Skirt Suit
ca. 1956 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In 1954, at the age of 71, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel’s (1883–1971) presented her comeback collection, after an absence of fifteen years. She challenged the formality and complexity of the fashions of the time, and was critical of designers such as Christian Dior (1905-57). Pat Cunningham, editor of Vogue said, ‘Femininity had gone too far – you needed stage-coach luggage to pack your frocks in and ladies’ maids to fix the trimmings and petticoats. Chanel simplified clothes to meet modern needs.’
This practical, elegant suit is typical of the type of designs that propelled Chanel once again to the forefront of fashion. The top is made of a comfortable wool jersey, and the jacket is loose fitting.
The suit was worn by the 1950s model Anne Gunning Parker (later Lady Nutting).
This practical, elegant suit is typical of the type of designs that propelled Chanel once again to the forefront of fashion. The top is made of a comfortable wool jersey, and the jacket is loose fitting.
The suit was worn by the 1950s model Anne Gunning Parker (later Lady Nutting).
Delve deeper
Discover more about this object
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 3 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Wool tweed and silk lining with wool jersey trim |
| Brief description | Wool tweed skirt and jacket with wool jersey trim and matching wool jersey top, designed by Gabrielle Chanel for CHANEL, Paris, France, ca. 1956 |
| Physical description | Women's three-piece suit consisting of a skirt, deep rust wool tweed jacket lined in navy blue silk, and a navy blue jersey top with a bow at the neck. Skirt is in rust wool tweed. Buttons covered in rust wool with navy silk centres. |
| Style | |
| Production type | Haute couture |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'CHANEL' (Label) |
| Gallery label |
|
| Credit line | Given by Sir Anthony Nutting, in memory of Anne, Lady Nutting |
| Object history | Register File number 1990/125. Worn by the model Anne Gunning Parker (later Lady Nutting) and given by Lord Anthony Nutting. Chanel's come-back in 1954 (after an absence of 15 years), means that this is a very rare example of the period. The first collection was not very popular and the editor of Vogue Bettina Ballard recalls that only about six outfits were ordered by buyers [de la Haye, A. & Tobin, S. Chanel: The Couturiere at Work (V&A Publications, 1994), p.94]. This suit was part of a large donation of Lady Nutting's Chanel clothes given by Lord Nutting upon her death, all of which were dated by him as 1960s. The suit has been reattributed to the mid to late 1950s. The suit seems to have been altered at the jacket. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Association | |
| Summary | In 1954, at the age of 71, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel’s (1883–1971) presented her comeback collection, after an absence of fifteen years. She challenged the formality and complexity of the fashions of the time, and was critical of designers such as Christian Dior (1905-57). Pat Cunningham, editor of Vogue said, ‘Femininity had gone too far – you needed stage-coach luggage to pack your frocks in and ladies’ maids to fix the trimmings and petticoats. Chanel simplified clothes to meet modern needs.’ This practical, elegant suit is typical of the type of designs that propelled Chanel once again to the forefront of fashion. The top is made of a comfortable wool jersey, and the jacket is loose fitting. The suit was worn by the 1950s model Anne Gunning Parker (later Lady Nutting). |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.123 to B-1990 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | January 10, 2008 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
