Becoming hats for various faces

"When there are so very many styles in hats, it is odd that every woman cannot find one that will frame her face becomingly. A woman has only to study the genera proportions of her face, to study its good and bad features, in order to find what style of hat is apt to be most becoming. ...
It is really wise to test all hats by studying the effect on the figure proportions as well as on the face. Short women should never wear broad-rimmed hats. They will look top-heavy. Equally, tall women should never wear long, tall hats. They will appear stretched out of all proportion. They can wear broad-rimmed hats but, in most cases, not if the brims are wider than the shoulders. ...
An older woman will look better with a brim dipping over her face, or with the softness of a veil.

In spite of all these rules, the best rule is to follow what you see in the mirror, but have it a full-length mirror, and look carefully at the side view and back view as well as the front. If the hat does not add a flattering frame to your face, no matter how much the salesgirl protests its fashion points, don't buy it. And, when designing and making hats, remember that a becoming hat is better than one that makes people turn and stare. Men protest the queer hat and with perfect justice. Women would do well to pay more attention to these protests."
"Glamour hats are little bits of luxury, used for dinner, theater or formal wear"

"On the whole our women have too little personal point about their clothes ... No woman can ever be well dressed unless she makes a dress her own. She must know about her own body ... where she wants to be fitted loosely or tightly, what her good points or bulges are, what is most becoming to her body and temperament."

"Girls ... have no excuse to be badly dressed, With their trained taste they can create effective, becoming costumes from very little. Good grooming is equally important, for people who are working with clothes must be fastidious".

"No hat looks smart if it sits too high or looks too large."
Fashion Design, 1948

“The style of the coiffure should be in key with the personality of the individual as it is revealed in her dress, accessories, and make-up.
A simple sport costume and natural make-up call for a simple, unaffected style of hair arrangement. A precise placement of curls and swirls would hamper carefree movements or else get unbecomingly disheveled. Hair styling for evening goes to the opposite extreme. Clusters of curls may be caught up with a clasp or a flower. An intricate swirl arrangement about the ear is kept miraculously intact. One sees all types of upward-bound coiffures, mischievously dubbed “bathtub twists”."
Fundamentals of Dress, Marietta Kettunen, 1941

Interesting Use of Trimming

"Often a costume is built around an attractive bit of trimming. In an era of richness, lovely colour embroidery, jewels, and sequins become important.
See the lovely simple dress in two shades of spun pure silk, falling in graceful folds from a sequin-spattered waistline. Another very successful evening gown of slim black had enormous ostrich feathers outlined in crystal beads. One plume swirled up one side of the bodice, while the other plume swirled down on the other hip to form a gracefyl asymmetrical line."

"A simple costume requires excellent workmanship and fine fabric. There can be no skimping of cost on tailored garments. They are frequently among the most expensive costumes in a smart woman's wardrobe but, because they do not go out of style quickly, the are considered an economy.

Since many women fear the severity of a strictly tailored suit, there is demand for a softer type called a "dressmaker-detailed" suit. While this suit is simple in line, it is tailored more softly and often has some shirrings to control this fullness in the upper part or has contrasting appliqués of other fabric. "

Fashion Design, 1948

Lingerie

Consider all the slips, nightgowns, panties, and girdles bought each year by every woman. Consider also the more luxurious, frothy negligees, the bridal ensembles of gown and robe, and the bed jackets. There you have a broad enough field without even considering that mainstay of a beautiful figure - the corset, or foundation garment.
Glamorous handmade lingerie has a wide appeal. Many home sewers find pleasure in running up slips and nightgowns with dainty hand stitching. French handmade underwear has long been famous for its fine crepe, satin or chiffon, for its imaginative touches, for its use of fine Alencon lace and dainty hand embroidery.
Grouped under he general heading of lingerie, but not worn as underthings, are house coats, negligees, and bed jackets. Many women have the habit of changing into a house coat as soon as they reach home both to save street clothes and to make themselves more comfortable.