Object: Pantsuit
Brand:
Perry Ellis, Inc
(American, founded 1978)
Designer:
Perry Ellis
(1940 - 1986)
Date: 1981
Medium: Wool tweed
Country: USA
Credit Line: Gift of Perry Ellis
Object number: 91.42.10
DescriptionTan wool tweed pantsuit with ivory, rust, and brown specks, jacket, matching pants
Label Text:Perry Ellis was a unique interpreter of Ivy style during the 1970s and 1980s. Rather than revive a more literal historical look, Ellis sought to re-tool the components of Ivy. Born in Portsmouth, Virginia, in 1940, Ellis’s southern WASP background and somewhat privileged upbringing may have lent him an inherent understanding of traditional American clothing as well as the confidence to alter it for a new generation. During his short career, Ellis appropriated classic Ivy materials, such as tweeds, but then reworked classic proportions using high fashion inspiration: jackets were widened and elongated, for example, while pants were cut with extra fullness, and sweaters were cropped.
In Collection(s)
Exhibitions:
- Ivy Style
- Impact: 50 Years of the CFDA