Dresses

By Madame Genevieve Antoine Dariaux

1964

The dress wardrobe of an elegant woman is not necessarily very extensive.  It might, for example, be composed as follows

To wear almost all year round:

1 white wool dress (for lunch, afternoon, and informal evenings)

1 black crêpe dress (simple but very chic, for cocktails, dinner, and the theatre)

1 bright dinner dress, long or short, in a rather rich wool or silk material

Plus, in the winter:

1 wool dress in a neutral colour selected to form an elegant ensemble with her winter coat

In the spring:

1 silk dress which forms an ensemble with her spring coat

1 pretty evening dress, short or long, in a light fabric such as white or a light colour (lemon yellow, turquoise, coral, sky blue, etc.)

And in the summer:

As many washable cotton and linen dresses as her particular activities and climate may require.

Excerpt from 'A Guide to Elegance'