The word trousseau derives from the French trousse, and refers to the bundle which the bride took to her new home in olden times. It now means the bride's outfit of lingerie, clothes, jewelry and so on, part of which will be subscribed as gifts by friends, the balance being bought by the bride herself.

From the time of her engagement, the average bride is continually busy preparing her "bottom drawer ". At one time brides laid in large stocks of underwear and clothing of every description, but today such elaborate trousseaux would prove sources of embarrassment, as their owners would find themselves saddled with hopelessly outdated garments.

The modern plan is to have only what is necessary to carry the bride through the first year of married life.

Lingerie

In preparing her lingerie trousseau, the bride will be guided by the gifts that she has received from her friends. The most important part of the lingerie is the bridal set - negligee, nightgown, slip and panties. The bride should also have a second-best set, and a tailored set, suitable for everyday wear.

Other useful articles are:

Housecoat

Bedjacket

Bedroom slippers

Girdles

Slips

Brassieres

Stockings

Pajamas

Panties

The bride must remember not to send her lingerie to a laundry, where it would be ruined.

Linen

Bed linen is the most important part of the bride's linen trousseau. Good quality sheets and pillow cases should be bought, and most of the sheets should be white.

The minimum requirements are:

Five sheets per bed and four pillow cases for each pillow; half a dozen face and bath towels; four dishcloths; six kitchen towels, plus glass and roller towels.

One linen tablecloth and four napkins are sufficient for the dinner table, with a damask cloth for best.

Clothes

When choosing clothes for her trousseau, the bride should take into consideration the clothes which she already possesses, together with any special requirements which her new life may demand. She should exercise great care in her buying, and she should be careful to avoid the purchase of too many "fashionable" garments - which might be quite unfashionable the following season.

She should try to build up a wardrobe of clothes which match one another, for a careful color scheme makes even the smallest trousseau attractive.

Clothes for the Honeymoon

If she is spending her honeymoon on a sea-voyage, this must be reflected in the bride's purchases, while quite a different wardrobe would be required if she is spending her honeymoon camping out.

Apart from her "going-away" outfit, the bride should take a tweed or woolen coat and tweed suit, afternoon dresses and evening gowns, two twin sets, swim suit and beach hat - the last if the weather is likely to be warm.

Comfortable traveling shoes, town and evening shoes, suitable hats, gloves and handbags complete the honeymoon ensemble.

It is reckoned that her trousseau clothes should last the bride through the first year of her married life. However, this will depend on the financial status of the husband. The bride must be careful not to spend more on clothes than her husband's income allows.

It is impossible to provide more than an approximate list of all that is required, but among the clothes that may be included in a clothes trousseau are:

Top coat

Sports coat

Fur coat

Raincoat

Evening wrap

Town suit

Sports suit

Day dresses

Cocktail dresses

Dinner dress

Evening dress

Sports skirt

Tailored skirt

Evening skirt

Sports gloves

Evening gloves

Town shoes

Sports shoes

Evening shoes

Bedroom slippers

Town stockings

Sports stockings

Handkerchiefs

Scarves

Sports blouse

Tailored blouse

Evening blouse

Jumpers

Cardigans

Town hat

Sports hat

Evening hat

Town handbag

Sports handbag

Evening handbag

Town gloves

Swimsuit

Umbrella

Toilet powder

Face powder

Face creams

Nail varnish

Lipsticks

Perfumes

Cleansing tissues

Hand cream

Several cotton and silk dresses are usually sufficient for the summer months. In spring and autumn, a suit should be worn. It is always wise to include one or two thin woolen dresses to guard against a change in the weather.

The above list comprises an extensive and valuable trousseau which the bride will find very useful.