We’re spending a lot more time looking back — not ahead — these days.
Today’s bad economic news has made the “good” in “the good old days” look better than ever.
The new year is almost upon us — a traditional time for savoring the promise of what lies ahead.
Instead, “Remember when . . .” is the conversation starter we’re embracing as 2009 looms scary and dark.
Let’s see. Remember when . . .
*Companies gave you a job for as long as you wanted to work there, with paid vacation and a pension when you retired?
*We didn’t worry about global warming, disintegrating safety nets, killer cribs and tainted baby bottles?
*New Year’s Eve was a big party night with all the trimmings, including lots of bubbly and a cute new outfit?
Nothing you read on this page is going to find you a great new job, eliminate reliance on fossil fuels or slash the grocery bill.
But take a gander at the photo and recall what the ladies in the ’50s sitcoms did to perk up their day.
When she was feeling blue, it wasn’t Xanax or a Bombay Sapphire martini that Lucy Ricardo reached for. She went out and bought a new hat! (An entire 1954 “I Love Lucy” episode was built around Lucy’s hat fetish.)
The feathered tiny topper shown here, perched at a saucy angle, won’t make the recession recede but for only $34 it’s pretty sure you’ll get a better return on your investment than putting the cash into the market, your 401k or, for that matter, under your mattress. And it sure can make an entrance at a New Year’s Eve party.
Incidentally, the price of this cocktail hat from Urban Outfitters (urbanoutfitters.com) is 1/3 less than the cost of Lucy’s hat on the TV show more than a half century ago.
There’s economic good news after all. Let it go to your head.
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— The word “milliner” — a women’s hat maker — first appeared in 1529 and is a reference to Milan, Italy, which was renowned for the straw from which hats were made.
— The hat Lucy Ricardo bought for $49.50 in 1954 would cost a whopping $398.53 in 2008. Then-and-now cost calculations are simple by plugging into bls.gov/data/inflation(underscore)calculator.htm
Source: hatsuk.com
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shopellen@tribune.com
Read senior correspondent Ellen Warren’s shopping column every Thursday in the Tribune’s Play section and see her Life Solutions column in Sunday’s Smart section. Join the conversation at chicagotribune.com/ellenwarren
