Mining Gold from 1952

 
"You can be the best-dressed girl in town." Who doesn't want that? Don't even think how large is your town.

This treasure was found at a flea market. I just love when ephemera has made it through the sands of time. Why was it never chucked after the original buyer became the best-dressed gal in town? Did she give up half way through this "Miracle 7 Day Glamour Course"?

Just think—1,000 fashion hints! 1,000!! 1,000!!! All for only a quarter! This magazine promises a lot. Does it deliver? Let's see...

At first glance you might think in seven days the secrets will be yours. In truth each "day" probably takes a week to complete.

The cover model looks a bit like '50s movie star Jeanne Crain (it's not). She has one of those unfortunate early '50s short cuts that were further tortured with a permanent. Ceil Chapman dress. The interior photos are credited to Butterick Patterns and an Eighth Avenue establishment called Millers. They are pretty standard in the I-am-a-model-posing school of fashion photography.

Why is she surprised?

But we're not here to judge the hairstyles, makeup, hats, gloves, girdles and hosiery. All that aside, many of the tips are as relevant today as they were in 1952.

FIRST DAY: The Clothes for Your Life

Right off the editors say, "We don't believe in 'typical' wardrobes. We believe in individual wardrobes." It's not such a bad idea to analyze how you live your life. There's a quiz to fill out and the final thought, "It's your life—dress for it!"

There are four kinds of clothes, and you need all four—date clothes, casual clothes, home clothes and city clothes.

Date clothes must be special and make you feel dressed up. They have to be different from what you wear during the day "otherwise it doesn't feel like a date!".

Casual clothes are for informal occasions. We are told they are also referred to as sportswear, but you would never wear them for sport.

Home clothes can be anything, but they must be relaxed and they must be comfortable. It's hard to believe that dressed-up clothes were not always comfortable, but it's true.

City clothes are for those times when you need to be "dressed" rather than casual but not really "dressed up".

The editors did consider they might have a wide audience as this spread shows you what proportion of clothes you need if you're a homemaker, a schoolgirl, a career girl or work in a uniform:

I actually never thought of determining what I need in my wardrobe by how I live. Note to self: Try figuring this out.

Day one concludes with two check lists—"must-haves" and "you-can't-go-wrongs". Editing for 2019 sensibilities, they still make sense. My thoughts for today are in parens.

Must-haves:
>  1 raincoat (like for real, ie full length and waterproof, not just decorative)
>  2 umbrellas—"one to use and one to lose"
>  1 pair boots (as in rain boots or snow boots)
>  1 pair walking shoes (shoes you can really walk in) 
>  1 extra jacket—"when you don't want to lug a coat" (make that a cardigan or wrap)
>  1 housecoat, negligee or robe (in good condition—have you looked at your robe lately?)
>  1 pair slippers (see above)
>  1 apron (still need one sometimes)

You-can't-go-wrongs:
>  1 basic full length evening skirt (or tea-length. This would make a nice change from pants and could be paired with a simple jersey top or man-tailored shirt.*)
>  1 perfectly plain dress-up top (You can go practically anywhere in a dressy top and jeans today. With black pants you can go even further.)
>  1 pearl joker (classic for a reason)
>  1 black beret (Don't you think this deserves a comeback?)
>  1 black sweater (what? only one???)
>  1 black skirt (duh)

* You sure can't go wrong...

Well, how did you like Day One? Ready to move on? See you next time.