans.
+1
It was a great catalogue. My mom was on the mailing list. She was a SAHM in a 5 bedroom colonial in a DC suburb with kids in private school and a breadwinner husband with a white collar career. My mom also shopped at Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales, and Woodies/Hechts/Macys.
PP with the long post. Yes, this is a person from a demographic who would buy bridge sportswear. Core UMC department store shopper. Too financially prudent to shop in the Saks/Neiman Marcus price range. If they wanted that price range for a special occasion, they might have moved to the most expensive brands at their customary store. Generations earlier, this demographic might have considered owning at least one fur. Like a mink jacket.
I mean, most women had a fur coat in the 1950s/60s/70s/80s.
Fur didn’t go out of style until the 90s.
I am rewatching the 1980s sitcom Kate & Allie on Prime, and there’s an episode centered around a fur coat. They were all over 1980s tv. The Reagan 80s were all about overtly showy luxury/wealth.
PP. Disagree re: ubiquity of furs. Consider this 1952 cultural touchstone:
Richard Nixon's "respectable Republican cloth coat" remark came from his famous 1952 "Checkers speech," where he defended himself against allegations of a secret campaign fund. By stating his wife, Pat, owned a cloth coat rather than a mink, he projected a "plain folks" image to contrast with elitism, highlighting values of frugality and integrity.
Quote: "I should say this, that Pat doesn't have a mink coat. But she does have a respectable Republican cloth coat, and I always tell her she'd look good in anything," according to The American Presidency Project.
My paternal grandma had a mink jacket or coat from the 1940s. My maternal grandmother had one of those capes made of pelts with real heads (do not know the name of this type of fur). I never saw them wear these items during my lifetime. My mom, born in the 40s, had one dress coat with a real fur collar when I was a toddler.
I remember people (including kids) with rabbit fur jackets in the 1970s. That's the last "mass-market" fur I remember.
The PETA activists (including supermodel activists) began actively campaigning in the 1980s. That was the beginning of the end for department store fur salons (= end of mass acceptance). Independent fur salons hung on but much in the same vein as high-quality Oriental rug stores.
It's true that the Reagan years emphasized ostentatious wealth. But also true that there were significant countertrends.
I looked up the Blackglama ad campaign. It lasted until 1994. This was a wildly successful campaign from a recall perspective - the "Got Milk?" of the fur industry. During these years, I only remember full-length furs in pictures of celebrities. I also remember the high-quality fake fur appearing at fabric stores. No idea who used it for clothing since fur was very "Silent Generation". I used fake fur to make puppets.
https://blackglama.org/bg/the-backstory.html#:~:text=The%20world%20took%20notice.,Legend%E2%80%9D%20wearing%20a%20different%20garment.
Anonymous
02/08/2026 12:02
Subject: Question re catalogs of yore
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It seemed higher end to me circa 1980 when my aunt was the only person I knew who had the catalogue and every time we went to her house I’d page through it and wish I could have Gloria Vanderbilt jeans.
+1
It was a great catalogue. My mom was on the mailing list. She was a SAHM in a 5 bedroom colonial in a DC suburb with kids in private school and a breadwinner husband with a white collar career. My mom also shopped at Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales, and Woodies/Hechts/Macys.
PP with the long post. Yes, this is a person from a demographic who would buy bridge sportswear. Core UMC department store shopper. Too financially prudent to shop in the Saks/Neiman Marcus price range. If they wanted that price range for a special occasion, they might have moved to the most expensive brands at their customary store. Generations earlier, this demographic might have considered owning at least one fur. Like a mink jacket.
I mean, most women had a fur coat in the 1950s/60s/70s/80s.
Fur didn’t go out of style until the 90s.
I am rewatching the 1980s sitcom Kate & Allie on Prime, and there’s an episode centered around a fur coat. They were all over 1980s tv. The Reagan 80s were all about overtly showy luxury/wealth.
Anonymous
02/07/2026 22:39
Subject: Question re catalogs of yore
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It seemed higher end to me circa 1980 when my aunt was the only person I knew who had the catalogue and every time we went to her house I’d page through it and wish I could have Gloria Vanderbilt jeans.
+1
It was a great catalogue. My mom was on the mailing list. She was a SAHM in a 5 bedroom colonial in a DC suburb with kids in private school and a breadwinner husband with a white collar career. My mom also shopped at Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales, and Woodies/Hechts/Macys.
PP with the long post. Yes, this is a person from a demographic who would buy bridge sportswear. Core UMC department store shopper. Too financially prudent to shop in the Saks/Neiman Marcus price range. If they wanted that price range for a special occasion, they might have moved to the most expensive brands at their customary store. Generations earlier, this demographic might have considered owning at least one fur. Like a mink jacket.
Anonymous
02/07/2026 22:34
Subject: Question re catalogs of yore
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I was born in 1969. Worked in a department store equivalent to Macy's one summer in 1987. In misses' clothing.
I remember the name Spiegel but my family did not buy through that catalogue. My mom was a department store customer and my grandma also (plus Talbots and Pendelton).
The mention of the brands Ralph Lauren and Liz Claiborne in the TV ad place this fashion in the department store brand category today. Ralph Lauren's regular department store price level (not at the higher stand-alone store level, although the merchandise might overlap). Liz Claiborne was very successful in creating a company that sold versatile women's careerwear. Eventually it ran out of gas, the company transformed into a conglomerate of cooler brands (i think they had Kate Spade, Juicy Couture, etc.) and let Liz Claiborne and Claiborne (for men) be sold to JCPenneys to become JCP house brands.
These fashions were maybe considered "bridge sportswear" although I don't know the exact price positioning. Here's an AI explanation of "bridge sportswear".
"Bridge sportswear refers to a fashion industry category originating in the 1980s that bridges the price and style gap between higher-priced designer clothing and mass-market brands. It offers premium, career-oriented, or versatile clothing at a more accessible, mid-tier price point.
Key Aspects of Bridge Sportswear:
Positioning: Located in department stores between the designer and better sportswear sections.
Target Audience: Consumers looking for quality and style at a moderate price, often referred to as "investment dressing".
Components: Includes a mix of tailored career apparel, stylish casual wear, and versatile pieces suitable for work or weekend.
Examples of Brands: Historically and in the 90s, this included brands like Ellen Tracy, Dana Buchman, DKNY, Coach, and Michael Kors.
Evolution: While highly popular in the 80s and 90s, the category evolved towards "contemporary" fashion or "accessible luxury" in later years.
It is often associated with "diffusion lines," which are secondary, lower-priced collections created by high-end designers.
Wtf did I just read.
What is your problem with it? Fashion is a business. I just explained, perhaps in fashion business technical terms, the answer to the OP's question.
And before you ask, no, I'm not on the spectrum. And, "sweetie", I'll bless my own heart so you don't have to say it.
I mean, you're the one who said this, so... clearly, you've heard it before.
Lol. No. Those are the two most aggravating responses that elderly women on here deploy against anyone who gives too detailed an answer.
Go check out the Bridgerton thread in Entertainment. You'll see somebody deploying the "spectrum" comment against someone (not me) who was too eager to share her college lit class findings about actual Regency novels. And Lord Nelson's mistress.
And I don't know if it's Southerners or just nasty old ladies but I've never heard "sweetie" and "bless your heart" deployed insultingly anywhere but here. People around me do not use those expressions. They are ridiculous.
Anonymous
02/07/2026 21:52
Subject: Question re catalogs of yore
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I was born in 1969. Worked in a department store equivalent to Macy's one summer in 1987. In misses' clothing.
I remember the name Spiegel but my family did not buy through that catalogue. My mom was a department store customer and my grandma also (plus Talbots and Pendelton).
The mention of the brands Ralph Lauren and Liz Claiborne in the TV ad place this fashion in the department store brand category today. Ralph Lauren's regular department store price level (not at the higher stand-alone store level, although the merchandise might overlap). Liz Claiborne was very successful in creating a company that sold versatile women's careerwear. Eventually it ran out of gas, the company transformed into a conglomerate of cooler brands (i think they had Kate Spade, Juicy Couture, etc.) and let Liz Claiborne and Claiborne (for men) be sold to JCPenneys to become JCP house brands.
These fashions were maybe considered "bridge sportswear" although I don't know the exact price positioning. Here's an AI explanation of "bridge sportswear".
"Bridge sportswear refers to a fashion industry category originating in the 1980s that bridges the price and style gap between higher-priced designer clothing and mass-market brands. It offers premium, career-oriented, or versatile clothing at a more accessible, mid-tier price point.
Key Aspects of Bridge Sportswear:
Positioning: Located in department stores between the designer and better sportswear sections.
Target Audience: Consumers looking for quality and style at a moderate price, often referred to as "investment dressing".
Components: Includes a mix of tailored career apparel, stylish casual wear, and versatile pieces suitable for work or weekend.
Examples of Brands: Historically and in the 90s, this included brands like Ellen Tracy, Dana Buchman, DKNY, Coach, and Michael Kors.
Evolution: While highly popular in the 80s and 90s, the category evolved towards "contemporary" fashion or "accessible luxury" in later years.
It is often associated with "diffusion lines," which are secondary, lower-priced collections created by high-end designers.
Wtf did I just read.
What is your problem with it? Fashion is a business. I just explained, perhaps in fashion business technical terms, the answer to the OP's question.
And before you ask, no, I'm not on the spectrum. And, "sweetie", I'll bless my own heart so you don't have to say it.
I mean, you're the one who said this, so... clearly, you've heard it before.
Anonymous
02/07/2026 19:07
Subject: Question re catalogs of yore
Adding that this was in the 1980s.
Anonymous
02/07/2026 19:06
Subject: Question re catalogs of yore
Spiegel was a notch fancier than Sears and JC Penney. More analogous to Banana Republc than Old Navy.
Anonymous
02/07/2026 18:51
Subject: Question re catalogs of yore
Hey the Sears Wish Book PP reminded me of the big holiday Spencer Gift Catalog that fascinated me in grade school. So much stuff! Stuff you never knew existed! $4.95 gifts for parents!
Anonymous
02/07/2026 17:37
Subject: Question re catalogs of yore
Anonymous wrote:It seemed higher end to me circa 1980 when my aunt was the only person I knew who had the catalogue and every time we went to her house I’d page through it and wish I could have Gloria Vanderbilt jeans.
+1
It was a great catalogue. My mom was on the mailing list. She was a SAHM in a 5 bedroom colonial in a DC suburb with kids in private school and a breadwinner husband with a white collar career. My mom also shopped at Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales, and Woodies/Hechts/Macys.
Anonymous
02/07/2026 16:35
Subject: Question re catalogs of yore
I remember getting some huge wedding catalog in 1984 (clearly went to the wrong address) and I loved it. I wanted a wedding dress that had a parasol accessory (I think the dress looked like something out of gone with the wind).
Anonymous
02/06/2026 21:26
Subject: Question re catalogs of yore
I think it depends on when you were looking at it...it had over a 100 year run, it was founded in the 1860's. It had different target markets at different points and changed ownership more than once. They definitely had points when they tried to court higher end and more fashion-forward markets (they had a European imported fashion catalog and were owned by Europeans at one point) and points when they tried to court other markets.
Anonymous
02/06/2026 21:00
Subject: Question re catalogs of yore
It seemed higher end to me circa 1980 when my aunt was the only person I knew who had the catalogue and every time we went to her house I’d page through it and wish I could have Gloria Vanderbilt jeans.
Anonymous
02/06/2026 21:00
Subject: Question re catalogs of yore
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I was born in 1969. Worked in a department store equivalent to Macy's one summer in 1987. In misses' clothing.
I remember the name Spiegel but my family did not buy through that catalogue. My mom was a department store customer and my grandma also (plus Talbots and Pendelton).
The mention of the brands Ralph Lauren and Liz Claiborne in the TV ad place this fashion in the department store brand category today. Ralph Lauren's regular department store price level (not at the higher stand-alone store level, although the merchandise might overlap). Liz Claiborne was very successful in creating a company that sold versatile women's careerwear. Eventually it ran out of gas, the company transformed into a conglomerate of cooler brands (i think they had Kate Spade, Juicy Couture, etc.) and let Liz Claiborne and Claiborne (for men) be sold to JCPenneys to become JCP house brands.
These fashions were maybe considered "bridge sportswear" although I don't know the exact price positioning. Here's an AI explanation of "bridge sportswear".
"Bridge sportswear refers to a fashion industry category originating in the 1980s that bridges the price and style gap between higher-priced designer clothing and mass-market brands. It offers premium, career-oriented, or versatile clothing at a more accessible, mid-tier price point.
Key Aspects of Bridge Sportswear:
Positioning: Located in department stores between the designer and better sportswear sections.
Target Audience: Consumers looking for quality and style at a moderate price, often referred to as "investment dressing".
Components: Includes a mix of tailored career apparel, stylish casual wear, and versatile pieces suitable for work or weekend.
Examples of Brands: Historically and in the 90s, this included brands like Ellen Tracy, Dana Buchman, DKNY, Coach, and Michael Kors.
Evolution: While highly popular in the 80s and 90s, the category evolved towards "contemporary" fashion or "accessible luxury" in later years.
It is often associated with "diffusion lines," which are secondary, lower-priced collections created by high-end designers.
Wtf did I just read.
What is your problem with it? Fashion is a business. I just explained, perhaps in fashion business technical terms, the answer to the OP's question.
And before you ask, no, I'm not on the spectrum. And, "sweetie", I'll bless my own heart so you don't have to say it.
Thank you, PP! I was happy to learn this! I was fascinated by catalogues and the shopping mall as a kid, but my family only bought things from LLBean. - NP