What is the definition of a "secretary dress"?

August 2, 2010 11:23 AM

What is the definition of a "secretary dress"?
posted by Joe Beese to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (13 answers total)

The secretary dress varies over time according to certain styles that were relevant in fashion but had to be subdued or tailored for the office world. The important aspect of its secretary-ness is that it's workplace appropriate. The Lullie example listed in the link is obviously modified, as it's about two feet too short to pass in a late 1970s or 1980s office.

So, the definition is pretty loose: the ascots were popular in the 70s, the body-skimming skirts were more geared to 60s mod fashions, and so forth, but hemlines and necklines are generally more modest for workplace occasions.
posted by zoomorphic at 11:36 AM on August 2, 2010 [2 favorites]

Everything worn in Nine to Five, that 80s movie with Dolly Parton.
posted by fontophilic at 11:43 AM on August 2, 2010

I agree that the form of a secretary dress varies depending on the period. I would say that our current idea of a "secretary dress" is heavily influenced by Mad Men costume design, so compare Joan Holloway's Season 1 office attire to one of the housewives (Trudy or Betty). For the wives, you'll want to focus specifically on what they wore out of the house during the day, or when entertaining at home.

I'm hoping the Project Runway guys get around to general secretary fashion, as Joan has a very distinct and set style that was not necessarily universal. Also, note that all the PR links have spoilers for Mad Men Season 1, and sometimes later seasons as well.
posted by muddgirl at 11:51 AM on August 2, 2010

it's a made up term to sell vintage clothes, just like the post says.

i wonder if you know that blogger...
posted by nadawi at 12:18 PM on August 2, 2010 [3 favorites]

Think Mad Men. There was a particular girly look to office dress for women back when women's only place in the office was as a secretary to . . . wait for it . . . a man. I actually remember the days when magazines like Cosmopolitan advised on how to look office appropriate as a secretary while conveying enough sex appeal to "land" a male executive as a husband.

This also relates to the old meme of men marrying and/or having affairs with their secretaries.
posted by bearwife at 12:18 PM on August 2, 2010

Response by poster: it's a made up term to sell vintage clothes, just like the post says. i wonder if you know that blogger...

I do not see the words "made up" - or anything to that effect. Can you quote what you are referring to?

The link is provided to explain what I am referring to. But if it will help satisfy your inner hall monitor, feel free to post a link that explains it better - then I'll ask the mods to swap it in.
posted by Joe Beese at 12:37 PM on August 2, 2010

FTMFA "Is it just modern usage to describe any kind of career or day dress, or does it mean something specific? [...] However a search of "vintage secretary dress" on Ebay brings up such a varied selection it's clear that anything goes in this category"

it doesn't describe a particular fashion and is just a term used to describe any dress that could have been worn to the office from the 30s up to the 80s, or any dress that takes notes from any of those dresses and then updated with shorter hemlines etc.

But if it will help satisfy your inner hall monitor
this is absolutely uncalled for.
posted by nadawi at 12:44 PM on August 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

I assume nadawi is referring to the beginning of the post:

For me I use it for dresses from the 70s and early 80s with some kind of cute but fussy detail...think pussy bows, bishop sleeves, ascots and ruffles. Definitely something that could have been worn to the office, but now we're seeing them shortened to mini length and worn everywhere.

There's no particular style of garment called a "secretary dress," so the blogger's definition seems as good as any. Note that the blogger is describing general day-appropriate dresses from the mid-70s to mid-80s, and that there was a significant class distinction between what secretaries wore and what "career women" wore (highly affected by John T. Molloy's prescriptive Dress for Success and its stupid necktie analogues).
posted by catlet at 12:47 PM on August 2, 2010

Mod note: A couple comments removed. Cool it.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:57 PM on August 2, 2010

Mod note: comments removed, don't insult people who answer your questions for free
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 12:59 PM on August 2, 2010 [3 favorites]

I've only seen it used in the context of vintage clothing sellers, and now that I think about it, only in the yeasr since Mad Men started. But as others have noted, it seems to mean something different to every seller. In other words, meaningless marketing jargon.
posted by chez shoes at 1:12 PM on August 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

No definition from me, Joe Beese, but J. Peterman's Short-Sleeve 1947 Dress was what came to mind. WANT.
posted by MonkeyToes at 1:23 PM on August 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

I remember it being used in our theater department's costume shop (which would have been prior to 1997) to pretty much describe the type of dresses used now in Mad Men for a studio production of Top Girls; we all used it to mean the same thing, but I don't know that it was necessarily a real term. (I'm sure there's a meme-like word for that, but I don't know what it is.)

I do not know the blogger, nor do I see the benefit of secretly promoting a blog that has been updated 8 times in the last 2 months.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 1:28 PM on August 2, 2010