Q Dear Miss Abigail:
Our prom is in April and I do not have anything to wear, because I cannot find anything that looks good on me. I am 170 pounds, and have a very large chest. What kind of dress can you recommend?
Signed,
Crystal
A Dear Crystal:
Quite a few young ladies out there seem concerned about what to wear to the prom. This is actually my second question on this topic, but since prom time is upon us again, and you gals are so stressed about it, I’m covering it with another excerpt.
The following handy-dandy chart is from Kay Thomas’ Secrets of Loveliness. I recommend you all print it out and bring it along while shopping in the coming weeks. And don’t forget to send me a copy of your prom pictures! I’m sure you will all look lovely.
1969: Clothing to Fit Your Figure
The secret of being attractively dressed is to stay as close as you can to the prevailing fashion, but never to forget you’re a female. With a knowledge of fashion and of your own type, you can be feminine and chic. It is possible to be wholesome and pretty as well as fashionable. Girls who forget this principle ~ and many do who are actually ‘in fashion’ ~ end up looking lifeless, sexless, and brittle, like a mannequin in a store window.
Clothes today come in such a wide variety of silhouettes and colors that a wise girl can soon learn what lines and colors are best suited to her.
The surest way to look well in your clothes is first of all, to make sure that you figure is as easy to dress as nature will allow it to be. As you know this is done by diet and exercise.
But while you’re in the process of improving your figure, or if you have basic structural problems which can’t be changed ~ like extra height or width ~ there are many ways to fool your public by disguising your weakness.
| Figure Type | Dresses | Skirts | Blouses and Sweaters |
Jackets | Fabrics and Colors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short and slim | Flared or straight; high or natural waistlines | Slim or slightly flared | Medium length when worn outside; colors matched to skirt | Short, single-breasted; natural shoulders; same color as skirt | Crisp weaves; small patterns; muted colors |
| Short and full | Slightly flared or straight; natural waistlines | Slim or slightly flared | Medium length when worn outside; colors matched to skirt | Short, single-breasted; natural shoulders; same color as skirt | Medium weights; dull surfaces; small patterns; dark, muted colors ~ all one shade |
| Tall and slim | Flared; soft and draped; high or natural waistlines; wide belts | Flared or pleated | Long line; colors contrasted to skirt | Long, double-breasted; wide shoulders | Bulky weaves; large patterns; light or bright colors; two-color combinations |
| Tall and Broad | Slightly flared; natural waistlines; narrow self-belts | Slim or slightly flared; easy cut; center pleats or vertical stitching | Medium length when worn outside; colors matched to skirt | Medium length; single-breasted; natural shoulders; colors matched to skirt | Medium weights; dull surfaces; well-spaced patterns, dark colors |
| Average | Flared or straight; natural, high, or low waistlines | Slim or flared | Medium length when worn outside; colors matched to skirt or in contrast | Medium length; natural or slightly padded shoulders; colors matched to skirt or in contrast | Medium weights or bulky weaves; medium-sized patterns; dark, light, or bright colors |
Source: Thomas, Kay. Secrets of Loveliness. New York: Scholastic Book Services, 1969.
~ pp. 32-34 ~