Health Knowledge Magazines

Modern Life Illustrated, Volume 1, Number 1
Health Knowledge, Inc.
New York, New York
1967

digital replica

Even the most casual consideration of Modern Life Illustrated suggests its earnest ambition to be a style, fashion and trends journal for eccentric tastes while it sought the attention of fetish appetites mined by Bizarre Life magazine. Enlargement of the first three letters of modern worked to attract young people (baby boomers) who were told continuously that shiny clothing and flat-heeled footwear were mod, the word that named the styles of the 1960s. Directly or indirectly, the women's movement influenced the advent of low-heeled shoes, bralessness, and figure-concealing (e.g., a-line) dresses.

The magazine congratulates those with a fetish for rubber and glittering patent by showing how much those styles appear as costumes in conventional media content. We're shown Julie Newmar in black patent from neck to toe as Catwoman in the Batman television series. Pictures of Honor Blackman in boots and stills from kinky movies suggest that alternative sex-styles are as commonplace as mustard at the deli. So there's no need for people who are into leather to believe that they are peculiar. It's just another facet of mod[ern] life; another way to be mod[ern].

The premiere issue of Modern Life Illustrated provides copious delight for those who enjoy pictures of shapely women in rubber, leather and patent leather. The center of the magazine shows Miss Germany and Miss Hungary, Jutka Goz, posing in leather dresses on a sports car in Central Park. Cover model Jane Tracy bends her lithe form in a latex dress and latex stockings, and changes into a leather mini-dress that shows off nylons and garter belt. British television actress Lee Sothern nicely fills out a latex cat girl ensemble. Diane Seymour fits Toni Burnett into a tight, shiny jumpsuit. Wendy Morris and Virginia Roberts dress up in vinyl and leather. Heels are about four inches and less, but there is a corset or two in the mix.

Calling it the most “swinging” street in the fashion world, the article about Carnaby Street has many snapshots of pedestrians in stylish garb. Carlson Wade contributes essays about “The Sexual Stimulation of Clothes” and “The Changing Face of Beauty” with several excellent Gene Bilbrew illustrations. Another piece pictures Manhattan's Cheetah club, a palace of “modern” pleasures where young modsters might dance or become involved in a fashion show. Another picture set exposes the language of legs.

The digital replica presents each page, full-sized, in the original sequence. Tonality was adjusted and specks re-touched. Some black outfits do no show well against dark backgrounds. Most pictures are clear.

Page graphics include gratuitous borders and ornament. Many filler photos show women in shiny stuff, but not a glimpse of nudity anywhere. A strange mix of fashion and fetish, Modern Life Illustrated reflects the cultural turbulence of its day.

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