I have retained a rather large lot of “vintage” issues of Architectural Digest that dates back to the 1970’s but it appears that there were not many ads taken out by J. Robert Scott until the later 1980’s, a company who usually exclusively advertised in the Los Angeles based magazine. I use the word “vintage” loosely, as it tends to be thrown around so often these days in reference to anything at least twenty years old, regardless of the fact that the word vintage, in reference to merchandise, is defined as the age of anything fifty years to 99 years in age. I apologize for perpetuating this trend with my inaccurate weekly post heading!
The black-and-white ad featured in today’s Favorite Vintage Ads Friday post, from 1977, epitomized the California Chic look of its era – the “new look” – and what would later become known as “the California look” made popular by Michael Taylor. Sally Sirkin Lewis, the owner and an interior designer, combined Art Deco and Asian motifs in luxe materials creating her own take on modern luxury. The black-and-white photo further plays up this reference, with the stair-stepped design of the glossy black vases, the rounded corners of the white display columns that reference Chinese lacquered tables, the over-scale stepped round “mirror”, and the over-stuffed, wide-channel-quilted pale leather armless sofa setting on a brushed steel base. Classic, bold and crafted of the finest materials, these “vintage” items will become highly sought after by future collectors.
