Power Play: The fascinating history and evolution of the female pantsuit
A glimpse into the history, evolution and symbolism of the female pantsuit.
The pantsuit, once again, has come to the vanguard of our consciousness - largely in part due to the iconic Hillary Clinton pantsuits. While it is not new that what women wear is often heavily scrutinised by the media down to the finest detail, the fascination in the pantsuit is symbolic in its significance of the evolution of women in society through history. It can be argued that no other item of clothing has seen such a distinct evolution through the century, fascinatingly reflecting the gender and social mores of the time.
What started out in the late 1890s as a way to defy gender norms by women like actress Sarah Bernhardt, it is now essential for women in male-dominated spaces, symbolic of her ambition to be taken as an equal force. Whether it is a case of art imitating life or vice versa, designers like Dolce and Gabbana have also heavily featured this trend this year, making a bold statement on what it means to be a woman in the 21st century. Read on to discover the fascinating history and evolution behind this (seemingly) unassuming two-piece silhouette.
The Evolution of the Female Pantsuit through History
1666: King Charles II of England followed the lead of French King Louis XIV in declaring that men present in court shall wear waistcoats, trousers and ties. In England, this eventually evolved into the modern suit for men, therefore dictating specific gender clothing norms.
1870s: Actress Sarah Bernhardt caused controversy and scandalised Paris by donning a custom-made pantsuit, which she termed as her 'boy clothes'. Undeterred, she continued blurring gender roles when she eventually played Hamlet.
1910: The American Ladies Tailors' Association created what eventually became coined as the 'suffragette suit' . The blouse, jacket and ankle-length skirt combination allowed the wearer to take long strides - something that fitted dresses or skirts typical of the time could not accommodate.
1914: Coco Chanel designed her first iconic suit - a fur-trimmed jacket paired with a matching ankle-length skirt. Not quite a trouser suit, but definitely an early version of the ones you'd see today.
1930: Suits that women wore prior to the 1930s consisted of a jacket and long skirt. The fist actual pantsuit appeared in 1930 in the movie “Morocco,” when actress Marlene Dietrich wore a tuxedo and caused a frenzy. Designers soon started creating pantsuits for wealthy customers after Dietrich’s garnered attention, but it took awhile for the pantsuit to reach and be acceptable among mainstream women.
1963: Jacqueline Kennedy wore the now infamous pink Chanel suit to a Dallas event, at the suggestion of her husband President John F. Kennedy. When he was assassinated in the presidential limousine, the suit bore blood splatters. She then wore the same suit again to the swearing-in of his successor, Lyndon B. Johnson. The suit was never cleaned for historic preservation, and will remain in a climate-controlled vault at the National Archives for a hundred years before it can be displayed at any museum.
1980s: The '80s was the decade of the female power suit - complete with shoulder pads and in bold, feminine colours. It was popular particularly among corporate women, before eventually catching on to other women, owing to popular television shows like Dynasty. The Dynasty costumer who designed suits for the cast wanted to demonstrate the imposing strength of a woman strutting down the hall in a suit.
1987: Margaret Thatcher's stylist, Margaret King, explained that the prime minister mainly wore suits because she was "in a man's world, and had to look the part" - a sentiment many corporate women would still echo and relate to today.
2008: Hilary Clinton thanked her supporters whom she calls her 'sisterhood of the travelling pantsuits' at the 2008 Democratic National Convention after conceding the nomination to Barack Obama. Being the first First Lady to be wearing a pantsuit in her White House Portrait and regularly donning the two-piece suit are just some of the ways she boldly defied the typical First Lady mould and push boundaries as a female politician.
2015: Today, celebrities like Rihanna and Beyonce are no stranger to wearing the pantsuit at red carpet events, redefining eveningwear dress codes for women and making the pantsuit a chic, accessible option that women can choose to wear.
Sarah Khan
Photos: GettyImages
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