Wife Dressing

Wife Dressing: The Fine Art of Being a Well-Dressed Wife by Anne Fogarty
191 pages
NonFiction – Fashion

A fun little book! I kind of love this book… originally published in 1959 and aimed at helping new brides (married women) dress for their new role as a wife. Part charming peek into history, part fashion advice, part housewife advice. Some things were outdated but that lent to the charm. An amazing amount of information is still relevant and helpful to me as a stay-at-home mom. Why don't they teach life skills like homemaking in schools anymore?! I know it isn't PC, but it would be so helpful! I loved the anecdotal stories about how the author's personal friends navigated different fashion challenges.

It was fun to see how life has changed for women since the book was originally published. But I was surprised to see references (back in 1959!) to problems anyone might discuss today. I didn't realize women have been dealing with these "modern" problems for so long. It gave me a bit of peace that even back in the quaint 1950s people had to filter some of this stuff out of their lives. It reminded me that life is what you make of it. The challenges of women working outside the home are mentioned as the author is a renowned fashion designer. Fashion detractors who advocate for a bohemian/hippie style instead of properly fitted clothes are also mentioned.

I loved the font, format and thick waxy pages sewn into my copy from the library. It all lent to the old fashioned feel, even though my modern version was printed in 2008. Well done! Note: I recommend ignoring the Introduction which justifies the author as "significantly liberated given the constraints of her era”.

Some of the language & clothing terms were outdated, so I couldn't always understand what the author meant. Especially since this fashion book has no pictures. Fashion books need pictures since fashion is so visual! As with all fashion books, this contained a good amount of contractions. Some of the fashion advice I agreed with and some I disagreed with. Fashion is subjective!

RECOMMENDED FOR: Married women who are interested in fashion and elegant living. Lovers of the 1950s era.