That’s quite the title, don’t you think?
Welcome back to #ThrowbackThursday, the weekly feature where we ease into the almost-weekend with something new and fun from the archives. Well, new in the sense that it’s not something I’ve looked at previously, since well, archives. And by archives, I mean my massive collection of retro commercials, or “retromercials.”
So, Throwback Thursday (and it’s sibling, Flashback Friday) has been on a small hiatus while I covered the holiday season. The result was a massive undertaking of 25 Christmas commercials, all from the archives, as well as the Kraft TV Recipes of December 1986. So this blog was active on a whole other level. But with the holidays over, it’s time to get back to business and regular posting.
This week’s foray into the Allison’s Written Words Archives brings us back to the magical year of – you guessed it – 1986, and the art of killing ’em softly, made possibly by a good pair of jeans. And an oblivious guy.
So let’s walk on over to 1986, and this commercial for Jordache.
Yes, Jordache. Much like No Excuses or Gitano (see Exhibit A from a previous Throwback Thursday), Jordache was one of those trendy denim brands that everyone who was a thing wore. Want to do more than exist? Wear Jordache, Gitano, No Excuses, or Nothing.
Please note, “Nothing” is not a brand of jeans. It never has been.
In our very quick commercial, we meet a guy…
And he’s on a date…
But he’s having “Car Trouble.” So he let’s her know that she’s stuck with him…for the night.
But she has better plans…
TAXI!
And since we wouldn’t know what this commercial is selling by what’s happening in the commercial, we’re basically told in an unsubtle way:
Jordache continues to be a thing, but is not as popular as it was in the 1980s. The brand exists and designs products (including jeans) under other brand names. It entered the consumer market at a time when there was a shift toward designer jeans, and was a huge thing during the 1980s and early 1990s.
But in 1986, let’s just say there was a guy who had his heart broken by some random first date chick in Jordache jeans.
TAXI!
You can watch the heartbreak unfold in this very quick commercial. Just click play!
And there you have it, designer jeans and the heart-stompers who wear them.
Throwback Thursday returns, well, next Thursday, and Flashback Friday becomes a thing again…tomorrow!
One comment