Dinner suit

Playdell and Smith|Mrs. Bertha Black Lewry

1929–43 · wool · Costume Institute

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 The man's tail suit was originally made by Playdell and Smith of London in 1929; Mrs.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.

Artist

Playdell and Smith|Mrs. Bertha Black Lewry

Date

1929–43

Medium

wool

Culture

British

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Harper's Bazaar, 1943