June 19, 2007
Vintage Toronto Ads: Sheer Unisex
The late 1960s were a time of throwing off the shackles of traditional societal gender norms, including the rules surrounding who could wear lace pants. Unisex clothing popped up on runways mid-decade, reaching suburban malls by the time today's ad appeared.
Opened in the winter of 1964, Yorkdale's original anchors included Eaton's (recently converted into the H&M/Old Navy wing), Simpson's (now The Bay), Dominion (now Holt Renfrew) and Kresge's (the five-and-dime progenitor of K-Mart; not sure where this was located). The mall was strategically located for accessibility to two major expressways, even if one (the Spadina, now Allen Road) was never fully built. Fairweather is still among the tenants, though its Big Steel Man division, which existed as its own chain in the 1970s and 1980s, vanished years ago.
Our models appear ready to toss off their pants quickly, but for different reasons—while she may be ready to discover free love, he looks shellshocked by the new style; too emotionally detached to enjoy any amour. Sheer nervousness, perhaps? A bad audition for a part in the Toronto production of Hair (mounted at the Royal Alex a few months later)?
As for those with less-than-svelte waistlines, they were sheer out-of-luck.
Source: Toronto Life, October, 1969
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"BIG-STEEL! We'll dress you in the right di-rection!"
I used to love their ads on 1050 CHUM...
And the BIG STEEL MAN!!!
See-through lace pants: feel your masculinity draining away...
"...the rules surrounding who could wear lace pants..."
The rule should be: nobody.
strippers are still allowed to wear lace pants though
I forgot where exactly, but Kresge was in a rather un-anchorlike mid-mall location. (That's the way it tended to be w/five-and-dimes in the mall; remember the old-school Zellers at Dufferin Mall?)
Is it weird that I really like the fit of those men's pants, aside from the too-big flare?
Wasn't that a Woolco at Dufferin Mall?
Yes, the present Wal-Mart was a Woolco. But on the W side of Dufferin Mall (somewhere in that current Sirens stretch) was, well into the 90s even IIRC, one of the last "old-school" Zellers, back when it was more of a Kresge/Woolworth-type operation...
I know 1969 was the sexual revolution but, what with all the Pride Week stuff on the brain, I have to wonder - how many hetero dudes went out to buy see-thru white lace pants because of the ad with the shirtless handlebar moustache guy?
The sizes are also interesting in that:
a) 34" is I guess around average for a guy but clearly Big Steel wasn't aiming for the hefty market. Maybe this is just before our society started gorging.
b) This was before they found out women didn't like buying sizes in the 20s and made up a new numbering system.
Also, that dude has a massive belly button. You could park one of his nipples in there.
I'm a size 34" in pants, but what guy is a 24"?! And considering how I'd look in those, I'd have to agree with the 34" cutoff. More alarmingly, however, is that the 70s were before the era of manscaping, and I don't even want to think of what might be poking through a pair of white lace pants (shudder).
Of course Topping likes them...he's skinny and has the same hair. :-P
I am a 32 waist, and want to know how do you get a hold of those pants. I totally remember Big steel, but they had already changed their target market. But Im serious about those pant. Where do I get some
What's he wearing underneath the lace, where there's a white blotch? A jockstrap? A codpiece?
If you're not willing to pay the Big Steel name-brand prices, the generic term is, I believe, “doily-cut”.