Friday, July 13, 2012

Turning 60 or 60-Something? Guess What, You're Today's Twenty-Something with Wisdom...



It's not hard to read your thoughts.

What is this foolishness?  
We're the new 50 or at best, 40 ...twenty-something ...ridiculous.

Lucy, you've got some serious xplaining to do. 

I guess I do.

Let me ask you this.  If this idea is so crazy, why can't you stop grinning and high-fiving each other, sixty-somethings? 

And twenty-somethings, you can stop rolling your eyes and sighing now ...because a picture is truly worth a thousand words.  Like Bill Cosby used to say in those funny Jello commercials, "the proof is in the pudding."  Or should I say, the proof is in the re-design of the pudding. 


Pudding Proof #1 
1967




Recognize this psychedelic Emilio Pucci design?  You should.  Even if you were born decades after this design exploded into the fashion scene, it's been popping up in New Millennium design for boo-cou years.  Check out this pudding in the form of a one-piece swimsuit with a psychedelic design from Popina, Retro Swimwear.

2012



Let's go back to the 1960s,
shall we?


2012


Is it ringing a familiar bell yet?  We knew it would. 

"If only you have faith in God, this is the absolute truth. You can say to that Mt. Olives, rise up and fall into the sea, and your command will be obeyed. All that is required is that you truly believe and have no doubt." Mark 11:23



ICAFE WOMAN MODERNE - GREAT ROOM - A Virtual Cafe Inside an Art Moderne Mid-Century Modern Home

 http://astore.amazon.com/icawommod0c-20

Modern White Leather Sectional Sofa with Built-in Light


 


Today's Host:  Brenda Griffin

Thanks for stopping by iCafe Woman Moderne on this special day, Friday, July 13, 2012.  I'm wearing these fly shoes, as my daughter would say, to remind you that 60-something can be diva-licious too.  That one's from me.  You can click on the image to get a pair for yourself.   Kiki, the owner of this fabulous fashion forward virtual cafe for inter-generational women and girls, sends you miracles and blessings. 

I'm so excited about today's text-webisode, "Turning 60 or 60-Something?  Guess What, You're Today's Twenty-Something with Wisdom." 


Baxton Studio Fiorenza White Plastic Armchair with Wood Eiffel Legs, Set of 2


Come on in ...grab a seat.  It's nice and cool in here.  We can't feel the spiraling temperatures, sweeping across the globe.  That whirling sound you hear in the background is our blenders doing their job.  They're churning out samples of new smoothies we found on Betty Crocker.com. 






But we don't want to give away any surprises--teasers ...yes.  That's what I'm sipping now.  It's yummy. 


We'll share them in an upcoming text-webisode to help you beat the heat.  We're also expecting a visit from a really cool producer in the cable television world in another upcoming webisode, so stay-tuned.



(BettyCrocker.com)

Remember when I said this was a special text-episode?  It is!  Today's my birthday!  Yes, Friday, July 13.  Actually, I was born on a Tuesday.  No birthday cake for me, I eat light in the summertime.  I found this great flag dessert at Betty Crocker.com.


Oopsie, I forgot to introduce myself.  I beg your pardon, I'm knew to this hosting gig, but I'm digging it.  This could be the start of a new career.  I truly believe my best years are ahead of me ...what about you?


I'm Brenda, a former HR Recruiter for a Fortune 500 and I'm three months into my exciting new retirement.  I was born today, July 13, 1952.  And yes, I just turned the big 60 and I'm so excited about this new journey.  I'm ready to reinvent myself like yesterday. 



One of my favorite actresses, Lynn Whitfield, was born in 1953.   Did you see her in The Josephine Baker Story?  She has such an amazing talent!


Other Fabulous People Born on this Day

My July 13th birthday is shared by:   

Actor Cheech Marin - Cheech & Chong - 1946
Actor Harrison Ford - Raiders of the Lost Ark - 1942
Boxer Michael Spinks - 1956
Inventor Emo Rubik - Inventor of the Rubik's Cube, still popular today - 1944
Actress Didi Conn - Benson - 1951
Country Singer - Louise Mandrell - 1954

Sixty-Something the New Twenty-Something?


So where did I get this crazy notion that 60 or 60-something is the new twenty-something?  Don't get me wrong, I don't want to return to my twenties.  There's not enough Motrin in the world for that repeat performance. 

However, the teens and twenty-somethings of the 60s and 70s are now in their 50s, 60s  and just hitting 70.  We're happy where we are.  Believe me when I tell you, we're just getting warmed up.

Are you just warming up?  Are you re-inventing yourself for your next chapter?  Or are you basking in the glow of your life's accomplishments?

They are today's twenty-something because the actual twenty-something divas are sporting the same hip maxi dresses and halter with hipster swimsuits in bold graphic designs in 2012. 

They're furnishing their first homes with mid-century modern furniture like our great room leather sectional, Eames chairs and the egg chair you just saw. 
PUDDING PROOF #2



Let's drop these car facts. The Fiat, a popular car in the 60s and 70s has returned to the roads with state-of-the-art performance.  The Mini Cooper (coupe) may remind you of a popular mid-century car you saw yourself driving into the future.  If you guessed, the Karmann Ghia, you would be right.  

Hey, car designers brought back the Volkswagen Beetle ...why not bring back a Karmann Ghia look-alike.  Better yet, design an updated Karmann Ghia.  That's right, I'm planting the seed.


Look around, today's twenty-somethings are sporting our mid-century clothes, home decor, cars, entertainment, music, etc., but with a New Millennium edge. Not so in the language department ... groovy and outta-sight ... never came back in popularity.  I don't ever remember saying awesome or at the end of the day, unless I was really talking about the end of the day.

We brought the cool and they're borrowing it for a season or two.  So we can now shout out (if we want to), we're the new twenty-something.   Remember, it was us, the 60-year-olds, who gave you the cool stuff to bring back.   

PUDDING PROOF #3


Amazing Fantasy #15 (2002 Reprint Version - Spider-Man's 1st appearance, Marvel Comics)

Stan Lee's Marvel Comics World

And the proof is still in the pudding in the comic book world.   Stan Lee of Marvel Comics fame created our favorite superheroes in the early 1960s.   But first, let's get some Wikipedia facts about this comic book genius.


Stan Lee (89) made an impressive name for himself as a comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.  In collaboration with several artists, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Thor and many others.

We enjoyed Marvel comic books back-in-the-day and made sure our corner stores kept a good supply.  Today's teens and twenty-somethings are still enjoying them on the big screen in high definition.  Can you hear it?  That's the steady ka-ching sound at the box offices for The Amazing Spider-Man, now playing at a movie theater near you. 

PUDDING PROOF #4


Aztec and Native American design was big in fashion in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  I wore a swimsuit just like this one (recently manufactured) when I was 16 in 1968.  You couldn't tell me I wasn't cute.  I even twisted a bandana and wore it as a headband with it. 

By the time I was done jumping the Atlantic City waves at Chicken Bone Beach, my long pigtails looked like huge afro puffs.  I loved it.  I was too sharp to wear a bathing cap.  Remember the ones with the flower petals?  Cute ...huh?



Martin Luther King Jr. pauses for a photo on Missouri Avenue Beach, also known as "Chicken Bone Beach," a "socially restricted" area in Altantic City, N.J., in the late 1950s. Photo: Mosley Collection at Charles Blockson Collection at Temple University.


PUDDING PROOF #5

1960s FULL LENGTH MAXI DRESS



2012 MAXI


Anne Klein Women's Ggt Maxi With Macrame Neck Detail Dress



LAmade Women's Ruffle Maxi Dress

PUDDING PROOF #6
1960s SHIFT DRESS





A neighbor of ours worked as a sales associate at Bonwit Teller at the time this unique dress hit the store racks.  I begged my mom to buy me the Mondrian shift dress. Our neighbor offered to get me one with her store discount.  It still wasn't happening.

What I didn't understand was that even with her store discount, the price was too high for my family of seven.  A few weeks later, I stumbled on a Simplicity pattern for the design at our neighborhood 5 & 10 store.  

 
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a replication of the Mondrian design in a fabric bolt.  I hadn't realized I screamed, until I saw the owner running in my direction with a baseball bat.  This Mondrian imposter was slightly different, but close enough. 

Seventh and Eighth grade sewing classes gave me skills I ignored until I laid eyes on that shift dress.  I grabbed my Simplicity pattern and 5 & 10 material and sewed my own Mondrian shift dress on my Mom's Singer, compliments of S&H stamps.  It was ten times better than any shift dress I could have bought at Bonwit & Teller.  Not because I made it. 

You see, Mom had also found the same Simplicity pattern and 5 & 10 fabric and was planning on surprising me with the dress.  So she joined my sewing party and sewed me a matching purse that attached to the dress and a cute beret.  I wore it with my white Go-Go boots I got for Christmas.  Mom took a picture of me in our creation and placed it in a prominent spot on our upright piano.


2012 SHIFT DRESS



Bailey 44 Women's Taxi Way Dress




Robert Rodriguez Women's Knit Fitted Shift Dress






On a Final Note - What Was Popular in 1952?


Popular TV Shows
1. I Love Lucy (Of course)
2. Dragnet
3. The Lone Ranger


Popular Movies
1. An American in Paris
2. A Streetcar Named Desire
3. The African Queen


New Books Published
1. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
2. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
3. Charlotte's Web by E. Bl White


Popular Songs
1. A Guy is a Guy by Doris Day
2. Half as Much by Rosemary Clooney
3.  Wheel of Fortune by Day Starr


Tune in Next Time!

















4 comments:

Amaryllis Turman said...

Found you from LinkedIn. Great post! So true about fashion being recycled. It is funny how designers try to say that they are doing a new take on a retro style, when it all is really a retro style redone. I have some sweaters from my mom's younger days and people want to know where I bought them.

Gayle Herbert Robinson said...

Thank you for your kind words. You see, your mother's sweaters are the proof in the pudding. Fashion has come full circle, it's just tweaked a bit. Thanks for stopping by... don't hesitate to visit again with your favorite summertime beverage. Mine is sweet tea. An upcoming text-webisode will be on summertime drinks and frozen snacks. Blessings!

Virginia Wright said...

Hi Gayle, Sharing your Popsicle mold on my fb page. Awesome! Home-made treats!

All My Best,
-Virginia Wright

Gayle Herbert Robinson said...

I'm so glad you're sharing the Popsicle molds on your FB page. They remind me of a simpler time. When I was a kid, my family loved making Popsicles from Kool-Aid and Welch's Grape juice. Miracles and Blessings!