"Dress Sense" by Poppy Richards (1950s)

A friend gave me this amusing little booklet for Christmas.  It originally came as a supplement to an issue of Woman and Beauty and has no date on it.  However the contents and the illustrations make it clear that it was published in the 1950s.

At 32 pages, it's far to long to transcribe in full—but there are plenty of quotable passages that give the flavour of this entertaining work.   So let's sit back and learn the tricks of the well-dressed 1950s woman.  The additional illustrations are from my own collection.

   "WHAT IS DRESS SENSE?  Dress sense is knowing how to pick clothes that show you at your best.  It tells you when to dress plainly, when to cut a dash, suggests the details which make all the difference between looking smart ...  and just missing the mark."

Heatona, 1950

   "MONEY WELL-SPENT.  Never sacrifice quality to quantity.  A good suit pays for itself a thousand times, and the same goes for a good coat."

   "KEEPING UP TO DATE.  Well-chosen clothes shouldn't have to be discarded until they are worn  broadly the season's fashionable silhouette (with the modifications necessary to your own figure.)  As fashion evolves slowly over a number of years you should have plenty of time to wear it out.
 out—and then you should regret them.  The outfit you continually set aside in favour of another is a mistake.  When ordering a new model you should be careful to follow
   "If old clothes—that is to say, clothes that have seen a season's wear—are no disgrace, an old hat is unpardonable.  Good hats give the impression of just having left the milliner's fingers—should have the knack of making any outfit look as smart as paint."

   “BUYING A SUIT.  There are two types of design: tailored and ‘dressmaker’ styles—the first streamline, the second softer in treatment.  As a good suit has a lifetime of at least a couple of years—another advantage!—extremes should be avoided…

   “…Where you can introduce variety is in the lining.  This may come as a complete surprise... and be all the better for it.”

Alice Edwards, 1955

   "BUYING A DRESS.  When dresses are introduced into your wardrobe, you have already started building it up, and are more experienced.  The sort of design you need is one which makes people say instantly, ‘What a pretty frock!’  This gives you kudos.  

   There is one model that always pleases, with fitted bodice and a full skirt…"

   "THE UBIQUITOUS HAT.  Unless a new hat makes you feel you can get away with murder, it is valueless.  A good hat is the gilt on the gingerbread of dress.  It can save a situation… or land you in one."

   "DRESSING IN THE DARK.  The most difficult occasion to dress for is the one at which you don't know what will be taking place.  The obvious thing is to try and find out, but if this is impossible, dress up...
   "If you have gone hopelessly wrong, save everyone embarrassment—and particularly yourself—by laughing about it quickly.  The fact that you know there is nothing basically wrong with your outfit as it stands should mollify you.  It will certainly prevent others making unkind remarks."

   "WEARING CLOTHES THE SMART WAY.  Watch your deportment.  Clothes are only about fifty per cent of the battle for smartness.  They way you wear them and good grooming account for the rest."

English Rose, 1955

   "SYNTHETICS.  No opprobium is attached in the smart woman's mind to artificial fibres.  Quite the contrary—for many procure her so much comfort.  Nylon is the revelation of the century.  It has revolutionised the fashion world... especially where holiday, travel, and casual clothes are considered—to say nothing of lingerie.  It makes pretty blouses, smart permanently-pleated skirts, tub frocks, jerkins, bathing-wear.  Terylene is another recent and wonderful development in the fibre range."

   "HELP YOUR FIGURE.  One of the real joys of fashion is that it helps us to conceal physical defects—we all have some!    We may have a flat chest and big hips, a high waist or a low one, be busty, heavy in the stern, but—if we dress correctly—nobody need know."

   "THE FOUNDATION OF THE SILHOUETTE.  No woman can hope to be smart until she has found the right corset.  This isn't something you can afford to be slack about.  Carelessness over foundation garments can ruin your whole appearance."

   "THE VALUE OF EXPERIENCE.  Round about forty a woman has reached an age when dressing should be an unadulterated pleasure...  She knows what suits her and has learnt how to be selective, adventurous, inventive.
   "If she has kept her figure—and she has every assistance in doing this today—she can pick out the latest fashions."