Women in men's suits. Classic without borders

Today's post is dedicated not only to the readers of my blog, but also to its readers. A woman in a classic suit today is unlikely to be able to challenge public taste, but a few decades ago everything was different. When did women start wearing a suit? Who made the revolution in this matter? And what should a proper women's suit look like in general? I'll try to answer right now.

The first ensemble of women's clothing, close to the "suit" in the modern sense, was rider outfit(riding habit), which in Russian through German was called "Amazon". It appeared in the 17th century and underwent changes until the 19th century, in which it took root in the form of a combination jackets, skirts(before the advent of women's trousers, ladies rode horses, sitting sideways) and hats. Here, for example, is the riding costume of the Austrian Empress Elisabeth, captured in 1894:

Today, a women's riding suit is not much different from a man's - skinny trousers, shirt and jacket are almost the same style.

Zinaida Gippius. Portrait of Leo Bakst

But skirts are one thing, and trousers are another. About who she was the most the first woman to wear a pantsuit, history is silent. Chronologically one of the first celebrities to wear a men's suit was George Sand . Later, the Russian poetess of the Silver Age used the same technique. Zinaida Gippius. But the real revolution in the combination of the female image with the male costume was undoubtedly made by the actress Marlene Dietrich.

Marlene Dietrich in the movie "Morocco"

The war era forced society to reconsider its relationship to the boundaries between men's and women's clothing. Beginning with the First World War, women began to wear trousers when working in heavy industry. Nonetheless the final coup took place in 1930. That's when he came out Movie "Morocco", Dietrich's first work in the US. In it she appeared in men's tailcoat(white tie), and even kissed another woman.

The provocative image of the actress with notes of androgyny made her a sex symbol of her era, and in the future she appeared in public more than once in men's suits and military uniforms.

Le Smoking Yves Saint Laurent

Starting from the 60s, the women's trouser suit enters mass fashion and then finally takes root in world culture thanks to Yves Saint Laurent with his Le Smoking.

But history is history, but we still have a blog here about modern classic style. Mecca of classic men's style - London's Savile Row. But is it only male? Is it taboo to dress women in the street, where they probably make the best men's suits in the world? Of course not. Women's bespoke, of course, is not the main activity of tailors, but there is a demand, which means there is also a supply. Women's formal dress codes are much more vague than men's, so jacket and trouser styles can vary considerably.

Unfortunately, business women's suits "from the hanger" most often leave much to be desired, giving their owners boring look of stereotypical business woman, but the bespoke approach works very differently. Individual patterns take into account not only the features of the figure, but also more subtle details that the tailor considers necessary to emphasize in the image of the customer with the help of costume elements.

Perhaps the most famous of the Savile Row tailors who specialize in women's clothing is Edward Sexton(left) , in the past, the cutter of the famous studio Tommy Nutter, which in the 60-70s turned the world of Savile Row, creating extravagant classic clothes for Mick Jagger, John Lennon and other world stars. Sexton has been working with women for a long time - he sewed costumes Bianchi Jagger, Twiggy , Yoko Ono . To date, Sexton annually presents collections of women's clothing, among his relatively new works - a beautiful suit for Annie Lennox in the clip FullSteam .

Annie Lennox in Edward Sexton

Here are some more works by Edward Sexton:

Of course, Sexton is not the only one who makes women's bespoke suits. One of my other idols is the head cutter of the atelier. Gieves & Hawkes David Taub. In his blog, he shares photos of new works, including many stunning women's costumes. Taub, in principle, does not shy away from experiments, despite all the stiffness of the spirit of Savile Row - there is always something new in the details of his work, it is captivating.

Women's three-piece suit by David Taub, Gieves & Hawkes

And finally, just some beautiful photos of a woman in costumes (source - Marie Claire 09/2012, model - Bruna Tenorio, different brands):

I hope that this entry will make the girls take a fresh look at the classic suit. Even if you can't afford a visit to Savile Row, it's possible to find well-made unpaired jackets and blazers in select stores. It is perhaps even more difficult to pick them up according to the figure than for a man, but this is not a reason to give up!

Style - including the ability to blur boundaries. Try it! ☺

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