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Natural linen summer suit of jacket with puffed shoulders and navy blue lapels, floor length sk…
suit | jacket | matching skirt
Natural linen summer suit of jacket with puffed shoulders and navy blue lapels, floor length sk…
Suit
c. 1896
Linen
Museum purchase
Object numberP84.26.1
This woman’s suit draws inspiration from menswear in its color, pointed lapel, and tailored jacket. However, its puffed sleeves and skirt width place it firmly within the trends of women’s fashion. As women were increasingly involved in both leisure activities and the work force at the end of the nineteenth century, they took sartorial cues from menswear, particularly the suit—the emblem of civil society.
DescriptionSummer suit with middy jacket and long gored skirt in natural linen with navy blue cotton collar and lapels trimmed with beige braid; fitted jacket with notch collar and leg o' mutton sleeves; deep inverted pleat at CB skirt waist
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