The Shear Look

[panthera]

I found this endearing little note in the Wikipedia article on Cadillac - a GM brand - design for the 21st century:
...and has instead pressed ahead with a new design philosophy for the 21st century called "art and science"[1] which it says "incorporates sharp, shear forms and crisp edges — a form vocabulary that expresses bold, high-technology design and invokes the technology used to design it."
Good taste is and remains good taste.
The shear look lives on!
(And aren't YOU glad nobody thought to put dagmars on Unimatics?)

 

[tomturbomatic]

They use the shears to get the sharp, crisp edges.

 

[panthera]

Tom,

You're just a real cut-up.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Keven, you're just sharp period with your incisive humor and your penetrating blue eyes.

 

[sudsmaster]

I thought it was spelled "sheer look"

 

[brettsomers]

our webmaster has done more to promote the *sheer* look than Joan Rivers with facelifts!

 

[panthera]

OK, Rich...

Tom got it right away, you're pretty sharp yourself.
I took me a few minutes to stop laughing after I read that before I could post it.
My spelling is so bad (all languages) that I always use a spell checker before I publish anything. Either GM no longer cares or knows the difference.
Although, in Joan River's case, I suppose both spellings apply equally well.
In 1959, Time magazine published a list of the 100 Best designed modern products. Our dears were on the list! Take a look at the link, if you are interested.
How many "sheer look" pictures are out there? I remember seeing at least four or five folks portraying it...but can't find any. Anybody want to share?

http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,937094,00.html

 

[vivalalavatrice]

I didn't have any doubt!

The first is an Italian design object!!! I'm proud of that, because I saw that machine and a friend of mine has it... It's a very preciuouse object so I didn't ask to him to let me try it...
BYE
Diomede

 

[panthera]

Diomede,

This should not surprise you. Italian design is wonderful.
One of my grandfathers was an engineer. He tells me how *his* grandfather designed things in Italy. Then he had his designs built in Switzerland or Germany.
Italian design and German engineering are as good as it gets.
You can be proud of that.
Oh, I had a Lettera...she was beautiful and tempermental. "Una macchina impossibile" my grandfather would call it when he had to write off to Italy for replacement parts, again...in those days they did not speak English at Olivetti, I don't speak Italian (sadly) but the machine got me all the way through my first published article!
Now that I know the "sheer look" was on the top ten list, I understand why GM put so much money into that over-the-top video (on this site) and advertising - they had something to be proud of.

 

[gansky1]

[No message]

 

[sudsmaster]

How quick they forget

By 1959 the "Sheer Look" was all but gone, apparently by Royal Command:

 

[sudsmaster]

But still not without loads of fun

Just look at them bubbles!

 

[sudsmaster]

Do you know your three rings?

"Lint Chaser"

"Ciculator"

"Energy Ring"

How many does YOUR washer have?

(I think they left out the "tangler" ring, LOL!)

 

[toggleswitch]

I still say that woman is possibly of Mediteranean extraction and is hiding her moustache.

*LOL*

 

[panthera]

Steve,

a moustache may be hidden, but the question (esp. on this site) of whether that is a woman...
These pictures are lovely.
What an exciting time that was - balanced between true technical progress, an interest in design and quality...and the twin evils of planned obsolesence and today's management style seeping in through the cracks.
We all know who won - but I love the pretty dreams.
Did any other manufacturer have the financial resources/interest to make styling such a selling point? GE comes to mind, but did they have one central focus like Frigidaire?

 

[bajaespuma]

GE introduced "straight-line styling" with its 1957 TOL Filter-flo models. They quickly applied it to all of their other appliances if you look at the history. Streamlining was abandoned overnight for "straight-lining". Actually, one thing I've learned from visiting this site is that there was a very healthy competition between GM and General Electric in those days. Both were very much aware of what the Jonses were doing.

Take a look at this made in 1957:

 

[bajaespuma]

and compare it to this made in 1958:

 

[bajaespuma]

then take a look at this, made in 1964:

 

[bajaespuma]

and compare it to this made in the mid-sixties:

 

[bajaespuma]

Of course Frigidaire always had the advantage of drawing on the industrial design skills of their automobile division (ha!).
I think one of the reasons I've always been fascinated by the GEs and Frigidaires is that there's been a dialogue between them for years until, of course, everything became boring and homogenous. They took design risks. Just beginning to take the Frigidaire that I got from Stonington apart I'm amazed by the engineering work and design that went into them. How we as a culture could dispose of such great work is beyond me. From the little I've seen of Montgomery Wards models in the late 50's and early 60's they were doing some impressive stuff too.