Suit

Designer (a) F. Scholte British
Designer (b) Forster & Son, Ltd. British
1933
Not on view

Mrs. Simpson's first impression of the Prince of Wales was "An incongruous figure in baggy plus fours, a thick sweater, hair tousled." The Prince of Wales popularized plus fours in the 1920s. He disliked the traditional style of plus fours with fastenings below the knees, which he found restrictive and uncomfortable. With his tailor, Forster & Son, he developed a loose-fitting version with a soft cotton lining. The Prince of Wales wore them slightly lower than the conventional four inches below the break of the knee. Plus fours became his standard dress for hunting and sporting pursuits. As a keen golfer, he would wear them with brightly colored Argyle socks and Fair Isle sweaters. Commenting on the prince at play, Nicholas Lawford noted, "He was quite loud in the way he mixed his checks, but he represented style to his generation." Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel based a costume for Diaghilev's ballet Le Train Bleu on a snapshot of the prince playing golf. Her "golf player" wore "a white collar, tightly knotted tie and, along with his plus-fours, a striped sweater with matching socks."

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Suit
  • Designer: (a) F. Scholte (British)
  • Designer: (b) Forster & Son, Ltd. (British)
  • Date: 1933
  • Culture: British
  • Medium: wool, brass
  • Credit Line: Gift of the Duchess of Windsor, 1974
  • Object Number: 1974.185.8a–c
  • Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

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