A Basic Wardrobe According to The Secrets of Charm

 

Last time I showed you the basic wardrobe according to So, You Want to be a Model from 1943. Well today I'm going to show you the basic wardrobe plan from Secrets of Charm from 1954 written by John Robert Powers and Mary Sue Miller. If you are not sure who John Robert Powers is, he founded the Powers Modeling Agency. It was one of, if not the most, prestigious modeling firms in the 20th century. the wardrobe plan laid out in this book was meant for models and any woman who wanted to cultivate her own personal charm. The book offers a basic wardrobe plan and then additional plans to suit the individual woman, the homemaker to the career woman. The basic wardrobe plan in this book is as follows:

• 1 Winter Coat 
  
• 1 "Shortie" Coat
• This coat should be for warmer weather like in the Spring when a regular winter coat would be too heavy. 
• 1 Suit
• The book suggests a good, tailored suit as your first purchase. 
• 1 Basic Daytime Dress
• This basic dress should be able to be worn where you would wear your suit. 
• 1 Basic Casual Dress
• The book suggests that this be either a one-piece dress or a smart two-piece dress. 
• 1 Basic "After 5" Dress
• This should be dark and of simple lines 
• 1 Basic Hat
• The book gives a great idea here. Here, choose a very plain and basic hat and then have a
  LOT of trims to go with it. Change out the trims to suit your outfit. Keep flowers, feathers, netting, etc. on hand. make sure that you color coordinate your hat trims to your clothes. 
• 3 Sets of Accessories
• Have a set for your casual/ daytime look, your sporty look, and your evening look. 
• A set should include shoes, bag, assorted jewelry, scarves, hankies, corsages, belts, etc. 

There is the basic wardrobe! I think this very similar to the one prescribed in 1943 however, Secrets of Charm does not stop there. They recommend a basic summer/ spring wardrobe and a basic winter/ fall wardrobe. That means doubling everything you saw above.  One you have a basic wardrobe, they suggest you continue to build on in a little bit each season. In addition to the basic wardrobe, Secrets of Charm suggests you add a rain wear outfit, a dressy suit, lounge clothes, hostess costumes, sport/ play clothes, a dinner suit, tweeds, and additional evening gowns and wraps BUT! Only if your budget
allows. 

A two-piece dress styled casually. I added a white blouse
under the top and treated the ensemble like a suit. 

One of my first vintage finds was a suit! In brown wool,
this suit has been a true work horse and a wardrobe staple. 

a printed dress dresses up or down with a change of 
accessories. Here it is paired with the brown wool 
suit jacket from above. 

Using the pieces already used above, another look. 
The yellow top from the two-piece dress pairs with a 
dress for a totally different look. 

Depending on your occupation and where you call home, Secrets of Charm suggests other wardrobe additions. If you are a homemaker, they suggest smart day dresses, if you are a career woman, then
smart suits. In a nutshell, your wardrobe should suit you and your lifestyle. 

Personally, I think this wardrobe plan is much more detailed and more complete. It suggests more practical items, like a raincoat, and it really pushes that your wardrobe be built around you regardless of what you do. Like the previous basic wardrobe plan, budget is discussed. In both plans they mention to stick in your budget and buy what you need and then slowly build it up a little at a time. Both plans also emphasis color coordination, Secrets of Charm suggests each item color coordinates in the summer wardrobe and then choose another color coordination plan for the winter wardrobe. This way you get more color variety.