Christmas Wish List: Wife Dressing

"The art of courage and discretion is a clarion cry for individuality, a turning away from slavish adherence to every fashion or beauty trend. Courage and discretion go hand in hand: the courage to dare to be yourself, the discretion not to overdo; the courage to do something unusual, the discretion to temper it."

Gosh, I want this book! This is what I read on Amazon:

"Forgarty's discipline in keeping an eighteen-inch waist, her views on financial independence, and some of her other ideas are alarming, given the freedom American women have  today. But fogarty herseld was significantly liberated, given the social constraints most women faced during the 1950s...fter all, like Hollywood pioneer Edith Head, an Oscar-winning constume designer, Fogarty wasa working wife for part of her career and could still pull together a soiree at the end of the day. She just happened to be a well-dressed one, too."
                                                                                          
                                                   -Rosemary Feitelberg

When fashion sensation Anne Fogarty penned Wife Dressing: The Fine Art of Being A Well-Dressed Wife, little did she know the effect her words would have on generations of women. Nearly fifty years after its initial publication, much of this classic original text of the 1950s is as every bit as practical, humorous, and helpful today as it was then. A nostalgic throwback to days when women played the role of a wife just as dutifully as they donned layers of petticoats and cinched belts, Fogarty’s joie de vivre is irresistible, no matter the era. An updated introduction by Rosemary Feitelberg contextualizes Fogarty’s appeal within a broader social range and provides a behind-the-scenes look at one of America’s most enduring fashion designers.