Vintage Advice: Clothes

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Back in the summer, I mentioned a book that I was reading called Vintage Notions by Amy Barickman.  (You can read my review HERE.)  I recently came across the notebook in which I made notes from the book.  There was a veritable treasure of inspiration and information in the book, which is a collection of articles from the 1920s.  I decided that writing down those things that impacted me would help me remember them.

This week I decided to go through ALL of my clothes with a critical eye and pull together a real wardrobe for myself.  All the ill-fitting, faded, stained, and never worn items are going out, I say!  I'm a little fearful that there will be nothings left, but I will cross that bridge when I get there.

On page 18 of Vintage Notions, the author of the original 1920 article gave some guidelines regarding clothing choices.  I summarized them in bullet fashion in my notebook and thought someone else might find them useful.  As I said in my review, this book definitely earned its way into my permanent collection.  I recommend it highly for those who enjoy the wisdom and the nostalgia of vintage times.

• Buy wisely, and unless you have a definite use for an article, do not buy it.
• Be slim by being trim.
• Be attractive by being immaculate.
• One of the greatest virtues of the right clothes, rightly worn, is that they enable us to forget them and ourselves.
• When they are right enough for us to do this, we become our most likable and natural selves and, even if your features are not perfect nor perfectly assembled...[one day someone may whisper], "What a charming woman!"

With those thoughts in mind, I will look at my wardrobe carefully, find each useful piece, make sure it is (or by careful cleaning or mending) in excellent condition.  I love the word "immaculate."  That sounds crisp and fragrantly clean. 

I will try my best to make sure that the clothes I keep are not only "immaculate," but also fit well enough that I really don't have to fidget with them.  I HATE that.

Finally, I desire to go for the level of "charming" mentioned in the article.  I even looked it up to make sure I knew exactly what I was working toward:

• Extremely pleasing or delightful.  Merriam-Webster

Hopefully not too tall of an order for me.  I will do my best.