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Through the Years with His and Hers

Nothing established the Christmas catalogue’s reputation for opulence better than these gift ideas.
By D Magazine |

Back in the Fifties, the clever thing to give to a young married couple was a set of towels – or pillowcases, or key rings, or bathrobes – monogrammed “His” and “Hers.” So in 1960, the Neiman-Marcus Christmas catalogue spoofed this fad a bit by offering its readers “The N-M Touch: His and Her Airplanes.” Described as “the one great they’ll-never-believe-it Christmas gift you’ve searched the world to find,” his plane was a 7-seat Beechcraft Super G18, priced at $149,000; hers was a 4-seat Beechcraft Bonanza, for $27,000.

The “His and Hers” label was allowed to lapse for a year – the next year N-M offered bathrobes made of Canadian white ermine, lined with pink taffeta, as its unusually extravagant gift. But in 1962, the catalogue was back offering the perfect thing for Mom and Dad: His and Her Chinese junks, made in Hong Kong with teakwood decks and mahogany planking.

From then on, it’s been an unbroken string of offbeat items for the happy couple. Here’s a complete list of the His and Hers gifts.



1960

His and Her Airplanes.



1962

His and Her Chinese Junks.



1963

His and Her Submarines.

Designed to carry two people and cruise at a speed of 3 to 7.3 mph, these were 14 feet long, 46 inches high, and 90 inches wide. Just the thing for ferreting out the Loch Ness Monster.

1964

His and Her Balloons. If last year’s gift was a downer, this one wasn’t. These were put aloft by hot air from a propane burner, but the catalogue suggested that the owner might use Fina’s advertising gimmick of the year – Pink Air. They sold at $6850 apiece.

1965

His and Her Para-Sails. Still aloft, the catalogue offered nylon parachutes designed by Pioneer Aerodynamics Systems, that would lift N-M customers 100-300 feet in the air.

1966

His and Her Bathtubs. A more domestic mood struck the catalogue buyers’ fancy this year: side-by-side tubs copied after the bathroom of Louis XIV, with gold-plated control valves – only $4000.

1967

His and Her Camels. There was no energy crisis in 1967; this alternative mode of transportation was offered “for people who have been promising themselves to slow down.” They cost $4125, “delivery time subject to availability of camels.”

1968

His and Her Jaguars. Some gifts show how times have changed. Would Neiman-Marcus suggest today that he should get the car while she gets a fur coat – especially one made from Brazilian jaguar? Incidentally, the car, an XKE Grand Touring Coupe, sold for $5559. Such extravagance.

1969

His and Her Vasarelys. Less extravagantly, more tastefully, N-M commissioned op artist Victor Vasarely to design “Vega MC Negative and Positive,” a limited edition of 150 pairs of silk screens, one member of each pair mounted in a frame, the other to be worn as a scarf. The investment of $750 for the pair has repaid itself many times over for collectors.

1970



His and Her Thunderbirds.Even as recently as 1970 it was still possible to suggest that his customized car should include a dictating machine while hers held a sewing kit with a 14-kt. gold thimble.



1971

His and Her Mummy Cases.Well before Tutmania, N-M offered 2000-year-old mummy cases (empty).



1972

His and Her Mannequins.Stanley Marcus admits that these life-sized dummies, designed to look just like Him and Her, were something of a flop. Maybe He and She thought one of Them was enough. The price, $3000 apiece, didn’t include the sculptor’s airfare or clothes for the dummies.



1973

His and Her Greek Kraters.A pair of handsome fourth century B. C. urns discovered in Southern Italy was offered for $5000.



1974

His and Her Hoverbugs. Adecade after it offered submarines, the catalogue was skimming across the surface of the water on two-passenger hovercrafts.



1975

His and Her Dinosaur Safari. A fossil-finding expedition with a guarantee that the hunters would discover an Allosaurus, suitable for framing. Or at least for mounting and donating to a favorite museum. The purchasers of this one-of-a-kind item, Stanley Marcus ruefully admits, had financial difficulties and couldn’t pay for it. The price was $29,995. Somewhere an Allosaurus is looking for a home.



1976

His and Her Buffalo Calves. Assuming you had a home on the range and room enough for the deer and the antelope to play, this pair of six-month-old calves could have been the start of your own thundering herd.



1977

His and Her Windmills. A sign of the times – non-polluting, noiseless, environmentally safe alternatives to public power.



1978

His and Her Vaults. Yet another sign of the times – the ultimate safe-deposit vault, 9000 feet up a Utah mountain side in a cavern where temperature and humidity never vary. The perfect storage site, with a surveillance system powered by waterfall-generated electricity. Price: $90,000 for a 50-year lease. Just don’t forget what Gershwin wrote: “in time the Rockies may crumble . . .”

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