In my continuing reign as "Luckiest Woman in North America," last night I found THREE issues of Flair Magazine, for $1/each. Why am I so excited about some old magazines from the 1950s? Well, everyone (especially the magazine cognoscenti) agrees that Flair was something special. The die-cut covers! The offbeat contributors! The crazy layouts! I managed to find April, May, and August 1950, and I'm sure I'll be posting some stuff from these issues. The College Issue, for example, tells HOW MANY SWEATERS one of their co-eds has. (That would be eleven.)
I love old magazines (I also bought an issue of Life for some nefarious purpose that I will not yet reveal). I also got a SIGNED copy of Mitford Mathews' Dictionary of Americanisms, a book for my little boy, and something from 1891 that seemed hilarious, so I bought it.
Where did I find all this glory? Well, the Regenstein Library, of course. (It was book sale time!) I love the Regenstein. I don't know exactly why, but I think it has something to do with the idea that every time I go in there I learn, not just something I didn't already know, but something I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW I didn't know. That, to me, is what a library is. And the Chicago libraries, I think, are better than most [disclaimer: I am on a U of C library committee, which is kind of what being a football booster would be at any other school], in that they think beyond (as it was described to me) the "cathedral of books" model. A cathedral of books is very beautiful and inspiring, but if you are going to have a knowledge religion you probably also want to go out and minister to the information-downtrodden, the information-hungry, and the information-poor, and that's what they do. Every time I go there I come out refreshed, which, come to think of it, is exactly what going to church is supposed to make you feel, right?
One of those issues of Flair has a white, fake-fur, strapless evening gown in it. Too bad it's only an illustration … there was also a $250 HarperCollins/Rizzoli book of The Best of Flair a couple years back. It's still going for about $125!
A Dress A Day 
I love the library.My mother is a librarian so I spent/spend a lot of time there. I love going into the used book sale room…you really never know what you might turn up.Old catalogs and magazines make me happy….
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Oh, my. I’m so jealous — I love Flair, and have been looking for issues, but they always go for so much, and aren’t always in the best shape….
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Congratulations on your book sale finds, Erin! I’m ashamed to admit that I always seem to forget/overlook the Regenstein book sale, even though I (a) work downstairs from it and (b) route hundreds of items there every year.Down the hall from the book sale, you’ll find a few more issues of Flair in Special Collections, as part of the RR Donnelley Archive. In fact, I had hoped to include one in our current exhibit of the collection, but it didn’t make the final cut.
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I forwarded some of this to my coworkers (in the Looniversity library) and about 30 seconds after I hit send my phone rang – “Oh, what a wonderful thing to hear first thing in the morning!” Thank you for bringing a daily dose of simple joy and positive outlook to this fractious life we live.
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Oooh, Flair! I’ve heard the stories but have never seen an actual specimen. I’m jealous, jealous, jealous.As an aside I’m also jealous of your location. We lived in KY for a short time, and the best thing about it was being able to get to Chicago often. We live in CT now but I still miss the Other City.
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Maija, like I need more reasons to hang out in Special Collections … :-)The lovely lady who stayed late last night to sell books to the committee said they have so much stuff this time that the sale is going on for two weeks! So you have time. And I might make a return visit next week …
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I found I Love Miss Tilli Bean by Ilka Chase at our library sale last year. It’s dress-relevant.
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Oh do I love the library. There is just something about going in to the library and taking a breath and knowing you are breathing air that has touched the knowledge of literally thousands and thousands of people.
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Erin, No Flair! Er…I mean, no fair. I want a few Flair magazines. Lucky you for finding them at the sale. Good going!I get pretty excited when I luck into ANY vintage fashion magazines–but Flair? That’s a real score. Did you notice that it was recently mentioned in (I think) Domino magazine? If the back issue prices were high before, I can only imagine what they are right now.Holly
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Oh, I remember reading about ‘Flair’ in an old Time Life book. It sounded wonderful, if doomed. Lucky you!
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Oh I have never heard of Flair. I want to read one now!!! Old catalogs and magazines make me happy too:+) Years ago when I was going through a divorce I worked as a librian page. The pay was crap but I really had a good time there. I drove my dad nuts tho I kept bringing home loads of books off my cart that I thought were interesting. I was bringing home 8 or more books every night. Dad thought I was trying to make his home the library.Im jealous of your location too!!! I live miles from a decent library actually miles from a decent anything!!!
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Of course you didn’t know this, but my husband is a rare book dealer. We have the fabric/dresses/handbags and book corner all wrapped up.The house is a combination of library smells, baking bread, lego’s and the faint wiff of fabric deals.I knew there was more than a one (or a dozen) reasons that I read and loved you!
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Wow–a magazine I’d never heard of before!! I worked as a page for two years in the Oklahoma City Library system and I loved the job. Unfortunately, some of the people were a little too hidebound in the old librarian traditional way and made it too uncomfortable to work there. I have bookshelves and boxes full of books that we have bought over the years from books sales (Which support the library, you know!) and would never have been aware of some of the authors I’ve read over the years without them. I also pick up great books, fabric, and, of course, PATTERNS, at my favorite thrift stores. (Are there Value Village stores in Chicago? They are wonderful!!) Yet another reason I love your blog, too!
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I work on-and-off in a couple local libraries here in rural Wisconsin. Although neither of them tend to have a great collection, I have access to 30+ other libraries in the area through the joint catalog. The pay may be crap, but this library thing has saved me thousands of dollars that I would have spent on books.
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Fun stuff! And I didn’t know I didn’t know about Flair. Thanks! Very much looking forward to exerpts from “As We Were Saying”; perhaps “Does Refinement Kill Individuality?”, but all of the chapter titles intrigue me.
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There is just something about going in to the library and taking a breath and knowing you are breathing air that has touched the knowledge of literally thousands and thousands of people.Agreed. My ex husband came over once after I aquired a large clothing estate that ended up including a whole lot of paper ephemera, and commented that my place smelled like a library. Now that I’ve had time to read those letters, papers (book reports written in college in the 20s!), cards & more….I think he’s right. I’ve learned a lot from those old papers! I love that scent…. Great magazines, Erin, I’d never heard of them! Ang
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Ditto !! I know of your excitment I myself just found Flair May 1950 .. See my Blog for a few pics it was dedicated to Roses .. Wonderful !! Linda Marie http://www.sunflowerlane.com
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