Mail order shopping was how I built my wardrobe when I began crossdressing (shopping online was not an option way back then).
My wife purchased a few things from the Avon mail order catalog, which by the way, was not associated with Avon cosmetics. Make one purchase and the mail order catalogs just keep on coming not only from Avon, but also Spiegel, Lane Bryant, Roaman’s, Jessica London, etc. Somewhere along the line, Avon changed its name to Newport News and their catalogs replaced the Avon catalogs in our mailbox.
Newport News products were reasonably priced and I bought a lot of their skirts, tops, dresses, suits and high heels (that is a Newport News dress I am wearing in the sidebar photo). In general, their quality was good and I still have a few Newport News dresses and high heels in my wardrobe.
In the early 2000s, the catalogs stopped arriving. Spiegel owned Newport News and filed for bankruptcy in 2003 and that ended my mail order shopping. After all, who needed mail order shopping when online shopping was revving up? And even better, shopping in person en femme.
So except for some vintage items in my closet, Newport News is now just a fond memory.
 |
| Wearing Shein |
 |
| Frank Thornton femulating in British television’s Are You Being Served? |
Newport News/Spiegal folks produced some whippy and classic pieces that I still have retained a few of. Does anyone remember Lew Magrum? They were contemporary to Newport News. Their clothes were glitzier while verging on a draggy glamour look. My wife insisted that Lew snuck in a few males into the catalog photo shoots. She wore several Lew Magrum pieces herself. I saved a few of the catalogs that specifically had males modeling Lew's clothes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the trip down memory lane.
Angel Amore
Same here, mail order was and still is the only way to add to my wardrobe. Unfortunately space is very limited in my cellar, so my buying sprees have dwindled to just looking at catalogs and sighing.
ReplyDeleteI remember Newport News and shopped Spiegel a bit. I really liked the styles they had and wish I had bought more.
ReplyDeleteNorah
Thank you for this trip down memory lane! I had long since forgotten about the Newport News catalog, where practically every page was filled with clothes I wanted to wear.
ReplyDeleteI used to receive the OneHanesPlace catalog in the early 90s in my first apartment after college. I would go through each page like a kid with the Sears Christmas catalog, gazing at the pantyhose, underwear, and bras, wishing I could have one of everything! Oh, how I wish I could still get pantyhose in those now unavailable shades...
I also miss Metrostyle. I made a huge order in 2022 just before they closed. Most items were 90% off and I bought a ton of tall items. I discovered a lot of the items were too small but I carefully stored them for the future. I lost 50+ pounds this past year and had a wonderful time donating clothes that were too large while replacing them with my Metrostyle clothes.
ReplyDelete