Dinner suit
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 The man's tail suit was originally made by Playdell and Smith of London in 1929; Mrs.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.
Artwork Details
- Title: Dinner suit
- Manufacturer: Man's tail suit originally made by Playdell and Smith (British)
- Manufacturer: Made over for a woman by Mrs. Bertha Black Lewry (American)
- Date: 1929–43
- Culture: British
- Medium: wool
- Credit Line: Gift of Harper's Bazaar, 1943
- Object Number: C.I.43.58a, b
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
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