The top ad is dated 1973 and the one below it is from 1977.
Catchhand and 1973 went together well. Their shop in Kirk Style was doing a roaring trade with certain urban types who liked to be seen wearing Ben Sherman shirts, Sta-Prest trousers and Harrington jackets. A young teen street-wise crowd in fact.
I think they were struggling a bit with their slogan mind you!
If you were "With It", it meant you were trendy, up to date with the latest fashions - but the way they've worded it does seem rather clumsy.
Anyway, you get the gist of it.
1977 next and time to grab a bargain in the sales with their £3 reduction offer on Brutus and Jet jeans.
I remember the Catchhand name but where was Kirkstyle?
ReplyDeleteSurely the old "old Overgate" and it's environs were long gone by 73?
Kirk Style was the stretch of shops in the previous Overgate between The Angus Hotel and the Old Steeple. From Nethergate to W.Lows corner.
ReplyDeleteI remember it well but couldnae afford to shop there, I think I had a couple of christmas presents from there tho....
ReplyDeleteI remember having a couple of Target shirts, were they poor mans Ben Sherman?
ReplyDeleteTarget and Sherman went together shoulder to shoulder.
ReplyDeleteDid they f**k!!!!! cool dude or Bay City Roller fan, mon now GG , GWTP, sta/press---- eva/press , etc etc :) small eg, Ben Shermans are back in style big time, wharz yir target shirts ????????? :)
ReplyDeleteWell actually, we're both right, and the difference is "1 year".
ReplyDeleteIn 1973, the date of the ad, Target shirts were just as popular with Dundee gangs as Ben Shermans and both shared equal street cred.
When the Bay City Rollers hit the charts big time in 1974, they also wore Target shirts, along with Skinners and high waistband jerseys, which was the common urban look at the time. However when the band started to get a teenybopper following who dressed like the Rollers, mid 74 onwards, that's when the Target shirts lost their appeal to many of those who were wearing them in 73.
Also on the go in 1973 was the idea of customising your gear with bits of tartan. Tartan turnups, tartan strips along the tops of the pockets of your jeans etc. This idea too was then taken up later by BCR who put it good use to fully form the band's image. That then became what is now regarded as the Bay City Roller look, which some people cringe at. That association would probably put me off wearing a Target shirt these days, but I don't mind using the 73 original version for my profile icon!
That ends todays history lesson!
Waisters??? V neck jumper with big waited bit? sometimes had stars on if you were really cool??? Worn with bags and wedges?
ReplyDeleteI used to wear both, not at the same time of course, but I got them from mcGills, Catchhand would later supply me with my Wrangler parallels, waistcoats and jackets but levis shirts and boots [I liked denim] Maybe the Target shirts could make a comeback now the MINTER of looking like a teenybopper has passed, Burns night special shirts ;D
ReplyDeleteIworked for 20yrs for the gents outfitters menzies @ sons in dundee.Catchhand were their boutiques. they had catchhands in forfar, arbroath, falkirk montrose. the very first catchhand was near the bottom of the hilltown.the reason i know this was because I was their windowdressser. used to travel all over scotland dressing their catchhands and their outfitters.The buyer for the company Mr Main used to ask me my opinion on some of the merchandise. I used to turn up for work dressed in my staypress, ben sherman, and braces,not very girly, but it was the seventies and it was the fashion. Target shirts were the poor mans "arthur black", a glasgow outfitters who made your shirt "made to measure" with your name embroidered on the pocket, an "arthur black" was THE fashion statement.
ReplyDeleteAs a 15-year old in 1971, I can remember my "skinhead" period with the DM's, hand-scrubbed Wranglers, braces, Ben Sherman shirts and Harrington jacket.
ReplyDeleteDuring 1972, I morphed into my "suedehead" period with the gibson shoes, 22" paralles, 1.5" turnups, still Ben Sherman shirts, and Crombie overcoat with a hankerchief in the outside breast pocket.
Fortunately never got caught up in the BCR craze - Motown and the Who were my thing.
As for shopping, I do remember buying stuff in Catchhand and also Beaujangles. Even got my suits and trousers made to measure in Burton's (all of it courtesy of hard-earned milk money!!).
Catchhand had a wee shop 2 doors up the hill from the Hawthorn Bar.
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