People had smaller wardrobes in those days. I know an older lady who said that around that time, both she and her husband fit all their hanging clothes into one wardrobe, you know, those free-standing cabinet wardrobes that went out when proper closets started getting built into all homes, and which offered about three feet of hanger space? People had a few good clothes then and were perfectly fine with wearing the same clothes all the time. A man might have one good suit, and maybe a different suit for sundays or special occasions, a raincoat and/or an overcoat, and he'd change his shirt and underthings. A woman might have one good suit too, and a couple of summer dresses and a couple of winter dresses and some skirts and blouses and a winter coat and a rain coat, and she'd wear them with various scarves, hats, gloves, and shoes, to vary her outfits a little.
I read a biography of President Kennedy a long time ago, and this discussion made me remember that Jacqueline Kennedy, the premiere fashion plate of the early 1960s, would live out of one suitcase for weeks on end when her husband was on the campaign trail. She'd have a couple of good day outfits (perhaps a couple of suits and some blouses), and one cocktail dress and one formal dress for the events she had to attend. Of course, that was before the press recorded every damn thing famous people wore, and mocked them for wearing the same thing twice.
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