Dating zippers

Squirrel Nut Zippers

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While the band's eclectic fusion of Delta blues. gypsy jazz. 1930s-era swing. klezmer. and other styles makes them hard to categorize, their unique music found a niche in the late 1990s, when the band met with national recognition and commercial success, sometimes associated with the Swing Revival of the same period. They found their greatest success with the 1996 single "Hell", penned by Tom Maxwell.

Contents

History [ edit ]

1990s [ edit ]

The band was founded by James "Jimbo" Mathus, formerly of Metal Flake Mother and Johnny Vomit & The Dry Heaves. and his then-wife Katharine Whalen in Carrboro, North Carolina along with Tom Maxwell, Chris Phillips, Don Raleigh and Ken Mosher. The group made its debut in Chapel Hill a few months later. Stacy Guess (formerly of Pressure Boys) joined shortly after.

The band was initially lumped into the "lounge" movement, along with Combustible Edison. and credited as part of the brief swing music revival of the 1990s. The Zippers' sound incorporates a broad range of music, ranging in influence from Harlem Hot Music, Cab Calloway. Johnny Ace. Delta Blues. Raymond Scott. Fats Waller. Django Reinhardt. Tom Waits. and klezmer. The band's break-through single, "Hell", was distinguished by calypso rhythms, and helped push the band into further association with the "Neo Swing" movement. [ 2 ]

Songs from the band's first album. The Inevitable (1995) were played on National Public Radio in the US. Their second album, Hot (1996) was certified platinum. (The Hot album was also one of the first ECDs - an "enhanced" audio CD containing an interactive presentation created by filmmaker Clay Walker .) In 1997, the band toured with Neil Young .

The band's next studio album, Perennial Favorites (1998) also received critical acclaim. [ citation needed ] Also released in 1998 was Christmas Caravan . a Christmas-themed album. The band then recorded Bedlam Ballroom in 1999, after touring extensively.

The band had recorded a version of "Under the Sea " which was going to be included on the DVD release of The Little Mermaid . but Disney decided against it. Disney had purchased Mammoth just months prior to this recording. The song was eventually released on the band's greatest hits CD.

In 1999, both Maxwell and Mosher quit the band. [ 4 ]

2000-2006 [ edit ]

The early 2000s rendered the band largely inactive, with members pursuing other projects, but also because of Mathus and Whalen's divorce. In 2002, Maxwell and Mosher sued the remaining members of the band over management and royalty issues. [ 4 ] The case was settled out of court for $155,000 to cover unpaid royalties. [ 5 ]

Contact was a musical dance play made up of three separate dance pieces set to pre-recorded music. The show used Zippers' music along with the music of other artists. Although many [ who? ] criticized the show for its lack of original music, it was also widely acclaimed and won the 2000 Tony Award for Best Musical. Movies that have licensed Zippers' songs include A Life Less Ordinary . Monkeybone . Dead Man on Campus . Flirting with Disaster . Fido . Blast from the Past and the animated feature film Happily N'Ever After . The band performed in a segment on Sesame Street in 2001. The single "Hell" was also featured on the pilot of MGM Television's Dead Like Me . In 2003, the Russian TV miniseries Brigada featured a cover of Meant to Be . sung by Yekaterina Guseva .

During this period, Katharine Whalen released two solo albums, Jazz Squad and Dirty Little Secret . Jim Mathus toured with Buddy Guy before forming his band, Knockdown Society. Je Widenhouse and Reese Gray are recording and touring with Firecracker Jazz Band. Chris Phillips spent two years playing with the Dickies, as well as William Reid from the Jesus and Mary Chain. His current side band The Lamps included members of the Bangles and The Connells. He also was the composer for the Comedy Central television show Lil' Bush and some contemporary films. Jimbo Mathus owns and operates a recording studio outside of Memphis, Tennessee, where he has worked on albums with artists ranging from Elvis Costello to the Hives [ citation needed ] .

2007-present [ edit ]

In early 2007, the band's official website and MySpace blog announced new tour dates, with a lineup consisting of founding members Jimbo Mathus (guitar, vocals), Katharine Whalen (vocals, banjo, percussion, ukulele), Chris Phillips (drums), Je Widenhouse (trumpet), Stuart Cole (bass), and Will Dawson (piano/guitar/saxophone). With the proclamation "Ladies and Gentlemen. They're Back," the band performed concert dates throughout the United States and Canada in spring and summer of 2007 and through 2008.

In late February 2009, Chris Phillips sent out an e-mail announcing a forthcoming live album called You Are My Radio . recorded in Brooklyn in December 2008. The e-mail included a link to a free download of "Memphis Exorcism" from the album. [ 6 ] The album title was later changed to Lost At Sea and was released on October 27 through Southern Broadcasting/MRI. They also announced their plans for a new studio album in 2010. The band taped a new performance for NPR's Mountain Stage, which aired in mid-November.

Membership [ edit ]

Present members [ edit ]

Former members [ edit ]

Ken Mosher — guitar, saxophone, vocals

Tom Maxwell — vocals, guitar, saxophone, gong

Don Raleigh — bass, gong

Stacy Guess — trumpet

David Wright — trombone

Reese Grey — piano

Tim Smith — tenor and alto saxophones

Andrew Bird — violin (honorary member)

Edward Clark — canjo

Carl Luparella — original saw player

Guess left two weeks prior to the recording of Hot . in September 1995. He died of a heroin overdose on March 11, 1998. [ 7 ] In a 2014 interview, Maxwell said "Put A Lid On it" was inspired by Guess' addiction. [ 5 ] Je Widenhouse (formerly of the Sex Police) joined the band in 1995.

Raleigh departed in the middle of the Perennial Favorites sessions in November 1996. He was replaced by Stuart Cole. In July 1999, Maxwell left the band. In October 1999, Mosher also quit. In 1999, Reese Gray, Tim Smith and David Wright joined the band and played on the "Bedlam Ballroom" record.

The First Use of a Zipper in Fashion?

Most of you know by now that I approach fashion as an historian, rather than, say as a designer or a marketer. My BA is in American history, and the study of it has been a life-long passion. My recreational reading is mainly books on history, or biographies or primary source material. One thing I learned many years ago at the university was to always, always question the sources.

I’ve been reading M D C Crawford’s, Ways of Fashion, which was published in 1941. This book is just the sort of thing I love; it’s full of information about and interviews with the designers of the day. I was just finishing it up with a chapter called “The American Way.” In that chapter, Crawford quotes Louise Barnes Gallagher at length. Ms. Gallagher makes a very startling statement:

I am credited with the first ensembles, and I introduced the zipper in 1922. For two years the Talon Company confined it to me for women’s clothes.

I’m going to ignore the ensembles statement, but the part about the zipper is pretty stunning news to me. There is a bit of controversy concerning the invention of the zipper, but you can see by the patent I’ve shown above that Gideon Sundback submitted his design for a zipper in 1914, and it was approved in 1917. His design is considered by many to be the first modern zipper. He was working for the Hookless Fastener Company, the company that later became Talon Zippers.

In the early days of the zipper, or the slide fastener as it was often called, the main use for it was on rubber galoshes. You pretty much do not see any mention of the use of zippers in fashion until Elsa Schiaparelli used them in her 1935 winter collection. The plastic zippers were not concealed in any way, becoming a design element in the garment, and they were widely discussed as being quite avant garde.

They didn’t stay that way, of course. Here’s my 1937ish tennis dress with a non-concealed zipper, a la Schiaparelli.

So what about Ms. Gallagher’s claim to be using zippers in her clothing in 1922? Whenever someone says they have a 1920s dress and then they say it has a zipper, one immediately knows that the dress is not 1920s at all – that it is probably a 1960s dress. The possibility of a 1922 woman’s garment containing a zipper is just not in the realm of possibilities, but yet, there is Ms. Gallagher’s statement.

It is possible that this is a writing and editing mistake, but even if she meant 1932, that year is also early to see a zipper in a woman’s garment. And if it was a mistake, it went uncorrected in the 1948 edition of the book. Perhaps Gallagher’s memory is faulty, but remember, this was written in 1941 when she was in her 40s. It was not the memory of an old woman.

So, what’s the earliest you have seen zippers in women’s clothing? Do you think it is possible that Gallagher was putting zippers in clothing in 1922?

Q&A with Katherine Blocksdorf, About. com Guide to Horses

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Updated March 11, 2014.

Q: What is it people love about horseback riding?

A: The connection with nature and a creature that is physcially more powerful than ourselves. The ability to explore areas and see things not possible with a motor vehicle and establish a connection with history.

A: Riding on dude strings and calm trail horses does not require a lot of skill.

Q: Is there essential equipment for a beginner to buy or rent?

A:I would recommend wearing a proper riding helmet and shoes or boots with a sturdy flat sole and a slight heel.

Q: What should every first-timer know?

A: You will have sore muscles after your first ride. Riding uses some little-used muscles along the inside of the leg. You may also experience some chafing, depending on your clothes and the fit of the saddle.

Q: What makes horseback riding a good sport for couples to enjoy together?

A: The shared experience. There is always something interesting to talk about when your ride/drive is over.

Q: What separates the amateurs from the pros in horseback riding?

A: Amateurs are passengers. They can stop and steer and stay on. The tend to be reactive when the horse doesn't do as they want. Pros are able to control every move the horse makes. They are proactive as they anticpate what the horse will do and they know how to prevent problems. Pros are in harmony, mind and body, with the horse.

Q: In your opinion, where's the best place to go for a horseback riding vacation?

There are riding establishments on every continent. Choose a riding style you like or an area of trails that appeals to you, and you will likely find a horseback riding stable to suit you. Choices are unlimited. from dressage or driving holidays, pub and wine tours, to trail rides and cattle round-ups.

Learn more about horseback riding at Horses from About. com .

Instructions, Tips and Tricks

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7. Sewing an Invisible Zipper - Step by Step Photo Enhanced Instructions

Quick Tips for Dating Vintage

Quick Tips for Dating Vintage

Here are just a few quick easy-to-remember tips. These facts don’t necessarily place a garment in a year, but they will help narrow it down.

KEEP IT TOGETHER

Men’s dress trousers continue to have button-flies thru the 1940s.

Belt loops on men’s pants started in the early 1920s, coexisting with suspender buttons for years.

The modern metal zipper was invented in 1914 and were used in galoshes and bags afterward, not used in men’s pants until 1927 and were not common on women’s dresses until the late 1930s.

YKK – Japan, a zipper company founded in Japan in 1934.

Talon Zippers – USA – since 1894.

Lightning Zippers - Canada.

Eclaire Zippers - France.

KIN Zippers – Germany.

Coil zippers – invented in 1940, but not in common usage until the early 1960s.

Side seam zippers – late 1930s-1960s.

Short CB neck zippers – mostly 1930s-1940s.

Sleeve zippers – 1930s and 1940s.

Center back dress zippers – seen occasionally in the 1940s and early 1950s, but generally later 1950s and 1960s and always from the 1970s on.

Velcro® was invented in 1948, not used in clothing much until 1960s.

Vintage slips, bras and garters have metal hardware, not plastic.

The first practical sewing machine was invented in 1845. Not in general use immediately. If is has machine sewing, it’s post 1845.

Machine chain stitch came first, followed by lockstitch. Lockstitch seams are rarely found prior to 1870.

Hand-sewn construction (rather than hand finishing) and machine-sewn construction coexisted for years – until the 1880s, if not later.

The zigzag machine was patented in 1873 by Helen Blanchard. This led to the industrial use of the overlock stitch. Home sewers gained access to the zigzag machine in 1947, with the introduction of it by the Necchi company.

The serger has been in use at least since the 1920s for seam finishing. This is the overlock or serger thread finish we still use today on cut fabric edegs inside the garment.

Hanging loops at the neck of jackets, blouses and so on, are usually of European manufacture.

Hemming tapes generally denote North American manufacture. German manufacturers never used them.

Circle stitching inside the cups of a bra is a good indicator that it’s from the 1950s.

LOOK FOR THE LABEL

The NRA Blue Eagle label was used in the USA only from 1933-35. This label, noting compliance with the Manufacturing Codes, was used inside garments and dates them specifically to those years. The NRA was delcared unconstitutional in 1935.

The US National Labor Relations Act was passed in 1935. So these labels will be seen after that date.

The National Recovery Board was brought into effect in 1934, as part of the New Deal. The Coat and Suit Industry National Recovery Board was a trade organization that came about in order to assure that garments were made in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards.

The ILGWU (International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union) was formed in 1900. It joined the CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations) in briefly in 1937. Rejoined the AFL ( American Federation of Labor) in 1940. AFL-CIO merged in 1955. In 1995 ILGWU reformed as UNITE. Union labels will reflect these name and date changes.

Look for labels in the side seams and even the hems of older garments.

Country of origin labels came about in the USA following the McKinley Act, 1891.

Garment Care labels began in 1971 in the USA. The current labels were introduced in 1983.

International care symbols were developed 1971.

The USA Textile Products Identifications Act, 1960 mandated the use of fabric content labels.

The Fur Products labeling act of 1952 required an accurate description of fur. i. e. “Hudson Seal” became sheared muskrat.

A small ‘e’ on the label of a pair of Levis denims means they were manufactured after 1971 and if a capital ‘E’ they are pre-1971.

Watch pockets can be found on the waistline or waistband of dresses 1840s-1880s and elsewhere on the dress bodice from the 1880s.

Cartridge pleating of the skirt at its waist is seen 1840s-1860s, fading out by the 1870s.

Tiny piped armhole seams date a garment to the 1870s or before and were rare after that.

Armholes were cut high and fitted in the 1950s and the 1970s.

Three-quarter and seven-eighth sleeves were popular late 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.

Diamond gussets in the armhole indicate 1950s.

In 1942, men’s double-breasted suits in the USA lost their vest and became 2-piece due to the war effort.

MATERIAL WORLD

18th century silk brocade with white grounds usually denotes English manufacture whereas silk brocade with yellow grounds usually means its French.

Rayon (known as artificial silk) was a French process developed during the 19th century. AKA Viscose (English process). The name Rayon was coined in 1924 and was used extensively for lingerie and light summer dresses until the 1950s when nylon became popular.

DacronВЁ, trademarked by DuPont and denotes numerous types of polyester yarn. Used in manufacture from 1953.

Nylon was the first true synthetic developed by DuPont in the 1938, available to the American public in May 1940, used in stockings. Not used in clothing until well after WWII.

QianaВЁ, a filament nylon used for woven and knitted fabrics was registered by DuPont in the 1970s.

Spandex – first commercial use in 1959, seen in lingerie in the early 1960s, but not in clothing much until the 1980s. (Registered to DuPont as LycraВЁ)

DATING VINTAGE SHOES

Vintage shoes will be sized for width AAAA – DDD. i. e. 1940s platforms will be marked for size with A – D – 1970s will be med, narrow wide.

Women’s European shoes between 1810-1830 rarely have heels.

Women’s American made shoes between 1810-30 often have heels.

Women’s shoes from both origins between 1830-55 never have heels.

Shoes made between 1800-1860 never have right or left sole shapes unless they were made to order to fit a client’s foot.

Paris Point system (i. e. 42) is used on European and Asian shoes. England and Germany use the traditional method of sizing (i. e. size 5). American system is similar to England, but modified (e. g. size 7). However, some countries that manufacture shoes for export sensibly mark shoes in the size system of the country they are shipping to.

Exotic leathers (crocodile, lizard. alligator) are commonly used for shoes during WWll because they weren’t rationed or used for the war effort.

Remember – “Croc has a dot, alligator not” when identifying skins. The dot is in the middle of the scale.

Sandals entered the shoe wardrobe in mid-1930 – first in Europe, then USA.

From the sandal came the open toe and the sling back in the late 1930s – never before.

Mules or open back clogs are likely to be European if they predate 1990. Though some were seen in the 1970s in the USA, they really weren’t popular in North America until the 1990s.

Stiletto heels began in Italy in 1955 and pointed toes in 1957.

Generally speaking, shoes with round toes and Spanish heels (high, but thicker than a stiletto’s) are pre-1957.

Pre-1930s hats will normally have a hand sewn lining.

Hats with interior grosgrain ribbons started in the 1930s.

1930s-40s hats will often have a hat size tag.

A circular wire loop on the back of the hat to hold it to the head dates it to the late 1930s – early 1940s; while two ‘V’ shape wire clamps on the sides date it to the early – mid 1950s.

The last element of a pre-1930 hat to be completed is the lining. If there are threads sewn through the lining to anchor decorations, then those decorations are not original to the hat.

Written by Hollis Jenkins-Evans/pastperfect2

1940s Hollywood Jacket

Kentucky Derby Winners and Public Auction Prices

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Many people will spend any amount of money to try and buy a horse they think can win the Kentucky Derby. but is this a smart thing to do? If you are buying a young horse at auction as a yearling or 2-year-old in training, you are actually better off to stay away from the high priced colts and instead go for the bargains if you are hoping for a Derby winner.

Since 1960, only three horses who sold at auction for $500,000 or more of the 33 who have run in the Derby have won: Alysheba ($500,000), Winning Colors ($575,000), and Fusaichi Pegasus ($4,000,000). Other than those three, Kentucky Derby winners who were sold at public auction since 1970 have ranged in price from $1,200 for Canonero II in 1971 to $190,000 for Big Brown in 2008. Of course Big Brown was later resold by that buyer to IEAH Stables for lots more, but we are only looking at public auction prices here since private sale prices are usually exactly that, private and not disclosed to the public.

Here is a list of the Derby winners sold at public auction since 1970 with their sale price.

Bottles + Zippers = Cute DIY Pac-Man Monster Containers

Kudos

Bottles + Zippers = Cute DIY Pac-Man Monster Containers

Small containers are useful for many things. They're good for storing snacks if you have children, as well as holding coins or odds and ends. But those regular store-bought containers are lame—who wants to keep their stuff in a Tupperware dish or old butter container?

If you're going to be using them a lot, it's best for them to be just as cool looking as functional. And with a little ingenuity, you can make your own awesome container made from things found around your home, like this zippered soda bottle container that looks like Pac-Man.