Suit
This suit dates from the period of Chanel's comeback, her return to clothing design after World War II. The updated Chanel suit featured a boxy jacket with prominent gold-colored buttons and a straight skirt made from tweed wool in shades of blue, gray, and black. A matching jersey blouse with overlapping tab detailing at the neck and waist completes the look. In later seasons, Chanel continued to manipulate this design, making changes that would lead to the quintessential Chanel suit of the 1960s. She eliminated the collar and pocket flaps seen here, and replaced the standard dress weights sewn into the hem of the jacket with gold-toned chain to ensure the garment hung properly from the shoulders of the wearer.
Artwork Details
- Title: Suit
- Design House: House of Chanel (French, founded 1910)
- Designer: Gabrielle Chanel (French, Saumur 1883–1971 Paris)
- Date: ca. 1957
- Culture: French
- Medium: wool
- Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Stephane Groueff, 1976
- Object Number: 1976.370.2a–c
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
More Artwork
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Free to download
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.