21.9.14

The New Shag

While being shown my soon-to-be new condo, I mentioned that I did not care for the shag carpeting. Subsequently, I was informed that the carpeting was frieze, not shag. However, having survived the 70’s and shag carpeting in almost every bright color imaginable, I knew the carpet I was viewing was nothing more than conservative shag.

Conservative is something with which I'm quite familiar. I grew up in a conservative home, attended a conservative church, and received much of my education from conservative teachers in conservative private schools. What I learned over the years was that other people were like us, just much more colorful.

While we wore plain clothes that covered almost everything with the exception of our bare faces, “others” wore pretty creations found in department stores. They wore short stockings, patent leather shoes, and decorated themselves with various kinds of baubles.


Conservative 1943


Others 1943*

While searching the Internet this week, I ran across an advertisement that confirmed I was right. My carpet is exactly what I thought. The advertisement read: “Frieze Carpet The New Shag.”
Frieze Carpet 2014


Shag Carpet circa 1970

No, I have not learned to like this carpet. It is now on my project list for “when my ship comes in."


*Girls playing by Esther Bubly on History in Photos

4 comments:

  1. Hah! I believe I saw that taller kid from the first picture in my mirror this morning. Still had on collar, tie, and jacket. Things have not changed all that much in... how many years is that?

    (I, too, can do without shag carpet; and I agree that shag by any other name is still shag.)

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    1. I'm sure this is the same kid you saw in your mirror - now much taller but still with his hair. I was seven in this picture.

      Being out of ideas apparently presents the need to copy a previous idea and tweak it a little. When friends in Colorado were having 70's carpet removed from a house this past winter, the people there to install the new carpeting asked to purchased the shag from one of the bedrooms because frieze is made in neutral colors and they liked the bright color. And to think of all that shag carpet that has been hauled to the dump every year for decades.

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