Object: Man's suit
Brand:
Cifonelli
Date: 1960
Medium: Wool
Country: Italy
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. Jean Francois Daigre
Object number: 90.149.32
DescriptionMan's suit cut from the reverse of a 19th century paisley shawl; single breasted jacket and two pairs of pants
Label Text:The 1960s "Peacock Revolution" reintroduced a period of decoration and experimentation to menswear not seen since the eighteenth century. The bespoke, single-breasted jacket and pants shown here are cut from the reverse of a nineteenth-century paisley shawl. Generally employed to extend the life of a stained or faded fabric, the technique of reversing fabrics, called turning, has been documented as far back as the eighteenth century. Worn in its original context, the shawl would have provided a colorful contrast to a woman's pale-colored, high-waisted gown. Here, in its reworked form, the shawl has shifted in both gender and form. The loose, draped accessory has become a structured suit, and its vivid pattern and color offers a dynamic example of the more fluid definitions of masculine dress during the 1960s.
In Collection(s)
Exhibitions:
- Eco-Fashion: Going Green
- Fashion Unraveled
- 50 Years of Fashion, 1947 - 1997
- Fashion & Textile History Gallery First Rotation