Mail order shopping was how I built my wardrobe when I began crossdressing (shopping online was not an option way back then).
My wife purchased a few things from the Avon mail order catalog, which by the way, was not associated with Avon cosmetics. Make one purchase and the mail order catalogs just keep on coming not only from Avon, but also Spiegel, Lane Bryant, Roaman’s, Jessica London, etc. Somewhere along the line, Avon changed its name to Newport News and their catalogs replaced the Avon catalogs in our mailbox.
Newport News products were reasonably priced and I bought a lot of their skirts, tops, dresses, suits and high heels (that is a Newport News dress I am wearing in the sidebar photo). In general, their quality was good and I still have a few Newport News dresses and high heels in my wardrobe.
In the early 2000s, the catalogs stopped arriving. Spiegel owned Newport News and filed for bankruptcy in 2003 and that ended my mail order shopping. After all, who needed mail order shopping when online shopping was revving up? And even better, shopping in person en femme.
So except for some vintage items in my closet, Newport News is now just a fond memory.
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| Wearing Shein |
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| Frank Thornton femulating in British television’s Are You Being Served? |
Newport News/Spiegal folks produced some whippy and classic pieces that I still have retained a few of. Does anyone remember Lew Magrum? They were contemporary to Newport News. Their clothes were glitzier while verging on a draggy glamour look. My wife insisted that Lew snuck in a few males into the catalog photo shoots. She wore several Lew Magrum pieces herself. I saved a few of the catalogs that specifically had males modeling Lew's clothes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the trip down memory lane.
Angel Amore
Same here, mail order was and still is the only way to add to my wardrobe. Unfortunately space is very limited in my cellar, so my buying sprees have dwindled to just looking at catalogs and sighing.
ReplyDeleteI remember Newport News and shopped Spiegel a bit. I really liked the styles they had and wish I had bought more.
ReplyDeleteNorah
Thank you for this trip down memory lane! I had long since forgotten about the Newport News catalog, where practically every page was filled with clothes I wanted to wear.
ReplyDeleteI used to receive the OneHanesPlace catalog in the early 90s in my first apartment after college. I would go through each page like a kid with the Sears Christmas catalog, gazing at the pantyhose, underwear, and bras, wishing I could have one of everything! Oh, how I wish I could still get pantyhose in those now unavailable shades...
I also miss Metrostyle. I made a huge order in 2022 just before they closed. Most items were 90% off and I bought a ton of tall items. I discovered a lot of the items were too small but I carefully stored them for the future. I lost 50+ pounds this past year and had a wonderful time donating clothes that were too large while replacing them with my Metrostyle clothes.
ReplyDeleteBefore the internet most of the major department stores and many of the specialty shops mailed out catalogues. Our college age daughter used my credit card at Victoria's Secret which brought its small advertisement with offers of a free panty. My wife didn't care the advertisements came in my name but she snapped up the free panty offers. My favorite catalogue was the JC Penny Christmas catalogue.
ReplyDeleteBack in the 90s, the VS catalog seemed to be everywhere you looked. And while most men were oogling the beautiful women on the pages, some of us men were more interested in wearing the clothing being advertised;)
DeleteNew free monthly panties in the mail from VS? How do I sign up and are there garter belt or baby doll specials? Like a Radio Shack battery card for CDs who enjoy wearing a sexy panty in between Skims and 2 ply girdles. I did try a girdle experience in getting all buttoned up but I found the cup size a bit too small Hugs Brenda
ReplyDeleteStana, I shopped at Newport News for many of my wardrobe items. I loved their styles and their prices.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what younger generations will look back on fondly. As they say: nostalgia ain’t what it used to be!
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time my wife wanted a shapewear from Fredrick’s of Hollywood. The mall store didn’t have the color. I mail order it. Wanting to surprise her I used the address to the pizza place I worked at part time. I received catalogs for a year there. Everyone wondered why.
ReplyDeleteFor me there was a catalog named Chadwick‘s. My wife used to order clothes from it on a regular basis used to love sitting down and just going through that catalog daydreaming. This is during the time of the 80s and 90s when dresses, pantyhose and high heels, were de reguir I believe Chadwick’s eventually turned into a catalog named “woman within” my gosh, could a more appropriate name be picked. I still see that catalog arrive in our house I’m always the first to skim through it. Paula G
ReplyDeletePG,
DeleteI still get a Chadwick's catalog. I believe that the Woman Within catalog is part of the same company that puts out Roamans and Jessica London too.
Angel Amore