ABSTRACT
Jax slacks were the rage with women during the mid-1960s. The slacks required both money and a slim physique. Elizabeth Taylor was considered too 'buxom' for the style, but she purchased $3,000 worth anyway in March 1964. One notable reason for the slacks' tight fit was the location of the zipper up the back where it didn't bulge as do side zippers. The originator of the craze, Jack Hanson, was 24 and an ex-shortstop for the Los Angeles Angels when he set up shop designing peasant skirts, blouses, and slacks in Balboa, California on a $500 loan. Unable to afford mass media ads, he had his salesgirls model pants in the store windows. The promotion caught on, leading to a second store in Beverly Hills. The Jax chain had spread eastward as far as Manhattan by early 1964, with new openings planned for Southampton and Paris.
