Monday, December 06, 2010

Christmas, 1978.

Maybe it's Christmas nostalgia. Or sheer exhaustion.

At any rate, I found myself recently looking once, twice, three times...and finally pulling this pattern out of my vintage pattern bin and sticking it in the queue:


I know. It's not remotely my vintage style. Or era. Or whathaveyou. And it's...bell bottoms. And it's from that vast fashion wastoid known as the 70s. (1973, to be exact).

Still. There's something very Modcloth about that far right blue mini number. I can't stop thinking about it. It's even the wrong SIZE for Pete's sake! Weird, right? I'm probably going be making it soon and you'll just have to forgive my lapse of fashion sense. (No bell bottoms though, I promise).

And as long as I'm reminiscing about the 1970s, and it's Christmas-time, let's go ahead and revisit a favorite Christmas present from my mom and dad:


Tomy Fashion Plates!!!

I was 8 years old. Christmas, 1978. My Gosh, I yearned for these Pepto-Bismol pink pressed plastic plates with their black rubbing crayon and half-size colored pencils. Oh, the plaids and florals and stripes that covered the flip sides! The tennis dress! The roller skates! The Farrah-haired models!

This little tray of goodness kept me occupied for many an afternoon on that long Christmas break (and for months after).

Dear old Tomy Fashion Plates...where are you now?? (No matter, I'm watching no fewer than 5 different sets on ebay. The complete sets are rather out of my price range, but I'm crossing my fingers that one day a set will fall into my budgetary level eventually?)

Carry on.

21 comments:

  1. fantastic stuff honey! I really remember those fashion plates too! Loved them, why weren't we smart enough to keep them? g

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  2. I had those too, loved them, but I think they went out in a garage sale years ago. I think the blue one would be great, actually, more as a tunic.

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  3. I loved those fashion plates, too, but mine were Barbie. I actually have a set that I found in my Granny's garage. You can come over and play with mine one day. :)

    Scroll down to the very bottom of this post:
    http://colescornerandcreations.blogspot.com/2010/08/week-five-of-summer-vacation-tour.html

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  4. I'm sure I sewed this pattern back in early 70s. Its cute but I really resent 70s and 80s fashion. Just when fashion was becoming beautiful in the 90s I was moving in the opposite direction!

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  5. Oh wow a trip down memory lane, my sister & I each got a set of Fashion Plates one Christmas, we immediately became obsessed and I expect it was a struggle to get us to the table for Christmas dinner!

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  6. I had to do a double take and check that pattern envelope more closely. I thought this was a pajama/nightgown pattern at first!

    Fashion Plates- I remember them, but I don't think I ever had them. Perhaps my lack of fashion sense can be blamed on this.

    word ver : phonesin (oh yeaaaaaaah)

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  7. I had a set of fashion plates too when I was younger!!! My aunt took me out shopping for my birthday (in December) and that is what I chose. I wish I had them now though!!

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  8. son of a #@!#@*! I opened up a box of junk from my mom's place a few months ago... I have the Fashion Plates TRAY... and NO FRIGGIN' FASHION PLATES! I have been TEARING my hair out ever since, because you CAN not find these on eBay.

    I finally broke down and bought TLo a "new" set for Christmas, which has much crappier fashion (IMO).

    Hmmph.

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  9. OMG. I almost started crying when I saw the Fashion Plates. I had a set too and I loved them! I would rub with different color crayons and pencils, 'cause I thought I was an artiste. Oh, what a good memory. Just made my day.

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  10. I still have my Fashion Plates too from 78 or 79. And the box looks exactly like the one in the picture. Same crush points and everything. I have my Spirograph too. Hours of fun.

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  11. Ah, Fashion Plates - those puppies rocked my young world too! So awesome.

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  12. I loved Fashion Plates! I could have played with them all day long. :-) I guess we did!

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  13. OMG! Talk about a blast from the past. I LOVED my fashion plates. I especially loved the textures on the back side of the fashions... I won so many coloring contests because of those. :P Thanks for the little trip down memory lane. :)

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  14. Oh, My! Fashion Plates! How I wish I still had mine. The princess would absolutely LOVE them. If she could get them away from me, of course!

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  15. Oh my gosh - I haven't see one of those in ages ... like since 1978 ;-) I loved mine - who knows where it is now :-(

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  16. Oh, I remember fashion plates! I loved mine :)

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  17. such a nice stuff..hope my daughter could have that one.

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  18. that is funny because I have also been thinking about Christmas favourites from my childhood and browsing them on ebay!

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  19. I try to search on Ebay for a perfect present for my kids I find some cute stuff same as the image in the blog post.

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  20. Crystal1:58 AM

    I still have my Fashion Plates (loved and used them to death). I'll be pulling them out when my girls are a little older. I also have all my Li'l Me's stored away for them.

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  21. I had this too! Wow, such a blast from the past

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