Mouseketeer Dress for Success

I love when the most mundane of things can become a window to the popular culture of another time. Case in point: this magazine advertisement for the Shirtees company from 1957.

Every child wanted to be a Mouseketeer back then, and Shirtees wanted to at the very least help them look the part. Some entertaining details:

Annette, as usual, takes center stage, modeling the skirt ensemble--

It’s the skirt worn by your favorite Mouseketeers. Pretty as a picture . . . You’ll love it! Permanently pleated . . . completely washable . . . with convenient zipper. In blue only.

In reference to the Mouseketeer hat--

Bow easily removed for boys.

Whew, that’s a relief. And June Cleaver and Harriet Nelson need not worry--

Mothers like them because they’re made of the finest tightly knit combed cotton yarns (white only).

And it didn’t appear that womenfolk were a part of the team at Shirtees headquarters in the Empire State Building. The order form clearly states--

Gentlemen: Please send me the following items.

My personal guilty desire: the Triple-R-Ranch polo shirt. A steal for just $1.50.