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The 70's Called...
You say hoarder, I say Pack Rat. Yes, I tend to hold on to some things from days gone by. Here's my Levi's cut-offs from 1972. Are you old enough to remember the late Hippie days?
I grew up just North of San Francisco in a small town called Sonoma, which is in wine country.
I lived in San Francisco the year after the "Summer of Love", but I was never a part of the Hippie culture there. Far from it! I worked "For The Man" at Bank of America, right downtown on the corner of Powell and Market, where the cable cars turned around.
My high school friend, Fayola (rhymes with crayola...don't judge
) and I made $400 each at good ole B of A back then. We shared a furnished one bedroom apartment in the Noe Valley area, which cost us $400 a month. Yes, over half our monthly income each before taxes! That would scare the crap out of me now, but we weren't even fazed back then. San Francisco in 1968 was full of possibilities.
I joined the Air Force in May of 1969 looking for job opportunities. Yikes! That's almost 50 years ago. Anyway, a few years later in '72 I found myself reporting in to an AF base in Biloxi Mississippi for instructor training school. I had time on my hands so I started embroidering my Levi's cut-offs. I put my initials "S" and "J" on each pocket and the ever-so-popular-back-then daisy.
Do girls still wear guys jeans today? Somehow I don't think so, but that was all the rage back in my day. In fact, I don't think they even made Levis for girls until quite some time later. Guy's jeans are just what you wore back then.
I looked up the value of men's vintage 501's Levis jeans just out of curiosity last night. As usual, I was late to the party.
To be of significant value, among other things the old jeans need to have a large letter "E" as in "LEVI", not "Levi" like mine have. That change was made around 1970 as far as I could tell.
True to form, I didn't finish the embroidery project on the front. I think I'd planned on running the vine across to the last two flowers, but something (or someone) else must have gotten in the way.
If you're good with a needle, please don't critique my handiwork. This was the first project I probably ever did. Can you imagine how hard it is to sew through jeans?
Thanks for dropping by!
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I was a little behind you I joined the Army in 1975. I was certainly impressed that you still had the jeans you embroidered all those years ago.
ReplyDeleteI do remember having to squeeze my girlish figure into guys jeans! I love your embroidery. I think it looks perfect, almost like from a machine!
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job with your embroidery, I haven't embroidered for a while, I use to do it everyday, before bed, now I sleep, before I go to bed, can't even read, I fall asleep. We were just talking about it today, we need lights and magnifying lens an the works. Wow $400, holy hannah, I don't even think I made that much, and I was planning on moving out of my parents home, but then decided to go back to school. I can't believe you kept your cut offs.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun memories...and the embroidery still looks like new. I remember when less than $1000.00 a month supported a whole family, and in a rather nice style. Times have certainly changed!
ReplyDeleteI can not believe you still have those shorts! LOL!
ReplyDeleteI held on to some clothes from the past for the longest time but finally got rid of them all.
But, I can see why you hung on to those, because they are a piece of art!
Sounds like you've had an adventurous life. What great fun it must have been to live in San Francisco! and how brave to join the Air Force!
Wow!
Love the shorts! I bet you looked very cute in them!
xoxo
Yes, I am old enough to remember, but I wasn't smart enough to save anything.
ReplyDeleteI love the embroidery.