Fashions come and go but if I Do Believe I Came with a Hat has taught you anything, it is that good taste never goes out of style. Today, a small demonstration of the endurance of sound sartorial advice. Let us consider an excerpt from the 1948 edition of Vogue’s Book of Etiquette: A Complete Guide to Traditional Forms and Modern Usage by Millicent Fenwick (of course), and consider how the last 63 years have affected its sagacity.

Chapter 71: Men’s Clothes

1. No to belted coats: Roger that. Well, mostly. What about a biker look à la Burberry Prorsum? Wiggle room possibly required?

2. Over-padding and over-fitting: precisely. Mrs Fenwick (I feel she was a Mrs rather than a Ms, but will stand corrected if necessary) is on solid ground here. A good fit will never go out of fashion. Not only will you look much more buff but you’ll also seem much more expensive if your suit fits you. Seriously, find a tailor.

3. High-fitting pants other than with a waist coat: What are our thoughts here? First, let us note that Mrs F. was writing pre-trouser. That is to say, she did not abandon the ‘s’. A simpler time! Anyway. While the high-waisted pant (or trouser for those who think we’re speaking of underwear) has made a fierce, if possibly fleeting, comeback for ladies, it has remained antithetical to men. Why? Well, because you look like Harry High Pants, that’s why. Again, well played Millicent (I think we’re at the point where we can use her first name, no?). Her nod to waistcoats is also prescient. Was she some kind of seer?

4. Shirts made of green tinted broadcloth. I’m sure in 1948, the scourge of green tinted broadcloth was pretty terrifying. Thankfully, today broadcloth has been relegated to luxury car interiors where it belongs so Milly no longer need worry. As to the rest, are we quite so opposed to green these days? I can certainly get on board with a moratorium on lime but couldn’t we give this a green light (so to speak)?

Or am I just getting confused because of that man’s perfectly chiselled face?

5. Shoes that aren’t all black or all brown or calf oxfords. As a result of Millicent’s phrasing here, I am not sure whether she is ruling calf oxfords in or out. If she is against them, it seems Louis Vuitton did not get the memo. As for prohibiting two-tone shoes, I think M-Dog is on a winner, but is there some wiggle room for a statement spat? I like that she bothers to accent “suède” but I’m not sure one would want to wear it in the country habitually. I mean, the country can be so damp, am I wrong? Perhaps a good valet could clean them afterwards. One to ponder.

6. Overcoats that flare out from under the arms: I couldn’t even find an example of this on the net so it seems as if Millicent’s urgings here fell on fertile ears and that particular torment has been wiped out. But I love this flared coat (for women, I hasten to add) from Opening Ceremony. Shut up! Is it maybe even too cute?

7. Shaggy overcoats and novelty buttons: unfortunately Nozomi Ishiguro provides Exhibit A to demonstrate that this advice is timeless and apparently, timely.

Let us say nothing of novelty buttons other than to agree that Millicent was right on the money and shouldn’t have even had to mention it.

So today, I salute Millicent Fenwick, who was not only far-sighted when it came to men’s fashions but also, good with the one liners. When a male congressman disparaged equal rights for women by saying, “I’ve always thought of women as kissable, cuddly, and smelling good,” Fenwick responded, “That’s what I’ve always thought about men, and I hope for your sake that you haven’t been disappointed as many times as I’ve been.”

I do believe there’s more for you to read: