1920 to 2020
Power. Perseverance. Purpose.
In 1870, actress Sarah Bernhardt did the unthinkable.
She wore pants in public.
Yes. Pants.
In fact, she worse a full on suit. Gasp!
Naturally, people referred to Bernhardt’s fashion choice as “boy’s clothes” and thought this to be a highly controversial matter.
Widely due to the controversy, women wearing suits would not become a cultural norm until a hundred years later during the feminist movement of the 1970s. And, even then, women still faced backlash.
Women’s use of pants — also known as “dungarees” — led to the popular pantsuit. This development really took off during the 20th century.
The 1920s
During the 1920s, the pantsuit was not yet a developed fashion item. However, it was definitely in the works.
While society still rebuked the idea of women wearing pants, there were some exceptions.
Women’s tuxedos were viewed as an acceptable ensemble for female cabaret performers. The left image shows Anita Berber, a popular performer of the time.
The two-piece beach pajama, shown in the center, became a fashion trend. While it was not popularized until the 1930s, it began in the 1920s and was sported among “fashion elites.”
Pants were also viewed as acceptable if worn as sportswear. These were referred to as “sports knickers,” as seen in the photo on the right.
However, up until the mid 1920s, these “knickers” were not allowed at many golf courses.
The 1930s
Pansuits really started to come into their own throughout the 1930s.
Female celebrities helped popularize this look, including actresses Katharine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, and Jean Harlow. They wore pantsuits in films, as well as in everyday life.
Hepburn sported this casual suit while ice skating at Madison Square Garden.
Dietrich is pictured in a tuxedo from the film “Morocco.”
Harlow wore this fashionable and comfortable-looking suit in the film “Libeled Lady.”
Hepburn and Dietrich especially contributed to the pantsuit revolution. They were both known to wear pantsuits outside of films, and did so quite frequently.
At the time, this was still seen as a bold move.
The 1940s & 1950s
Although they decreased in popularity for some time following World War II, pantsuits continued to make appearances in films, and celebrities continued to wear them outside of movies throughout the 1940s and 1950s,
Actress Betty Davis pushes the airplane from the 1942 film “Now, Voyager,” in the center image.
Lucille Ball was a prominent figure in the United States, stemming from her popular 1950s show “I Love Lucy.” Her use of the pantsuit definitely helped to keep it popular.
Again, Katharine Hepburn sported a pantsuit in this 1952 photo.
The 1960s
The pantsuit really started to gain traction in the mid 1960s.
Guitar-clad Brigitte Bardot wore a wool suit for a 1961 holiday variety show.
In 1966, Yves Saint Laurent designed the Le Smoking tuxedo, which contributed to the popularity of the pantsuit. Pictured on the left is an advertisement for the tuxedo.
New York City socialite Nan Kempner wore a Le Smoking suit to restaurant La Cote Basque in 1969, where she was told that a pantsuit had no more of a place there than a swim suit.
As a response, Kempner removed her pants and went into the restaurant with only the sit jacket. She said it was a mini-dress.
Judy Garland donned an eye-catching pantsuit in 1968, showing that pantsuit designers were beginning to experiment more.
The 1970s
Advertisements promoting pantsuits continued to grow in the 1970s.
In 1973, Revlon introduced their “Charlie perfume.” The pictured ad shows a woman sporting a pantsuit.
The ad with the pantsuit-clad woman on the right is from the 1976 issue of L’Officiel Magazine.
Bianca Jagger was a huge influence in the fashion world. She wore pantsuits frequently.
In this 1979 photo, Jagger struts down the street in a white pantsuit. The black bow adds a unique value to the look.
The 1980s
The 1980s is the decade of the “power suit.”
Pointed shoulders and buttons were the overarching theme of 1980s pantsuits. Women began to increasingly wear these suits to work.
Bianca Jagger continued to rock pantsuits throughout this decade.
She donned a checkered suit in the left image from 1983.
Her white suit — with shorts — adds to the uniqueness of the look and shows how far pantsuits had come from being intensely frowned-upon in the years prior.
Pantsuits really grew in popularity in this decade. This is evident through the fact that they were displayed in fashion shows.
Cindy Crawford strut down the runway in a buttoned suit for the 1989 Ralph Lauren Autumn/Winter Collection.
The 1990s
Up until 1993, women were not allowed to wear trousers on the Senate floor.
Senators Barbara Mikulski and Carol Moseley-Braun were at the forefront at the demand to remove this ban.
More and more female celebrities continued to wear pantsuits throughout the 1990s. The look had become very popular.
Julia Roberts wears a Giorgio Armani suit at the 47th Golden Globe Awards in 1990.
Queen Latifah and Gwyneth Paltrow sported bold, eye-catching looks.
Latifah wowed in a bright red leather suit at the 1995 American Music Awards.
Paltrow donned a Tom Ford deep red velvet suit at the 1996 MTV Video Music Award.
The 2000s
Hillary Clinton has worn many pantsuits throughout her political career, experimenting with various colors and patterns.
Clinton has helped paved the way for pantsuits, as she is an extremely influential figure. She definitely makes a strong statement, as politics has a particular history with women and pantsuits, as discussed above.
Clinton wore this bright look in 2008.
Jennifer Lopez and Tyra Banks are both iconic figures. Thus, their decision to wear suits shows how this style really became normalized in the acting, music and modeling worlds.
Lopez rocked this ensemble in April of 2007, while Banks turned heads in her chic pantsuit at the 2009 GLAAD Media Awards.
The 2010s
Throughout the 2010s, women continued to experiment with bold colors and patterns when it came to pantsuits.
Beyonce accepted her 2016 fashion icon award in a pantsuit.
That screams progress.
It’s worth noting that Beyonce did not just wear any regular suit — this Givenchy Haute Couture ensemble contains $9 million worth of Lorraine Schwartz jewels.
On the promotion tour for her 2018 film “A Simple Favor,” Blake Lively charmed in an array of eye-catching pantsuits. This neon green look is certainly bold.
Gigi Hadid’s velvet and satin runway look from the Tom Ford Spring 2019 Collection has been compared to Gwyneth Paltrow’s 1996 red suit by Fashionista editor Alyssa Vingan Klein.
2020
While 2020 only began a few months ago, many celebrities have already rocked pantsuits, further displaying this ensemble’s popularity and how far society has come in the last one hundred years.
Cara Delevingne matched the carpet in her lilac Boss pantsuit in February 2020.
Janelle Monae was all about stripes in her Michael Kors Winter 2020 Collection pantsuit.
Billie Eilish wore a Gucci pantsuit to the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar party.
Throughout the decades, the pantsuit has grown to be an extremely prominent look — as well as a fashion statement.
Fortunately, it does not seem like the pantsuit will be going away anytime soon.
Sources:
https://vintagedancer.com/1920s/did-women-wear-pants/ https://www.huffpost.com/entry/vintage-style-pantsuits_l_5c670cd1e4b033a799428305 https://www.racked.com/2016/12/5/13778914/pantsuits-history https://www.crfashionbook.com/fashion/a29413430/the-history-of-the-tuxedo/ https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/gallery/20127/12/how-yves-saint-laurent-changed-fashion https://blog.finnfemme.com/2015/02/the-cool-scents-of-1973-charlie-sweet-earth-and-musk-oil/ https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/g5648/bianca-jagger-style/?slide=18 https://www.michaelandrews.com/journal/history-womens-suits https://etcanada.com/photos/391947/style-evolution-tyra-banks/#image-391988 https://people.com/style/style-cfda-2016-red-carpet/#style/2016/06/07/photo/beyonce-cfda-style-gallery-3246111 https://www.whowhatwear.com/gigi-hadid-gwyneth-paltrow-tom-ford-suit https://www.huffpost.com/entry/blake-lively-suits-a-simple-favor_n_5b9944dde4b0511db3e861ae https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/style/trouser-suit-one-stop-way-update-look-new-season-best-ones/ https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/style-files/news/g37378/everyones-wearing-trouser-suits/?slide=1 https://www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com/2020/01/16/janelle-monae-wore-michael-kors-collection-to-the-homecoming-amazon-studios-2020-winter-tca-press-tour/ https://www.stylebistro.com/lookbook/Billie+Eilish/FLNL6kzpT00 https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/g8119/hillary-clinton-pantsuits/?slide=9 https://www.stylebistro.com/lookbook/Jennifer+Lopez/43iQ47C3WDS/angle/m-Sb_sV1SzS
Bossin' on a Budget 