Dinner suit

Man's tail suit originally made by Playdell and Smith British
 Made over for a woman by Mrs. Bertha Black Lewry American

Not on view

Counseling wartime women to convert their husband's unused evening clothes into their own evening suits, Harper's Bazaar (April 1943) created a model with a girdled waist and hipline. Shoulder pads exaggerated the torso and emulated masculinity at a time when women assumed many of the roles formerly exclusive to men. The man's tail suit was originally made by Playdell and Smith of London in 1929; Mrs. Bertha Black Lowery of Jackson Heights made over the suit on commission from Harper's Bazaar.

Dinner suit, Man's tail suit originally made by Playdell and Smith (British), wool, British

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Dinner suit, Man's tail suit originally made by Playdell and Smith (British), wool, British
Dinner suit, Man's tail suit originally made by Playdell and Smith (British), wool, British
Dinner suit, Man's tail suit originally made by Playdell and Smith (British), wool, British
Dinner suit, Man's tail suit originally made by Playdell and Smith (British), wool, British
Dinner suit, Man's tail suit originally made by Playdell and Smith (British), wool, British
Dinner suit, Man's tail suit originally made by Playdell and Smith (British), wool, British

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.