9

What to Wear Where

It takes a lot of time and a lot of talk to be well dressed—hours are spent on the telephone, in school corridors, around drug store tables, deciding what to wear next Saturday night. But that’s as it should be. For unless you keep abreast of the plans you are apt to be surprised. What was once scheduled to be a simple get-together turns out to be a formal dance. A female bridge party at Mary’s gets switched to a bring-your-own-date affair. Plans change all the time. It’s a wise girl who looks before she leaps—into her closet.

That’s why so many of us tend to find out first what others are going to wear before we make up our minds. And, too, that’s why so many of us look exactly alike. But in spite of all our copy-catting, there are those of us who dress well and those of us who don’t. The difference lies in how we combine basic ingredients—what sweater with what skirt, colors, accessories, etc.

However, there do exist certain bedrock principles. By and large we have standards of dress that establish what is appropriate and what is not. To be specific, a sweater and skirt are appropriate for school. A black dress is not. You know as well as I do that spike heels are out as far as daytime dress is concerned. The look should be casual. No one goes in for heavy make-up or exaggerated hair styles.

Should you attend a school that requires a uniform, beware of overdressing once you take your uniform off. Don’t take out your fashion frustration in cheap jewelry, sequins and ornate glitter. Fads come and go but a simple string of small pearls (good imitations, that is) is still a young girl’s best friend.

No smart girl ever lets herself believe that another word for “casual” is “sloppy.” Sloppiness, at home or at school, is not to be tolerated. Run-down heels, dirty socks, spot-stained skirts are as much in bad taste as are mascara and strong perfume. Neatness is niceness.

How you look on the street is a question that seldom troubles many of us, yet it is a mighty important one. City officials have been driven to despair by the sight of young ladies traipsing up and down their town in short shorts and bedraggled dungarees. Whether you realize it or not, some so-called “informal” dress is enough to make adult blood pressure rise to the boiling point. For Heaven’s sake, have a little pity on others and a lot of pride in yourself; put on a skirt when you’re shopping.

For a day’s spree in the big city, with lunch and the theatre squeezed into the scheme, you’ll want a suit. Wear comfortable, but not play, shoes. Make certain the leather is polished and gleaming. Be sure to remember gloves, a city must. It’s nice to have a hat.

Wear a suit to a luncheon party at a friend’s house or a restaurant. Perk it up with a pretty blouse or a flower or pin on the collar. A suit, if tailored and in a neutral color, can even change personality with an accessory trick or two. Simple wool dresses, like suits, can go almost anywhere. It’s best to have the neckline high—bare skin is not for daytime.

In summer you can be lots barer and lots less “dressed” than you ever are in winter. Sleeveless cotton dresses are seen everywhere. You can go without stockings, if you choose, provided your legs are free of fuzz and you turn a pretty tan.

When you are uncertain about what to wear, remember that it is always better to be under-dressed than over-dressed. On dates you aren’t sure about, wear a suit or a jumper. Add a string of pearls, a flower. Even if you end up at a party where the bunch is decked out in swoopy taffeta, you’ll look and feel well dressed.

For casual movie and drug store dates, wear the clothes you’d wear to school—only select from your closet your best or next-to-best sweater instead of that old beat-up affair from three years back. Take extra pains about grooming and pay extra attention to detail.

Don’t forget that there are occasions when you must wear a hat. Church is one place where you cannot go bareheaded. Even at an evening wedding you should have a wisp of veiling to cover your head during the service. It is wise to have at least one becoming hat on hand at all times.

Special occasions call for special clothes. A prom, for instance, means an evening dress, more or less bare shoulders, white gloves, evening slippers, and sheer, sheer stockings. To a prom away from home, be sure to remember to pack everything you’ll need, including underskirts and crinoline, and a low-backed bra.

Now is as good a time as any to bring up the difference between “black tie” and “white tie.” Both terms, of course, refer to the color of a man’s necktie. Black tie, because that is the color worn with a dinner jacket (tuxedo), has come to mean all occasions to which a tuxedo is worn—dinner parties, dances, evening ceremonies. White tie, because white is the necktie color worn with full evening dress (tails), stands for those occasions to which one wears a suit of tails. In spite of the fact that tails are tending to disappear more and more from the social scene, they are still the most correct costume for truly formal evening festivities—the opera, balls, weddings. On white tie occasions you should wear your most formal evening clothes.

When traveling, be sure to take clothes of double purpose and quick changeability. A suit is a marvelous companion, for it can do so many things—sight-see, go to sporting events, to tea, to lunch. One dressed-up skirt of taffeta, silk or velveteen, that can be worn with a covered-up or a bare necklined blouse is worth its weight in traveler’s checks. You can use it for dinner, for dancing, for the theatre, for almost any occasion after five.

When off to a college weekend, make sure that you know in advance the kind of festivities that are planned. Most surely you will want some sort of dress—for a fraternity dance or a special party. You will also need a suit or coordinated skirts and jackets, pretty sweaters, low heels and high heels. You may very well need an evening gown if there is a big dance planned, and you should certainly check on that well ahead of time.

In going anywhere away from home, it is wise to know if you’ll need any particular equipment—a bathing suit, for instance, is a necessity for any girl visiting at the beach. Warm boots, ski pants or slacks are vital to someone off on a winter weekend in the North Woods. Sneakers and shorts should be taken when you know tennis is on the program. A well but not overly equipped guest is tenderly regarded by the hosts who, too often, have had to lend out everything in the house to negligent visitors who failed to think ahead.

It is important to give some consideration to the points I have mentioned above. Many people judge us by our dress. Clothes, being such obvious externals, are readily remarked by anyone, and it is, indeed, often our tendency to think of our friends in relation to their dress. “That coat looks just like Mary” or “What a perfect skirt for Jane, just her type.”

But being well dressed does not mean dressing expensively or lavishly. Many girls look well and fashionably dressed on very little money—they know how to pick and choose and they have a sure sense of what is appropriate. This “sixth sense” is referred to as “good taste.”

Good taste is a difficult expression to define. It is most easily explained as the absence of bad taste, the elimination of the tawdry, the tinselly, the tacky. On the positive side, good taste implies knowing what is suitable for what occasion at whatever time of day. In addition, too, good taste suggests a non-sheep-like attitude, a fillip of daring, an ability to make the individual and personal touch an accepted fashion.

There’s an old expression, “Her taste is all in her mouth,” which means that the gal in question is lacking in discernment. She’s apt to be the kind who wears stage make-up and gobs of jewelry to a casual Saturday night bowling date. She is sure to be fond of extremes—when skirts are long, hers drags the ground; when skirts are short, her knees freeze in the breeze.

Extremes are never in good taste. Avoid, if you can, the flashy and the mousy. Keep a good balance, an equilibrium in all you do.

Below are listed some suggestions for a well-rounded wardrobe:

Lingerie

4 bras—1 black.

2 or 3 panty girdles—that fit.

4 pairs of panties—nylon is your best bet shirred ones give good curve control.

3 or 4 slips—1 black for dark clothes and 2 half-slips (one nylon; one cotton, to starch for wear under full summer skirts).

School

Several basic skirts in neutral shades, some full, some straight. Wool usually wears the best.

Long and short sleeved sweaters in classic colors: beige, gray, navy, green.

1 or 2 jumpers—a good dress-up-dress-down item.

Dates

2 suits—bear in mind that you’ll need a suit you can wear to luncheons, teas, and parties now, but which you can also wear as second-best to school later on.

1 basic dress in navy or black taffeta, velveteen or faille.

Formal

1 good formal dress—don’t buy it until you need it as styles change rapidly.

1 long or short evening skirt which you can wear with a variety of tops.

Coats

1 camel’s hair coat—the perfect cover-all from first class in the morning to late at night. Look for a box cut or flare cut to slip on easily over jackets or sweaters without bunching.

1 light weight topper—to use in warm weather and over evening clothes in winter. Keep to a basic color or you’ll tire of it before it’s ready for the discard.

1 raincoat—for really sloshy days and to use for hiking and biking trips when you need a covering that can take it.

Note that red, although bright, is an excellent basic color for a coat to be worn anywhere.

Accessories

1 simple string of small pearls (good imitations, unless you’re very lucky and have the real thing).

1 pair of pearl button earrings.

1 pair of gold earrings.

1 pair of warm gloves or mittens for school.

2 pairs of white cotton gloves—for dress-up.

1 pair of navy or black gloves.

2 or 3 pairs of nylon stockings—one pair of mesh for school.

Socks to match your sweaters and skirts.

White wool socks for school and sports.

Assorted scarves.

Shoes

Moccasins or saddle shoes for school.

1 pair of pumps in navy or black.

1 pair of evening sandals—either heels or flats.

Hats

1 hat each for fall and winter, spring, summer—for church, and formal afternoon parties.

To Remember

1. Dress down rather than up.
2. Wear clothes appropriate to the occasion—not slacks to Buckingham Palace.
3. Never look sloppy outside your own room. Be neat.
4. Keep apace with fashion, but don’t out-distance it. Beware of fads.
5. Pack everything you’ll need for visits away from home. Make a checklist of essential items.