Saturday, March 26, 2011

The Plain Suit



By the end of the Twenties the Eton crop and severely bobbed hair made way for shoulder-length hair. Little hats were now often worn at an angle to show the hair. Suits of good design became very popular. The style was somewhat masculine but not yet influenced by the military.

In my painting, once again drawn from imagination, the severe suit is softened with a soft pink blouse and umbrella. The photo, a lovely one of the Duchess of Windsor from her book:"The Heart has its Reasons" shows her happily awaiting the arrival of the Duke in France prior to the wedding. The fun butterfly jewellery massed on both sides of the collar adds a wonderful touch of personal style to a severe suit.

3 comments:

  1. Aaah, as time passed, the romance and femininity also took a dive.... and then, during the war, fashion became very severe and drab, didn't it? But, like all things, I'm sure there were feisty women who were the exception! Love this little suit Marie, it is SO of the era!

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  2. Thank you, Maree, WW1 fashions were terrible with thick materials, but by WW2 lovely buttoned suits with short skirts and cheeky hat over the eye gave a bit of relief!

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  3. Marie, I think you must love researching as much as painting. It is always interesting to hear what was going on in the world and viewing how it influenced fashion.

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