Evening pantsuit

Bill Blass

1970–73 · silk, metal · Costume Institute

Bill Blass's fashion legacy is of simple elegance and impeccable tailoring in American sportswear. The Blass style consisted of menswear-inspired garments for women with innovative combinations of patterns and textures. Blass catered to the highest levels of American society, creating designs that were wearable but sophisticated. Blass's evening suit features his signature menswear inspiration combined with a striking metallic fabric. The style represents an early example of women's pantsuits for eveningwear, a practice which gained acceptance in the 1970s.

Artist

Bill Blass

Date

1970–73

Medium

silk, metal

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mrs. Milton F. Rosenthal, 1982