“In fashion, one day you’re in, the next day you’re out.”
Part Two of my analysis of a new magazine I added to the VIP Room, “Muscleboy” from 1965 deals with the sociological aspects of some of the first emergence of gay identified fashion in magazines. Though this magazine was clearly geared to be the porn of it’s day (and really tame by today’s standards) it was a breakthrough to do a fashion spread (or editorial) with photos of obviously gay models wearing clothing that could purchased from an actual brick and mortar store. Again, this is from 1965, the era portrayed in Mad Men, when men’s fashion was very strict. To us, the clothes look goofy, but back then they must have thought they were from Mars!
The store was called “Town Squire” at 1318 Polk Street in San Francisco, the center of what was the gay neighborhood at that time. Just the fact that a store existed that openly catered to gay men is astounding. Innocent as it sounds, it was actually daring to put an address for such a business in print in a magazine like this during a period when employers and the government actually conducted witch hunts to find suspected homosexuals. And here’s an address where you could find them shopping!
And on a slightly related note, the blond guy in the fashion spreads also did some shots without wearing any fashionable clothes – or anything at all, as you can see below. Those eyes are some of the most seductive I’ve ever seen. Other than being adorable, I added this last photo as an example of what might have been defined as “glamor” to a young homosexual during the mid-60’s. Can you now see where Liberace got his taste?
Tags: 1960's, Crimes of Fashion, Interior Desecration, Style Points, Younger
