My apologies if this has been covered previously, but is their anywhere on the Net where I can find precise details of the Sheaffer Fashion range.

It almost seems as if it never existed!

Thanks in anticipation.
David.

You might start with Richard Binder's website, in the section for "Birthday Pens: Timeline." The timeline includes the history of the Sheaffer Fashion. Try the link below.

http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref_info/bday_pen.htm

I have a Lady Sheaffer Fashion fp from the 1980s. It's the slim pastel kind with the tapestry sleeve. It took me a while to remember what it was. I haven't used it in years. I can post pictures if you are interested, but after a couple of weeks when I get settled in from vacation and my daughter off to school.

Thanks Ray, although I'd already checked that site.

From what I can see, the only mention is when the Fashion range was launched, but no details of models etc.

Regards,
David.

For some reason, it is very dificult to find information all in one place for this range. The info is pretty much hit and miss. I bought an unused one on EBay over a year ago, without even knowing the name of the collection. I discovered the name by accident, while looking for something else. Even the Sheaffer Home Page isn't helpful (actually, I don't believe it has any information about discontinued models).

To save you all a bit of Time and bother searching the internet- the following photos are some of the info i have on the Fashion range, these scans are from a sheaffer catalogue and promotion material i have. Enjoy


<p><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o173/Brownieeeee/fashion-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>


<p><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o173/Brownieeeee/fashion5metals.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>


<P><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o173/Brownieeeee/fashion2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

<p><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o173/Brownieeeee/fashion3.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

<p><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o173/Brownieeeee/fashion4.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

<p><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o173/Brownieeeee/fashionitemnos.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

<p>

These pens make great every day writers and with all those finishes make an impressive collection. !!

Happy Hunting Regards ian

Wow! Thanks Brownieeeee!

Thanks for that Ian. Nice to know that dads can be useful sometimes!!!

Design numbers 290 - 293, were they known as the Circle range? And do you have info on the 'tartan' range, I have it in red and green.

Any ideas why there's so little about the Fashion range? Mountains of info about Targa, but little about Fashion, and yet it sold so well in the UK.

Hi DeltaLima i've never heard the 290-293 called the Circle range but i guess thats a fitting name for them. The Tartans are on the scans there models 282,283,284 for some reason they are called 'gloss' i've no idea why.


I'm guessing that the lack of information is due to so few people collecting them. I may be wrong but i've not met many. Try searching for info on the TRZ there is even less. The TRZ was replaced by the Fashion and is very similar. The Fashion was marketed as a quality entry level pen and it does that job very well, but it is very different to the Targa in terms of nib quality the Targa is a much better pen and the price reflects that.

Having said that these pens are still worth some credit and i would much rather use a Fashion than a Prelude the current Sheaffer for the entry level market. Prehaps with more information the Fashion would become more popular.

If there are any collectors of the Fashion do let us know, i did have most of the models in my collection at one time but now i've sold most of them.

Regards ian

Thanks for the info, Ian.

I remember there was a fair bit of disquiet when it was announced that Fashion was being discontinued in favour of the new Prelude.

Maybe it was more popular in the UK than other markets, and if it wasn't well received in the USA, then of course that would be it's sort of death knell!!

Regards,
David.

Hi,

I can't add any more information on the Fashion range. I'd like to know more myself. I have one in the colour Sheaffer references as "chestnut" with a smooth-writing broad nib. It is a beautiful, deep, marbled colour, similar to the Ronce series Targas. It just doesn't show up well on the above brochure.

One thing in the brochure puzzles me. They refer to the nib as a hooded nib. I simply don't understand what they are talking about -- this is an open nib.

Anyway, I do like my Sheaffer Fashion pen. Thank you, Ian, for posting this brochure. I now know a bit more about them than I did.

Cheers,
Laura

There was also a slimmer version of the Fashion. I have an fluted gold electroplated example. The trim ring just below the nib is thinner and the nib is super smooth IMHO. This pen takes only the slimmer squeeze converters.

Regards,
Hari

Hello Hari,

Is it possible your pen is a TRZ model? The TRZ preceded the Fashion, and it did use the slim cartridge/converter - but the overall look is similar.

The photo below is borrowed from Pendemonium:

Click to view attachment

I have a few of the TRZ pens, and I've also found them to be very smooth writers.

Cheers,

Jon

Hello Jon,

I had found the pen NOS with its original sticker that said SHEAFFER over 70 over FINE. The clip on my pen is identical in shape to the regular Fashion instead of the type in the TRZ which is more stylish IMHO.

Regards,
Hari

Hi Hari,

Very interesting! So far as I know, "70" is a TRZ model designation - see this eBay listing, for example

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Sheaffer-Gold-Elec...4QQcmdZViewItem

I wonder if it's possible that yours is a transitional model, or a country-specific variant. The Fashion and TRZ ranges are woefully under-documented - who really knows whether there might be multiple clip styles?

Many thanks to Ian for taking the time and trouble to provide the most comprehensive Fashion reference I've encountered.

Cheers,

Jon

Thanks to all for the info. here. I have a brushed metal TRZ as pictured above (which I bought new perhaps 25 years ago) and, having long ago lost all paperwork, I didn't know what it was until recently and wasn't sure if it could be a "Fashion" pen, or perhaps a Targa. Now I know better. I always had terrible trouble getting this pen to flow so it sat unused for years, but I've brought it back with advice in this forum. The steel nib is quite smooth but I now find the pen too slim for extended writing. Still it was my first good pen so has sentimental value. I was able to purchase slim cartridges from a member of FPN, as my original converter leaks. There is a lack of information on these so this was very helpful!!

Hi Jon,

Except for the clip design and the plastic trim at the top of the cap, from the photos the TRZ and Fashion look identical, so maybe your hypothesis is right. It is also possible that my pen is the Fashion-1 referred to in this page (scroll down to the sheaffer converters section). In the same section it is mentioned that the Fashion 2 takes the regular sized converter.

The nib on the slimmer fashion/TRZ is plain with no markings, whereas the nib on the regular (fatter) Fashion has Sheaffer written down the middle of the nib. If it will be of any help, I will try to take a picture of my pen for your ref.

Regards,
Hari

Hi Hari,

Interesting - that's a TWD page I haven't investigated before. And while I'm sure I must have seen references to a "Fashion 1" and a "Fashion 2," they must not have left a lasting impression. I suspect, on the basis of the description, that your pen is in fact the Fashion 1.

I'm curious about the alternative converter mentioned at TWD. I'm aware of the Monteverde Mini Converter, which is said to work in slim-cartridge Sheaffer pens; but the converter here is described as being "from Sheaffer." Hmmm.

And yes, I would very much like to see a photo of your pen - if it's not an undue imposition.

Cheers,

Jon