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Tag Archives: Mrs. Exeter
Jessica Daves and Mrs. Exeter
If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you know my fascination with Mrs. Exeter, Vogue magazine’s style icon for the older set. I long to know who thought up this funny and influential character. Since … Continue reading
Drawing Mrs. Exeter
Here is my favorite research method of all time–go into a library and wander around stacks of books on a topic of interest. Open many books and thumb through them until something strikes my fancy. That is how I discovered … 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
Mrs. Exeter’s British Cousin
Mrs. Exeter was born on the pages of American Vogue in June 1948. A few months later, in March 1949, a parallel older lady appeared in British Vogue. The British Mrs. Exeter seems to have had a wider cultural resonance … Continue reading
Half Sizes, Part 3–The Martha Manning Brand
Although I don’t yet know when or how half sizes were invented, by the 1940s there were a number of clothing lines devoted to the older, shorter, wider woman. One of the best known was Martha Manning, a clothing company … Continue reading
Mrs. Exeter’s Favorite American Model
Will I ever tire of writing about Mrs. Exeter, Vogue’s older woman of style in the post World War Two era? Not if I can figure out something new to say. This style adviser to women of a certain age … Continue reading
Mrs. Exeter’s Inspiration
I have long wondered if long-serving Vogue editor Edna Woolman Chase was the inspiration for Mrs. Exeter. Those of you who have been reading this blog for any length of time perhaps know of my fascination with Mrs. Exeter, an … 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
Mrs. Exeter’s Enemies
It is often said that Diana Vreeland, the famous Vogue editor, killed Mrs. Exeter. However, this witty fashion adviser to the older set was hardly in good shape when Vreeland took over in 1963. At the highpoint of her fashion … Continue reading