Your Basic Wardrobe According to So, You Want to be a Model! from 1943

 

As of late I have been shopping for things off of my wish list, vintage items that I have wanted for a LONG time. Some of those items are books. One such book is So, You Want to be a Model! A Guide to Charm and Glamour by C. Matthew Dessner. So, who is C. Matthew Dessner you ask? Dessner was the head of a New York modeling agency in the 1940s and was one of the authorities on how to be glamourous, charming and how to become a model. Published in 1943, this book details how to become a model from the ground up, how to walk, how to wear clothes, how to cultivate your personality. This book also goes into depth about what it is like to be a model and the different kinds of modes a model can be employed such as a fashion show model, as a camera model, as an artist's sketching model and so on. 

My "Basic Dress" is a black rayon dress. 
It features a deep "V" neckline and buttons 
down the front. It can be dressed up or down
depending on the accessories. 

One chapter in particular I want to focus on is the basic wardrobe for a model. When I was reading this chapter, I thought it would make a great blog topic for a couple reasons. For starters, when I was a WWII reenactor, people often ask just how many clothes a 1940s woman had compared to today. Well, this book actually tells its readers what a woman in 1943 should have and how many of what to START her fashionable wardrobe journey. How cool is that? Although this does not answer how many clothes a 1940s woman actually had, it offers some insight into what kinds of clothes she was thought to have had. The second reason why I thought this chapter was worth sharing was because if you are building your vintage wardrobe from scratch, this book lays out a pretty good plan on what to start with. I think if it was good enough for a model in 1943, someone whose business is in clothes, then I think it could work for someone else too. 

So, what was the basic wardrobe plan and item requirements? They were as follows: 

• 1 Basic Dress
• Choose a basic dress that is dark in color and simple in line. This basic dress should be able to be dressed up with a change of collars, belts, and scarves. This dress is described as the
  work horse of the wardrobe. 
• 1 Dressy Dress
• Choose a dressy dress that is brighter in color than your basic dress and it could be a print, bright color, or a lighter neutral. 
• 1 Suit 
• Choose between a dressy suit of fine materials and feminine details or a smartly tailored suit. Your choice! Both suits can be paired with frilly or tailored blouses. 
• 2 Coats 
• Choose a Dressy coat and a sporty coat. One for fine occasion and one for your everyday attire when the temperature drops. Either coat must color coordinate with your suits and dresses. 
  
• 1 Formal Gown
• In the book, this gown is described a as formal length gown in simple lines and a color pleasing to you. This gown can be dressed up with scarves, corsages, gloves, costume jewelry, etc. 
• 2 Hats at a minimum
• The book describes that at a minimum you should have two hats. One hat for causal days, described as a sporty hat, and another hat for dressy occasions. Choose your hats to color coordinate with your suit, dresses, and coats. This doesn't mean they need to match in color but coordinate. 
• 3 Pairs of Shoes at a minimum
• At the minimum, invest in three good pairs. One pair for sporty
  casual days, one pair for dressy attire and a third pair for evening. Specifically, the book recommends an open toed sandal for your evening/ formal
  attire. 
• 3 Bags or Purses 
• Like the shoes, choose one bag for casual or sporty attire, one for dressy occasions, and the last for your formal. evening attire. 

To round out the basic wardrobe, the book recommends you have as many gloves, collars, belts, and costume jewelry as your budget allows. These little items can really help make any outfit appropriate for any occasion you encounter. One topic the book does not go into is how many undergarments. I'm not sure why they do not go into this one too much but in general it was recommended one slip per dress or suit you owned. It's possible the undergarments requirements were simply common knowledge of the time, and it was assumed it was already known what to have. The book also does not offer suggestions for vacation or leisure wear, sports or play. The book does suggest that once you have the basic wardrobe, build on it from there with accessories and then larger pieces. Which to buy first? This text and others suggest you buy the most expensive items, like a coat or suit, first. These items back then, like today, are bigger and more costly investments. 

Another dress in a print, this dress can be both 
"dressy" or "sporty" depending on the accessories. 
In a way, depending on how you use it, any dress can be 
your "basic dress" but I call this one of my "sporty pieces" because 
of the cute floral print and cotton fabric. 
The print has a soft, feminine, casual charm. 

One of my "Dressy Dresses". The rich blue of the dress
and the dotted trim makes this a cute dress. 
It pairs well with white and other summery colors.
Although not my "Basic Dress" this is a great wardrobe staple. 

In building your wardrobe, the book offers some additional advice such as buying a 2- or 3-piece ensemble. These pieces can be mixed and matched easily with any other pieces you may buy. These 2- or 3-piece ensamples are also great instant outfits too because they all match.  In choosing your wardrobe, choose two color schemes, one for dressy occasions and another for sporty or casual occasions. Most importantly, the colors much harmonize with each other! This way no matter what you wear with what, you will look put together and polished. 

A two-piece dress is a great item to have. 
It can be styled so many different ways up 
or down. 

Depending on where you live, there is no 
such think as too many coats. I have many. 
I consider this one of my casual/ "sporty coats". 
It is a navy-blue wool swing coat. 

This is one of my "dressy coats". This coat is much 
fancier than my casual coats and I usually style it as such. 
I wear it with my nicer suits and dresses. 
This coat is also a bold statement piece. 

Well, there you have it! I don't know about you, but I thought this was actually pretty sound advice. Advice I wish I had had when I was starting my vintage wardrobe journey. Now the question is, would I have followed it, ha! What do you think? Is this good fashion advice? Let me know below and I hope you enjoyed this or found it informative. Up next, I hope to share with you some more pages from this text about mixing colors. The book had a really nice diagram that showed mixing basic pieces with an assortment of accessories to get different looks. So, I hope that you stay tuned for that. The next book we will get into will be from 1954 in Secrets of Charm by John Robert Powers and Mary Sue Miller which has some great advice in it as well.  

A good basic suit really is a great investment. 
It can be worn almost anywhere, and the pieces can be 
worn together or separate. A good suit is a true 
work horse. 

a good basic suit does not have to be boring,
embrace and have fun with color!