Object: Suit
Designer:
Adrian
(1903 - 1959)
Designer:
Pola Stout
(1902 - 1984)
Date: c. 1946
Medium: Wool
Country: USA
Credit Line: Gift of Maybell Machris
Object number: 71.206.1
DescriptionSuit in brown and ivory mini houndstooth check wool woven with engineered placement of stylized horizontal stripes; semi-fitted jacket with shirt collar, slightly asymmetrical with self tab inserts and welt pockets; calf length straight skirt in brown and tan fine stripe twill
Label Text:This day suit is instantly recognizable as an Adrian creation. While many fashion designers in both Europe and the United States during World War II crafted tailored garments for women that were replete with wide, sharply cut shoulders, gently tapered waistline, and matching, slim skirts, Adrian was unsurpassed in his ability to seam and to piece fabrics. His subtle use of color was no doubt honed during his years as a costume designer for films, primarily those made in black-and-white. Adrian's whimsical genius can also be seen in the varying widths and placement (both horizontal and vertical) of the fabric, for no two of hundreds of suits styles he produced were exactly the same. This creativity is all the more amazing given that Adrian was working during the wartime era of fabric restrictions.
Exhibitions:
- Fabulous! Fashions of the 1940s
- American Beauty
- Exhibitionism: 50 Years of the Museum at FIT