"If a dress is well made, it never becomes old-fashioned"
About this Quote
Mainbocher’s line is a quiet flex against fashion’s favorite hustle: the idea that you have to keep buying your way back into relevance. He’s not denying trends exist; he’s arguing that trendiness is the wrong yardstick. “Well made” does a lot of work here. It’s craft, yes - cut, proportion, drape, lining, closures - but it’s also a moral position: restraint over spectacle, construction over branding, longevity over churn.
The subtext is almost political. A dress that “never becomes old-fashioned” isn’t immortal because it’s neutral; it’s immortal because it’s precise. When something fits the body and the moment with intelligence, it doesn’t read as “from 1938” or “from 1968.” It reads as intentional. Mainbocher is suggesting that taste is a discipline, not a mood, and that the highest compliment isn’t novelty but inevitability.
Context matters: Mainbocher built his reputation in Paris couture between the wars, then dressed American society with an Old World rigor. His most famous commission - Wallis Simpson’s wedding dress - was less about fantasy than control: clean lines, impeccable finish, a look that signaled power without shouting. In that light, the quote becomes a rebuke to fashion’s built-in obsolescence. He’s selling an idea couture has always implied: make it right once, and time loses its leverage.
The subtext is almost political. A dress that “never becomes old-fashioned” isn’t immortal because it’s neutral; it’s immortal because it’s precise. When something fits the body and the moment with intelligence, it doesn’t read as “from 1938” or “from 1968.” It reads as intentional. Mainbocher is suggesting that taste is a discipline, not a mood, and that the highest compliment isn’t novelty but inevitability.
Context matters: Mainbocher built his reputation in Paris couture between the wars, then dressed American society with an Old World rigor. His most famous commission - Wallis Simpson’s wedding dress - was less about fantasy than control: clean lines, impeccable finish, a look that signaled power without shouting. In that light, the quote becomes a rebuke to fashion’s built-in obsolescence. He’s selling an idea couture has always implied: make it right once, and time loses its leverage.
Quote Details
| Topic | Wisdom |
|---|---|
| Source | Frequently cited in relation to his belief in longevity through craftsmanship. |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Mainbocher. (2026, January 11). If a dress is well made, it never becomes old-fashioned. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-a-dress-is-well-made-it-never-becomes-173706/
Chicago Style
Mainbocher. "If a dress is well made, it never becomes old-fashioned." FixQuotes. January 11, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-a-dress-is-well-made-it-never-becomes-173706/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"If a dress is well made, it never becomes old-fashioned." FixQuotes, 11 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-a-dress-is-well-made-it-never-becomes-173706/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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