Suit

House of Dior

1970–71 · wool, silk · Costume Institute

The house of Dior launched a line of men's wear called "Christian Dior Monsieur" in 1970. While Christian Dior himself never designed garments for men, the creation of the line symbolized the viability of the company more than a decade after the death of its founder. This handsome ensemble may have been part of the first Dior menswear collection. The wide lapels and bell-bottom cut of the trousers are very much emblematic of the period. The donor of this suit, Youssef Rizkallah, was a designer himself for the Malcolm Starr label and likely acquired this suit as the latest development in menswear fashions in the early 1970s.

Artist

House of Dior

Date

1970–71

Medium

wool, silk

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Youseff Rizkallah, 1986