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Tag Archives: advice literature
Seventy Years Young by Emily M. Bishop
As you might imagine, I read a lot of books on aging. In general, the authors fall into two large camps. The pessimists contend that aging is a process of limitations; gradually we lose skills and eventually we die. The … Continue reading
Vogue Pattern Book and the Older Woman
In 1980, the Vogue Pattern Book introduced former movie star Arlene Dahl as a fashion adviser to older women. Then in her mid fifties, she had left acting behind and reinvented herself as a beauty consultant. For the next few … Continue reading
Mrs. Exeter Sews Again
In 1961, Mrs. Exeter was fading from the pages Vogue magazine, where she had first been introduced in 1948. She only appeared three times that year, once to explain why she needed two long evening dresses, once to show off … Continue reading
Vogue and the “Stout” Older Woman
Although Vogue magazine was not very sympathetic to women who carried extra pounds, there was one area where the magazine was more forgiving—the fashion dilemmas of older women. Long before the era of Mrs. Exeter, Vogue editors realized that aging … Continue reading
Dress and Culture in the Great Migration
In her sweeping study of the migration of African Americans from the South to the North, The Warmth of Other Suns, author Isabel Wilkerson compares the experience of black migrants from the rural South to that of immigrants from foreign … Continue reading
Book Review: Toss the Gloss by Andrea Q. Robinson
Beauty how-to books always make me tired. In this witty advice book for women over fifty, Andrea Robinson claims that your entire beauty routine shouldn’t take more than ten minutes. Considering that her eye make up list alone has nine … Continue reading
Bullock’s Determines Fashion Personality Types, 1920s
Have you ever taken one of those quizzes to determine your fashion personality? I always end up an awkward mix of sporty (for pants), flamboyant/artistic (for orange), and tailored (for jackets)—not exactly a scientific formula. But according to the fascinating … Continue reading
Mrs. Exeter Also Knits
Will Mrs. Exeter ever cease to amaze me? She had her fingers in so many pies during the 1950s. While conducting a random search for her on ebay (she is almost always there, although usually out of my price range), … Continue reading
Mrs. Exeter’s Favorite Brands
Have you forgotten Mrs. Exeter, Vogue’s older fashion adviser? I just discovered another way to investigate her influence. A dear friend put me in contact with her uncle who worked in the garment industry all his life, beginning with the … Continue reading