Wife Dressing: The Fine Art of Being a Well-Dressed Wife

by Anne Fogarty and Rosemary Feitelberg

Wife Dressing: The Fine Art of Being a Well-Dressed Wife is a republishing of a fashion classic, with an updated introduction from fashion commentator Rosemary Feitelberg. Fashion icon Anne Fogarty's advice for the style-conscious woman is every bit as witty today as it was when it was originally published in 1959. Feitelberg's additional text contextualizes Fogarty's original concepts, underscoring how Fogarty's observations and expertise still hold...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0979338425
• ISBN13: 9780979338427
• Release Date: December 2007
• Publisher: Glitterati
• Length: 191 Pages
• Weight: 1.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

This Book Is a MUST have!

I am glad all the reviews were positive except for 1 (who complained about it not being applicable to her life with a small child) Of course some of the principles are in conjunction with the times and the protocol of that era and a womans position in it cannot be utilized today practically, but if you can look past that, and look to the heart of the book's message; stay attractive for your husband by keeping up your appearence and dress appropriately for every occasion you will find timeless information in it pages which are applicable today. I saw a woman show up to my friends wedding in a jean skirt, top and sandals while every one else was dressed "after five" and she herself was newly married with a child! Too many of us in the name of libeation and comfort have completely neglected our appearence once we get married and have children. No one is saying you have to wax the floor in high heels and a corseted dress with apron a la 1950's t.v. but ditching the "spit-up" stained shirt, put on a little make-up and purfume and give your husband a pleasant vision when he walks though the door (if you are a stay at home mom) giving him something to smile about other than the remote control and easy chair. Personaly, I love the book and look forward to applying the principles as I am able to when I get married and maybe I will have 15 steamer trunks of clothes to take with me on my honeymoon! : )

Fab, darling!

I've read Wife Dressing four times in two months. It's so much fun and even after all these years the fashion advice still works. I haven't worn white shortie gloves since the last family funeral and haven't worn a petticoat since last week but the basic theme works just fine. Let's face it, all you have to do is go to Target or Walmart on a Friday night and you'll see that a lot of married women look bad. Curlers in the hair, pajamas or stained sweats, bedroom slippers, and fat rolls escaping from their tops. They figure that hey, they're married and their man aint going anywhere so why make an effort? Anne Fogarty, who sounds very much like the fabulous top girl in high school that you longed to hang with but were just a tiny bit scared of, would've hated women like that. She was a wife but a business woman first and possessed incredible discipline.She was smart enough to realize that nobody can have it all or do it all. She had a staff at work and a housekeeper at home. When she was away from work she lavished attention on her husband. When the marriage didn't work she tightened her girdle and moved on. From her 18 inch(!) waist to her glistening white gloves and ability to plan her whole day like a war campaign, Fogarty didn't believe in ugliness, laziness or a letting a chance to find beauty in everything pass by. I've learned, I've laughed and I'm using the tote bag trick.

Wife Dressing

Don't be fooled by the title. Even though the book is vintage 1950's the attitudes towards selection of clothing, maintenance of clothing and dressing tips are very timely.

Surprisingly subversive or Emily Post of fashion?

I was so happy to read in the fashion blogosphere that Wife Dressing has been dusted off and brought back into print. My first edition copy has crumbled to dust, and I am so pleased by Glitterati's reprinted it. The new illustrations are fabulous, and I love Feitelberg's new introduction that does a stellar job of contextualizing the book. I've bought a copy of it for my 26-year-old niece, who is getting married this spring, to give her fashion advice and to make sure that she appreciates feminism! As a young girl growing up in suburban Chicago in the 1950s, I saw my mother and her "ladies that lunch" friends emulate Ann Fogarty's advice. My mother lectured me from the pages of that book on dressing with elegance, and when Fogarty wrote about packing 19 steamer trunks of clothing for a trip to Europe, my mother made sure to bring 20. Back then, us girls expected to go to college, maybe teach or nurse for a few years, before retiring into the home. And look, now, fifty-odd years after Wife Dressing was published a woman is making her way to the White House. Now don't be too hasty in judging Wife Dressing because of the era that it came out of, not only does it have some very useful fashion advice, the book also shows the ways in which women could still have their way. I would even call parts of it subversive. Sure, it's not Betty Freidan, but Fogarty shows how women can assert their authority and independence within the confines of their stereotypical 1950s gender role. Fogarty was no housewife--she spent many years as a model and a fashion designer, even after her marriage. It's a book about working from within the system, which can be a valuable skill, and after all, marriage in any era still requires a great deal of diplomacy.