Book Review: Wife Dressing
In 1959, Ann Fogarty’s book “Wife Dressing: The Fine Art of Being a Well-Dressed Wife”, was released for the first time in New York. Now, nearly 50 years later, it has been re-released the use and entertainment of us younger wives. The age of this book becomes extra clear with the “provocative notes for the patient husband who pays the bills“.
Since I got married this summer, I have sometimes found it amusing to play my role to the full. Get dressed up in some 50’s housewife dress and apron and bake cookies for our guests. In this case the book is an excellent source for how to stay stylish and fashion conscious in a 50’s kind of way. But it is also so much more than that…
Even though the initial release of this book was so long ago, much of it’s content is just as useful today. Like the chapter on how to care for your wardrobe. “Uniformity of hangers gives your wardrobe cohesion. It’s good for your morale to open your closet door and see everything looking nice.” It couldn’t be more true.
Or the chapter on taste and money. “A clothes budget is like Einstein’s theory. It’s based on relativity. The relative value of perhaps one very expensive coat against two less costly; of one good fur against a couple of fake furs; of an extreme high-fashion item against a classic.” And she also brings to the attention how good taste and money don’t necessarily depend on each other. A good starting point on the subject.
And lets not forget about the husband in all of this, after all he pays the bills. He’s for example mentioned when it comes to personal grooming: “When your husband’s eyes light up as he comes at in at night, you’re in sad shape if it’s only because he smells dinner cooking.”
The fun thing is that when you expect the book to be all about silly fashion rules or just to be very conservative in general, it’s actually quite open to experimenting with clothes (although within certain limits) and quite funny, something that becomes clear on the chapter on breaking the rules as well as the fashion IQ test at the end of the book. And I guess that these days, with all kinds of synthetic materials and bad tailoring, that it is a useful source for how to care for (and wear) tweeds and furs like they used in the old days. But while it does contain useful advice and helpful ideas, I would rather recommend it as a sweet gift to a newly married (or engaged) girlfriend, or perhaps just a little something to amuse yourself with. You can find it at Amazon.
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12 Comments
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Cool. Slike bøker er morsomme. Særlig hvis de er autentiske, og ikke nyskrevne - noe av sjarmen er jo nettopp at de var oppslagsverker i gamle dager, og at vi både får gode tips og en god latter i dag. Jeg har raidet loppiser for slike bøker i årevis, og har etterhvert en pen liten samling - men denne har jeg ikke vært borti, så takk for tipset! :)
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Er faktisk ikke helt sikker på om den er redigert på noen måte, men selve boka er nok autentisk. Tenkte faktisk det kunne være noe for deg. ;)
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:25 pm
I’d really like to read a book like this…I’ve got a 50’s “good manners guide” from my granny and it’s really fun to read it.
Actually, I guess we young wives sometimes try to hard - we would like to work on all fronts all the time. Today I’ve just come back from work and, although it’s such a late hour, I’ve been cooking dinner for a while (nothing special - some soya, brown rice and peas, we’re vegetarians - but it has taken some time).
Sometimes I’d just like to have my own kingdom inside the house and do nothing but cooking and shopping:)
Those were the days…
January 23rd, 2008 at 4:16 am
haha thats so cute - I have a similar book - it’s called “Fashion Sewing by the Bishop Method” and it not only has how to make some very 50’s/60’s clothing, but how to alter clothing that doesn’t fit, and the entire first chapter is about dressing yourself… if you lived in 1959…
January 23rd, 2008 at 5:03 am
Oh i always love a good book recomendation, thank you :)
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:19 am
There is another book like this I think you’d get a kick out of: Tiffany’s Table Manners for Teenagers by Walter Hoving. He was a former CEO or something of Tiffany and Co., but the book is hilarious, it talks about basically the same things as your book. They don’t talk about fashion too much, but the illustrations are great.
By the way, I really like your blog, I’ve been following it for a while now and you have inspired me to get bangs.
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:37 am
I love your site!
Would it be possible to see some pics from your wedding?
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:46 am
Laura, I posted some photos here:
http://stylebytes.net/2007/08/23/the-wedding/
And… The “secret” photo album is here:
http://www.oslostil.com/agathekristoffer
January 23rd, 2008 at 5:57 pm
I don’t know, it’s all very cute etc. but this type of books is in essence very misogynistic and derogatory. The bottom line is always: if your husband does not love you that is your fault because a) you are fat/ugly/badly dressed or b)a bad housewife.
I like the retro outfits but am happy I did not grow up before the second feminist wave. There’s more to life than baking pies and doing the dishes.
January 23rd, 2008 at 5:59 pm
aww, seems like a cute book, My dad gave me miss manners when i was a kid and i still love that book.
January 23rd, 2008 at 8:12 pm
I refuse from the start to buy/read books like that.The simple idea that one has to work hard in order to be a “good wife” makes me crazy..NO no no!!!
I’m glad you’re doing it for fun, though
January 23rd, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Hey sounds like a fun book…I’m going to buy one, thanks for recommending it!
I have been reading your blog for a while, but this is the first time I’m commenting. I’ve added your blog to the blogroll in mine…I hope you dont mind!