# Where Did Mama Cass Elliot Get Her Clothes



## cherylharrell (Jul 20, 2007)

I was watching a thing on Mama Cass Elliot the plus size 60's singer who sang in the 60's group the Mama's and the Papa's on the Biography channel. She died in the early 70's of a heart attack but it was eroneously reported as her dying from choking on a ham sandwich. I noticed she wore some cute stuff & some neat knee high boots & wondered where she got them at? Back then they probably didn't have all the plus size stuff like they do now. I was around back then but was a skinny kid so I wasn't paying any attention to plus size stuff. I think she was a real role model for us plus women. I remember her being on lots of variety shows & just going out there & doing her thing no matter what size she was. I found this pic of her online while looking up some info on her & love the outfit she is wearing. I'd love to wear stuff like that...  

View attachment mamacasselliotinchair.JPG


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## steely (Jul 20, 2007)

She really had such a unique and beautiful voice.The four of them were magic together.I have no idea about her clothes,they were just as cute and fashionable as Michelle Phillips.She probably had them custom made.Even growing up in the late 70's and 80's there was nothing but poly stretch pants.


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## Mishty (Jul 22, 2007)

Awesome thread!

I saw this and asked my mom, who was kinda plump in the 60's and 70's, she said: patterns.

more than likely, Mama Cass had someone making her clothes.

my mom bought funky, colorful fabric from stores in near by cities, and ordered patterns from catalogs and the drug stores! Every girl could sew!( those were the days lol) 

those boots? My mom says she had a pair of knee high boots, and her legs were purple if she wore them to long, but they would stretch for any size leg...just didn't feel to good.

My mother and her friends said almost no "groovy" clothing was out there for plus sizes, and she had to make her short shorts and minis from MENS jeans, because the sizes ran bigger in most mens lines.


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## cherylharrell (Jul 22, 2007)

I had wondered if maybe she had her clothes & boots special made for her. I love the outfit she has on in the pic I posted. I could see myself wearing that. I also found a website on her.












The above 2 outfits she is wearing are awesome.

This outfit is neat:

http://poll.imdb.com/gallery/mptv/1391/11760_0007.jpg.html











None of the pics will display here yikes. So you'll have to go to the links to view them. Have no idea what I am doing wrong lol.

It hit me that maybe she had her dresses hemmed to be shorter to & maybe had extra leather put in her boots by a cobbler...


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## Mishty (Jul 22, 2007)

I went searchin and found : The Cass Elliot homepage it has facts, lyrics, TONS of photos and the page is ran by her son!

Also here is a larger version of the first photo, the shirt looks hand made and kinda crafty!!





I found this image and fell in love! She looks like a big old dame!








I also read on a quote page she *hated* the whole Mama Cass bit, and one her last records was called *"Don't call me Mama Anymore"* lol 

"I hated it. Everybodyd say, Hey, mama, whats happening? Then came the Mamas and Papas and I was stuck with it. And now people call me Mama Cass because of the baby. So I dont know whether Im gonna be able to really get away from it. "



Yeah I wonder about the boots too....


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## Smushygirl (Jul 22, 2007)

Cass was very smart and funny as well as incredibly talented. The "ham sandwich incident" as far as I know is a myth. It has been written by her friends that she probably died from heart issues surrounding drug abuse and her weight. 

John and Michelle were married and Cass was madly in love with Denny Doherty. Her love for him was unrequited, however, and she was broken hearted when Michelle, her best friend, decided to have an affair with him. It's a big part of what broke the group up. 

As far as I know, she had one child, *a girl* she named Owen. She never revealed who Owen's father was.


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## Violet_Beauregard (Jul 22, 2007)

FYI, Owen Elliot-Kugell is Cass's daughter. I know... odd name for a girl, but she is female. LOL







Missblueyedeath said:


> I went searchin and found : The Cass Elliot homepage it has facts, lyrics, TONS of photos and *the page is ran by her son*!
> 
> Also here is a larger version of the first photo, the shirt looks hand made and kinda crafty!!
> 
> ...


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## Ruby Ripples (Jul 22, 2007)

Her legs seem to have been quite slim, I think ordinary boots would have fitted her. And I don't even think she was very fat. She had a fat chin and appears to have been apple shaped. those awful chiffon curtainy dresses make her look like a ball on toothpicks. I suppose though she was very fat compared to the norm 40 yrs ago.


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## tinkerbell (Jul 22, 2007)

Ruby Ripples said:


> Her legs seem to have been quite slim, I think ordinary boots would have fitted her.



I was thinking the same thing about her legs - that from the pictures, it looks like just regular boots would fit her.


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## Tina (Jul 22, 2007)

Yes, someone was making her clothes, because believe me, even though she was way older than I, even 10-15 years later, I still couldn't find anything cute. And as a young girl at the time she was popular, I truly, truly wanted some cute Mod/Carnaby St. fashions and nothing even came CLOSE to fitting me.

My mother used to use white go-go boots to try to bribe me to lose weight. I never could do it and and always felt like a failure who stuck out like a sore thumb in clothes made for women (and un-fashionable women at that). I believe that's why I love clothes so much now -- I couldn't find clothing that I liked until well into adulthood and always felt hideously dressed.


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## saucywench (Jul 22, 2007)

Tina said:


> I believe that's why I love clothes so much now -- I couldn't find clothing that I liked until well into adulthood and always felt hideously dressed.


Same here, Tina.


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## Tina (Jul 23, 2007)

It sounds overly dramatic, Cindy, but going through that odd girl out clothing-wise -- ALWAYS being out of step, wearing bullet-proof polyester and old womens' clothing -- really affected me as much as the constant teasing and judgement of my size. I mean, my clothes were vile and ugly and there were no other alternatives. It might have helped a little to have known someone else in my predicament at the time. Maybe.

If I had money -- I mean REAL money -- I'd likely have a place with enough rooms so that I could turn one whole, big room into a closet. No one really needs that many items of clothing and accessories, but I'd still probably do it. It's a sickness.


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## Ned Sonntag (Jul 23, 2007)

Smushygirl said:


> Cass was very smart and funny as well as incredibly talented. The "ham sandwich incident" as far as I know is a myth. It has been written by her friends that she probably died from heart issues surrounding drug abuse and her weight.
> 
> John and Michelle were married and Cass was madly in love with Denny Doherty. Her love for him was unrequited, however, and she was broken hearted when Michelle, her best friend, decided to have an affair with him. It's a big part of what broke the group up.
> 
> As far as I know, she had one child, *a girl* she named Owen. She never revealed who Owen's father was.


I'd read that Owen's dad was a folksinger James Hendricks, but wait, maybe he was just Cass' first husband...


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## Esme (Jul 23, 2007)

Tina said:


> It sounds overly dramatic, Cindy, but going through that odd girl out clothing-wise -- ALWAYS being out of step, wearing bullet-proof polyester and old womens' clothing -- really affected me as much as the constant teasing and judgement of my size. I mean, my clothes were vile and ugly and there were no other alternatives. It might have helped a little to have known someone else in my predicament at the time. Maybe.



I know what you're talking about. I was never as in style as I wanted to be in school. I tried desperately to look like the other girls, but I just couldn't fit into the clothes. I had polyester pants in middle school... yeah, that's cool.  In order to get stuff large enough, I'd get plus sizes women's clothing, and that didn't fit me either. I was either a stuffed sausage or sack of potatoes.  Once I got old enough and got a job at an Added Dimensions, I started buying any clothes that fit me it seemed. I was overwhelmed by things that were actually sort of stylish AND fit me. I developed quite a clothing habit that I've only recently been able to rein in. What a number our youth does to us, eh?


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## love dubh (Jul 23, 2007)

I watched a docu on Cass Elliot, and it struck me as so terribly poignant when Dennis relates the story about him and Cass. She was open about her love for him, and her desire for affection. She would say meekly, "I could make you very happy," and him, he goes "I was _so stupid._ We could have been happy together, but all I saw was her weight."


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## HottiMegan (Jul 24, 2007)

My mom looks back on that time with a cringe when it came to fashion choices. She said she had to make all her own clothes because she couldn't find cute stuff in her size. I love the clothes of the 60's they're so cool. I can relate on a level because when i was a young teenager, most of Lane Bryant's stuff wasn't terribly "young" looking. There was no torrid until i was like 21 but i was a broke student at the time. I learned to buy the basics and accent with things to fit my style.


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## cherylharrell (Jan 19, 2008)

I did up a wallpaper of Mama Cass Elliot to show that big is beautiful...


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## sweet&fat (Jan 19, 2008)

Ruby Ripples said:


> Her legs seem to have been quite slim, I think ordinary boots would have fitted her. And I don't even think she was very fat. She had a fat chin and appears to have been apple shaped. those awful chiffon curtainy dresses make her look like a ball on toothpicks. I suppose though she was very fat compared to the norm 40 yrs ago.



Seriously- so many of her outfits do nothing for her shape. I saw a documentary on her and I wonder if her clothes were just bigger versions of the styles in fashion or if people back then thought that everything should to be loose to hide her form. Did she ever wear anything remotely tight besides the boots?


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## Sandie S-R (Jan 19, 2008)

Actually shapeless A line dresses and go-go boots we're teh end all and be all in that day. Believe me...I was thin then and I wore them too. So Cass's clothes were really clones of what the skinny girls were wearing. We hippies all wore flowing baggie skirts and long tuincs, and shapeless mini's.


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## David Bowie (Jan 19, 2008)

didnt she asphyxiate on her own vomit?


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## Tooz (Jan 19, 2008)

I would pay big bucks for the black and white sweater/knitted thing in the one picture.


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## Judge_Dre (Jan 19, 2008)

Cass Elliot really was a hottie :wubu: It must of have been really liberating for fat women in the 60's to see her become a star. I'm sure all the FA's were thrilled to see a REAL sex symbol shown in the media at the time. 

View attachment Mama_Cass_320X240.jpg


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## Ash (Jan 19, 2008)

Tooz said:


> I would pay big bucks for the black and white sweater/knitted thing in the one picture.



I kinda like it, too. It's a cape, I think. It's sort of Jackie O-ish with the glasses and all. I dig it.

And, I swear...my kingdom for a pair of white go-go boots.


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## Sandie S-R (Jan 19, 2008)

David Bowie said:


> didnt she asphyxiate on her own vomit?



No, she did not. 

That was all apart of the chicken/ham sandwich choking myth. None of that was true. She had a heart attack, after some serious dieting.


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## Sandie S-R (Jan 19, 2008)

Tooz said:


> I would pay big bucks for the black and white sweater/knitted thing in the one picture.



That is a great poncho (and suprisingly not hard to do). Just thought I would mention, that I am working on adapting some knitting patterns to fit plus and supersizes, and I am going to be carrying hand knitted garments in my Etsy store...link below. It will likely be a couple of months before it is stocked with knitwear, but keep checking back. 

Meanwhile, I am fiendishly knitting. (And Tooz, I'll see if I can find a pattern for that poncho, and I'll let you know.)


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## Sandie S-R (Jan 19, 2008)

Ashley said:


> I kinda like it, too. It's a cape, I think. It's sort of Jackie O-ish with the glasses and all. I dig it.
> 
> And, I swear...my kingdom for a pair of white go-go boots.



I wish I had hung onto mine! Not only did I have the boots, but also the fringed go-go dress. Gawd, I'm dating myself. 

:doh:


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## Theatrmuse/Kara (Jan 19, 2008)

I had the white go go boots and another pair in RED! Honest to goodness....and a few fringed ponchos!

Another oldie but goodie! LOL! Hugs, Kara


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## Tooz (Jan 19, 2008)

Sandie S-R said:


> That is a great poncho (and suprisingly not hard to do). Just thought I would mention, that I am working on adapting some knitting patterns to fit plus and supersizes, and I am going to be carrying hand knitted garments in my Etsy store...link below. It will likely be a couple of months before it is stocked with knitwear, but keep checking back.
> 
> Meanwhile, I am fiendishly knitting. (And Tooz, I'll see if I can find a pattern for that poncho, and I'll let you know.)



Thank you!! If you were to make one like in the photo, with black and white, I would so be all over it


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## sweet&fat (Jan 19, 2008)

Sandie S-R said:


> That is a great poncho (and suprisingly not hard to do). Just thought I would mention, that I am working on adapting some knitting patterns to fit plus and supersizes, and I am going to be carrying hand knitted garments in my Etsy store...link below. It will likely be a couple of months before it is stocked with knitwear, but keep checking back.
> 
> Meanwhile, I am fiendishly knitting. (And Tooz, I'll see if I can find a pattern for that poncho, and I'll let you know.)



Will you be selling the patterns as well as the knitted products?


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## Surlysomething (Jan 19, 2008)

Tina said:


> I never could do it and and always felt like a failure who stuck out like a sore thumb in clothes made for women (and un-fashionable women at that). I believe that's why I love clothes so much now -- I couldn't find clothing that I liked until well into adulthood and always felt hideously dressed.


 

I went through a period like that and now I have so many articles of clothing that it blows me away. Like i'm making up for lost time.


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## Sandie S-R (Jan 20, 2008)

sweet&fat said:


> Will you be selling the patterns as well as the knitted products?



I'm not going to be selling patterns. I am only going to be selling the actual knitted garments.


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## Sandie S-R (Jan 20, 2008)

Tooz said:


> Thank you!! If you were to make one like in the photo, with black and white, I would so be all over it



I spent some time tonight looking at this, and it is an easy poncho and I'm pretty sure I know what the stich pattern is as well. And if you note, she is also wearing a matching black knit beanie hat. I think I will put that together in a month or two, and make it a set. I may even call it the Cass Poncho and matching hat.  (And I agree, the black and white is the only way to go.)

Thanks for the request Tooz. I'm always looking for ideas that will translate into larger sizes.


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## cherylharrell (Jan 20, 2008)

Yeah those kinda dresses & go-go boots were popular back then. I had some ofd those & some ponchos too back then & I was skinny back then lol. I love the pink outfit she is wearing in the wallpaper pic I did up of her. It is so me.  I have some ponchos that fit me now that I have gotten at different places over the yrs. Yup she died of a heart attack but it was mistakenly reported as choking after eating a ham sandwich. She is the first contemporary plus sized icon I can remember. It was amazing how popular she was in here day when stuff like Twiggy was popular at the time. If Mama were here today she'd be amazed at how far the plus sized world has come since then...


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## bigsexy920 (Jan 20, 2008)

I dont know where she got her clothed but boy could see sing. I remember a plave in Jersey City that my grand mother would take me and it was all plus sizes and that would have been the very late 60's and ealry 70's I wnt to say it was called 14-16 plus but that could be just what she called it. Anyway they had lots of poloyester colthes I didnt know then what that was but over the years Ive come to realize that it was. 

I know Lany Bryant has been around for many many years and they were always in the plus sized market. Prior to i think 1982 it was still a family owned company and so it wasnt national like it is now. 
Im sure there were stores that had larger sizes back than. Just not as many as there are now. I'm also pretty sure that when they started doing well she had her proformance clothes made for her


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## Tooz (Jan 20, 2008)

Sandie S-R said:


> I spent some time tonight looking at this, and it is an easy poncho and I'm pretty sure I know what the stich pattern is as well. And if you note, she is also wearing a matching black knit beanie hat. I think I will put that together in a month or two, and make it a set. I may even call it the Cass Poncho and matching hat.  (And I agree, the black and white is the only way to go.)
> 
> Thanks for the request Tooz. I'm always looking for ideas that will translate into larger sizes.



Yay! Let me know if you can get some up for sale sometime in the future


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## BeaBea (Jan 22, 2008)

Hi folks

I know this thread is about Cass's clothes but I wanted to share my favourite image of her. I think she's truly beautiful and this is the perfect image of a 'flower child'

Tracey xx 

View attachment schatz_flower_b.jpg


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## cherylharrell (Jan 23, 2008)

Thanks for posting that. I shows you how confident a BBW she was...


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## Jane (Jan 23, 2008)

John Phillips was on some talk show about 10 years ago, and he said she died of a heroin overdose. I don't guess anyone will ever really know.


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## cherylharrell (Apr 6, 2009)

I found this video of Mama Cass Elliot and I love what she is wearing inb it. Pretty cool for fat chicks back then. I'd like to have an outfit like that...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFbO5F2QozM&feature=related


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## Shosh (Apr 6, 2009)

Mama Cass was awesome. What a voice.


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## mergirl (Apr 7, 2009)

Sandie S-R said:


> No, she did not.
> 
> That was all apart of the chicken/ham sandwich choking myth. None of that was true. She had a heart attack, after some serious dieting.


It was the combination of yo-yo dieting and drug misuse, not just dieting. She would lose and gain weight really quickly, was a heroin user and was prescribed amphetamines, for weight loss for over 10 years, which would place a huge amount of stress on the heart. I am a huge fan of Cass elliot.. the ham sandwhich myth bugs me SOOO much!


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## BeaBea (Apr 7, 2009)

mergirl said:


> I am a huge fan of Cass elliot.. the ham sandwhich myth bugs me SOOO much!



Me too Mer - and I also prefer to call her Cass as I know she hated the 'Mama' tag. I think she was a seriously cool chick though and its such a shame that she isn't around today.

Tracey xx


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## knottyknicky (Apr 8, 2009)

I used to work at a summer camp and had one cute kid who was in looooove with Cass Elliot and The Mamas and the Papas. He told me on the second day that I looked a lot like Mama Cass and continued to follow me around the rest of the week, and asked me to go to the end-of-camp dance with him. I couldn't say yes because I was staff, but it was so cute. Hello, future FA. Really sweet kid though.


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