Belated Saturday Advice Blogging: Accessories Edition

It's time to revive my advice blogging, because the glory of 1950s and 1960s advice is not something I should keep to myself. Now next week I will find something amusing from Towards Tomorrow: A Guide for the New Zealand Homemaker which was published in 1969 and is fantastic. But first New Zealand school text books no longer teach girls how to accessorise to best emphasise their figures. The American 'Teen Guide to Homemaking' rectifies this, and I thought it was important information to share.

Selecting Accessories If You Are Average Size

• Choose accessories you like and with which you feel comfortable
  
• Avoid wearing too many accessories at the same time. If you are wearing a hat, glasses, earrings, necklace, a dress with special trimmings, fancy bag, gloves, bracelet and dressy shoes, you are probably overdressed, especially if the acccessories contrast in color.
  
• Choose accessories that are in good taste, suited to the occasion and suited to you.
  

If I wore a hat, glasses, earrings, necklace, a dress with special trimmings, fancy bag, gloves, bracelet, and dressy shoes then I'd be exhaused. Even if I didn't have to figure out what matched and what contrasted. Apart from that poor average sized girls get no advice except - 'don't be too flashy, you're not that exciting, but you can wear something if you like it.'

Selecting Accessories If You Are Tall and Thin

• Choose contrasting accessories, rather than those that match your basic dress or suit.
  
• Choose bold, striking jewelry
  
• Choose wide belts in contrast to your outfit.
  
• Choose big hats or "different," unusual ones.
  
• Choose full skirts and bulky sweaters.
  
• If you wish, wear low heels, but remember that high heels will add to your charm and poise
  

See how we get short-changed in education today; I never got told how to add to my charm and poise, who knew shoes were the answer? I'm glad I'm not tall and thin - it seems like a lot of work to find all this striking unusual contrasting stuff.

Selecting Accessories If You Are Tall and Plump

• Choose accessories that are large in scale - large bags, hats, and belts that do not contrast with the basic jewlry
  
• Choose plain but unusual jewlrey
  
• Wear sweaters that fit well but are not tight.
  
• Wear skirts that flare moderately, and never wear tight-fitting ones

. So the basic idea is try and hide your body, without making yourself any more hideous by wearing bulky clothes. I love the idea that if you have a big bag people won't figure out you're fat, because you'll be all in scale.