Glamour’s 50th Birthday Party: It’s Still Flying High
It was 50 years ago this month that Glamour magazine (then dubbed Glamour of Hollywood) debuted on newsstands, giving the country’s females a monthly bible of fashion trends and other girly advice.
A half-century later it’s still doling out fashion tips, in addition to job strategies, relationship advice and bedroom etiquette.
Monday night at DC3 (the much-written about Santa Monica Airport restaurant) the magazine celebrated its birthday. Guests crowded into the airy marble and wood eatery just as the sun was setting.
As they dined on oysters and crudites, a bank of video monitors broadcast vintage Glamour covers (which would look retro-hip if done today) and interviews with former cover girls like Cybill Shepherd as speakers blasted hits from ‘60s girls groups and current top-40 hits.
Women chatted about how Glamour-isms have pervaded their language and remarked how they regularly point out Glamour Do’s and Don’t’s, talk about how to spend Private Time and how to solve their Sticky Situations of the Month. Upon hearing this, publisher Jack Kliger cried, “Oh my God! We’ve become an institution!”
First Art Director
Although Kliger wasn’t around when the first issue of Glamour hit the stands, Charlotte McNamara was. The magazine’s first art director was flown from her home in Mexico to attend the party.
“I can’t believe the time has passed!” she said, and recalled, “We wanted so badly to make it stand out on the newsstands. I think it would still stand out on the newsstands today.”
Added the now-retired McNamara, “They tell me I was the first woman art director of a major publication in the United States. But there was a lot of prejudice against women in those days. At one point I wanted to work at Gourmet magazine because I love to cook, but I was told that they wanted to hire a man.”
In 1975 a Rutgers co-ed named Sheryl Lee Ralph was named a Top Ten College Women winner. Back then, Ralph planned on a career in medicine; today she’s an actress who has appeared in “The Mighty Quinn” and “Skin Deep.”
“You know,” Ralph said, “with all my credits, the one thing that always gets mentioned is the fact that I was a Glamour Top Ten College Woman. The magazine’s been very supportive (of my career), at every plateau they’ve been there. How many editors of magazines take the time to drop you a note to wish you well?”
The Food Was a Draw
Others seen drifting back through the restaurant’s many rooms were Glamour Editor Ruth Whitney (wearing gold “50” earrings), supermodel Beverly Johnson, West Coast Editor Daina Hulet, plus various fashion industry reps, models, and girls who just looked like models.
The food was a definite draw. Since the restaurant has been written up in countless reviews, guests were eager to try out the various dishes: grilled swordfish with lemon butter, filet mignon with potatoes and horseradish sauce, grilled chicken with herbs, Caesar salad, and a chocolate, vanilla and strawberry cake with “50” written in raspberries.
The majority practiced fashion do’s in this crowd, which dressed in post-work chic. Some women opted for little black suits, accessorized with hats or monster cables (known also as the Chanel look), or pant suits. Men wore trim suits and “conversation ties,” patterned with an interesting design or picture that instigate conversations (“Hey, where’d you get this? . . .”).
The one fashion don’t stand-out was a man with glitter in his bushy, blow-dried hair. Maybe he needed his subscription renewed.
