THE WORKSHOP AD - 1988

An ad for The Workshop in the Nethergate from 1988, a place I know absolutely zilch about.

If any of you can do the biz on this one - the comments section is all yours.

HUGH FARQUHAR AD - 1978

I forgot Hugh Farquhar also had a place in Crichton Street - although they themselves seem to have forgotten to put Street in the ad!

I automatically think of the High Street salon anytime Farquhars name crops up.

Anyway, this one is from 1978.

PARR AD - 1974

This ad for Parr in the Ferry is dated 1974.

Sorry about the hair dye drips!

JOHN WATSON AD - 1971

An ad for John Watson in Cleghorn Street dated 1971.

This was a ladies salon, which may explain why I don't know what posticheur is!

My old neighbour, Margaret, would know though because she used to do John's books back then.

RICKSONS ADS - 70's/80's

A couple of adverts for Ricksons in the Nethergate.

Top one is from 1979 and the one underneath, 1980.

Two well known local hairdressers who were doing their apprenticeship at Ricksons at the time of the '79 ad, were Graeme Merchant and Norrie McDicken - but in 1980 both moved to Salon 51 to finish their training there.

Norrie now has his super-duper place in Reform Street - Salonori.

No idea how long Ricksons itself lasted.

SALON 51 AD - 1984

Don't know if Eddie went here to be shorn, but this is Salon 51 in the Murraygate - going for it!

Ad is dated 1984.

EDDIE'S STYLE CHANGE - 80'S

This is the same Eddie as seen in yesterdays items, only this time modelling a totally different hairstyle, where he seems to have gone for a John Lydon kind of look.

I just put this image up to subtly flow from fashion to hair, and to kick-start a few days worth of retro salon action!

Photo by The Bear.

PERTH ROAD'S CANADIAN SHOP - 80'S

Those of you who frequented places like the Centre Bar, Club Feet and other youthful dens in town in the 70's & 80's will probably remember (Fast) Eddie Donnelly.

Well after his first trade went bust, he opened up this fashion shop in the Perth Road, the clothing on the racks being stuff he imported from North America.

The shop may have been called Dan Rivers, not 100% sure, although that's a name that crops up on the funky interior design.

Eddies co-owner was George Craigie, and Billy Shaw helped out in the shop - this was sometime around the mid/late 80's period.

Photos by The Bear.

NME FASHION ADS - 70's/80's

On the occasions when you couldn't always find what you were looking for in Dundee shops (which was quite often) and you couldn't always afford to go to London to indulge, then the mail order pages in music papers were a good alternative.

The ones above are all from old NME's I have, so let's tuck in...!!

The top ad is dated 1978 and features gear with a distinctly early 70's look - rugby shirt, cheesecloth shirt, embroidered kurta, loons and smock top.

The next 4 ads are all from 1981 and include a mish-mash of punk, new romantic, rock, new wave and soul boy gear, items such as - PVC breeks, denim jacket, bomber jacket, patch jeans, hardcore punk vest, jack boots (with the ad saying that they make Dr Martens look like ballet shoes!), stud belt & wristband, deck shirt, colonial shirt, Syrian scarf, cavalry shirt, regency shirt, leopard print trousers, stripy jeans, Bowie suit, pirate shirt, boating trousers, army surplus, Hawaiian shirt, tukker boots, and plenty more examples in amongst them.

The last one is dated 1985 and already there seems to be a bit of a retro thing going on in their ad with their mohair jumper, bondage trousers, gas cape, ski goggles, buckle boots, creepers and such like.

I'm sure some of you will have spotted your particular look!

I used to send for the odd item using this mail order route. One from around the 1981/82 period being a "Dread At The Controls" T-shirt. It was pertaining to Mikey Dread's radio show - and I wore that for years!!!

I remember Joe Strummer used to wear one too.

So anyway, it seems quite appropriate to include it here.

Click onto the ads to have a closer inspection.

LOCAL PUNK GALS - 77 & 83

 

I have 4 names of Dundee punk girls who were friends in 1977, but only 3 are on the photo above.

Gabrielle Zoom, The Cripple, Aerial, Barbra Eagle.

If anyone can match up either of these names to the image up top, drop the info in the comments.

The photo underneath it is of an unknown local lass on her way to Whitfield, and is dated 1983.

It may be tricky to recognise who it is as there were lots of gals who had this post-punk look at that time.

Typical of the kind of look that was popular down at the Tayside Bar and Club Feet.

AUDIO VISUALS IN THE 70'S

This ad for The Audio Visual Centre in Perth Road is dated 1973.
They were a photographic specialist, although obviously, as their name implies, they must have sold recording equipment, stereos or something like that too.
In fact, it was the name of the place that reminded me of this item below, a piece of newsreel I have from 1979 introducing the Laser Disc. This was technology I didn't indulge in, but it got me wondering, who would have been the first shop in Dundee to stock Laser Discs? I thought it might be an audio/visual store like Dixons or Comet rather than a record shop such as Bruces. Laser Disc content featured bands as well as movies, similar to video releases at the time.
Also, I don't recall video rental stores renting out Laser Discs, they just seemed to go onto DVDs after videos.
Anyway, I'm sure one or two of you out there must have treated yourself to Laser Disc gear, before they ended up in the shed alongside your 8-Track!

DUNDEE'S DANCING YEARS - 1989

Many of you will be familiar with the work of Maureen Reynolds who has written lots of Dundee based books since the 90's.

What we have here is an early example of Maureen's writing, published in the Scots Magazine in February 1989.

It's entitled "Dundee's Dancing Years" and is all about the dancehalls & ballrooms that were scattered around town, covering quite a few decades.

Just about every-place gets a mention - Robbies (West End Palais) - Continentale - Palais - J.M. - Empress - Locarno - Kidd's - Chalet - Star... and she tells stories like when locals had to take their gas masks with them when they went dancing during the war years, then goes on to recall her own dancing days at the Palais where the lassies had a perfume machine!

It goes right up to the 70's & 80's with the Barracuda - Sands - Samantha's & Buddies being name-checked, an era when they changed from old style ballrooms to discos for the "strobe light generation" as she describes it. Yeah, that sound like us lot!

Plenty photos and adverts to accompany the article too.

I've scanned in all 9 pages actual size - so if you fancy a wee read, just click onto the items to view the large versions.

DUNDEE PINTA PEOPLE - 1960'S

In the early 60's, the Milk Marketing Board had a very catchy advertising slogan on the go that went - DRINKA PINTA MILKA DAY. It was used on TV, bill boards, magazines etc and in fact, the actual word pinta has since gone on to become part of everyday language.
The photo of the city centre above dates from the early 60's too, the entire square being used as an outdoor cafe, complete with wooden chalet and serving area, and on top of the stripy canopy it has the very same slogan.
As the 60's progressed, so did the advertising concept, developing variations on the pinta theme such as introducing Pinta People (Pinta Girls, Pinta Men), the idea being that if your were one of the Pinta People you'd be healthy, cool & trendy, in keeping with 60's swinging London!
They later came up with a similar slogan to the original which can be viewed in the TV ad below, which dates from around the mid/late 60's. This time they have it as - A PINTA PER PERSON PER DAY.
Photo by DC Thomson.

DUDLEYS AD - 1966

Time to close the wardrobe door on another delve into Dundee's past fashions.
So one final aspect of the fashion trade was the essential Dry Cleaners, and here's an advert from 1966 for Dudleys, who not only supplied a same day dry cleaning service but would do your alterations for you too.
There were quite a few Dudleys in town back then - as well as the 3 listed in the ad - Whitehall Crescent, Overgate & Reform Street, they also had premises in Roseangle, Castle Street, Wellgate, Princes Street and up the Cleppie.
I like the Mod girl in the ad with the square earring, but the square with her gives me the creeps!

CAIRDS AD - 1971

Here's Cairds in Reform Street giving us their sales pitch, emphasising being "up-to-the-minute" with their fashions.
I don't recall them being particularly trendy, but on offer for the gals was a department called "Honey", which according to the ad was "packed with swinging fashions"!!
The guys had a place called "05ive". It looks like a misprint to me, but if that's what it was called then it sounds like a shop you'd go for hip-hop gear nowadays!
An international range of menswear is what they really had though.

THE "K" SUEDE SHOES TEST - 1970

This demonstration showing that "K" Suede Shoes were waterproof, took place in one of Patterson's shoe shops in April 1970.
You should be able to see the tray of water they're stomping about in!
The twa lassies are Barbara Lindlay and Mary Elliot.
Not sure which of the Patterson's shops it was as they had branches in Kirk Style, Lochee High Street, Brook Street in the Ferry, 2 in Albert Street and a wholesale place in Bank Street.
Take your pick!

LILIAN'S BOUTIQUES - 1973

There were 2 of Lilian's boutiques in town in 1973 - the one in Panmure Street specializing in French perfume, and the other in Whitehall Crescent that stocked Mary Quant designs.

To give you a reminder of the kind of fashion that was on the go in 1973, below is a news item featuring the latest creations on show in Paris that year.

I'm not particularly impressed with what's on offer in the Paris collection mind you. Most of it looks a bit on the corny side to me.

Even the hot-pants don't look anything like the proper ones the girls on Top Of The Pops used to wear.

The Oxford Bags being about the only item on the footage I think that look ok.

SUMMER SANDALS IN THE SIXTIES

Every kid in the 60's knew when summer had arrived - when your parents told you it was time to put on your sandals. As you can see, they were as common as muck! I think I wore a pair the same style every summer up till I was about 10.
The photo was taken in June 1962 when I was 4. That's me (GG) on the right with my wee brother on the opposite side. The star of the picture though is the little cutie-pie in the middle, Susan, looking dead Scottish in her tartan troosers. She also had ginger hair, completing the - dolly from a tartan souvenir shop in the Royal Mile look!
We are sitting on the kerb in the culdee of Kemnay Gardens by the way.
Another amusing aspect is - see the togs I've got on, well if you forward-wind 20 years to the early 80's, I was wearing similar shirts fastened at the neck without a tie along with similar shabby breeks, when it was a post-punk kind of fad. Then I'd be sitting on the pavie outside the Tayside Bar 10 o'clock at night, lighting up a joint!!
A case of fashion going full-circle!
Changing the subject for a moment, an additional observation in the photo is that the 2 doors in shot are their original dark brown colour they'd have been when Craigie was first built. However, later on in the 60's, a team of council decorators came along to repaint the entire scheme. Some of the lucky ones had their doors painted pale blue, but we were one of the unfortunate ones who got theirs done in pink!
Anyway, got lots of Dundee related fashion items to pop up over the next few days. Some toppers in fact!

MUSIC PUBS IN 1988

Here's a few youth-styled pubs from 1988 who put on music.

Morgans in North Lindsay Street had discos and various promotional nights.

Shaft was part of Angels in Ward Road and were playing upfront dancefloor grooves.

The Underground in Seagate were showcasing local bands and had their own DJ.

Woodies in Hilltown ran discos in the lounge at weekends.

1985 FASHION PHOTOSHOOT

This is a rather unusual Dundee fashion photoshoot.

The location is quite unusual because it took place indoors on the stairs of the Museum and Art Galleries in Albert Square.

The choice of garments is also quite unusual because 5 of the 7 dresses were from the local Oxfam shop.

They somehow managed to make the 2nd hand gear look pretty classy.

Dated 1985.