Suit

Peggy Ann|Vera Maxwell

1945 · wool · Costume Institute

With a dream of being a dancer, Vera Maxwell arrived in the fashion world through the back door. Working first as a showroom model, she then became interested in the actual construction of the clothes. Not always agreeing with what was being offered, she began to make as well as mix and match her own clothes, which department store buyers from Lord & Taylor and Best Co. began to notice. Maxwell states that her first "real" design job was with Adler & Adler, where she worked from 1936-1937 and afterwards, found contract work to be very advantageous. Her classic, comfortable and timeless designs continued to garner praise and in 1947she opened a business under her own name, Vera Maxwell Originals. Her career outlasted that of her contemporaries, as she did not stop designing until 1985. In her own notes, this suit is repeatedly referenced as the "Fencer Suit." Throughout her career, she repeated this silhouette, making it one of her classics. The pockets, trimmed with braid, are actually inspired by the Hussar uniforms she saw in Vienna when visiting as a child. Remembering that detail, she interpreted it into her designs. The BMA costume archives have sketches as well as editorial promoting this suit, an obvious success with her female clientele.

Artist

Peggy Ann|Vera Maxwell

Date

1945

Medium

wool

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Anonymous gift, 1948