Suits IV (National Cloak and Suit catalog, Spring-Summer 1923)

As in earlier decades, these suits from 1923 are still a comprised of skirts and jackets—but they are no longer styled in imitation of menswear.  Instead they are cut on fashionable lines with asymmetric closings, applied ornamentation and flared and batwing sleeves.

 

On the far left:

"The carefully tailored silk-lined Coat is a fashionable straight line box model with flare sleeves and link-button fastening.  Heavy twist stitching and buttons trim sleeves, pockets and lower edge of back."

On the lower centre left:

"Modish straight lines distinguish the smart unbelted coat, which in addition to its rounded lower edge and side closing also show newest style in the long tapering revers and flare sleeves... Rows of lustrous tailor braid finish the collar, sleeves and lower edge."

Above and centre:

"Fashioned from the popular and handsome All-Wool Poiret Twill... it displays exceptionally charming style in the modish jacquette blouse effect coat.  Note the smartness of the very new style sleeves and the narrow diagonal revers... Rich looking embroidery in harmonizing color trims collar, cuffs and hip band."

Right:

"Here's one of Fashion's newest ideas in tailored suits, the unbelted coat model... Very new features of the jaunty coat are the flare sleeves; the long narrow graduated revers and the rounded-up lower edge which meets the revers to form a fashionable side-closing with a large fancy clasp.  Fancy braid on collar, sleeves and lower edge adds a pleasing note of bright color."

All the suits on this page were made in navy blue wool. 

Suits III (Weldon's Ladies Journal, April 1911)

 A decade further on, and we can see how the skirt suit continues to evolve in line with other fashions.  These late Edwardian examples from Weldon's Ladies' Journal combine rather masculine jackets with straight skirts reaching the instep.  The effect is severe, but the outfits are topped by some extravagantly feminine hats!

From left to right:

"In our variable climate a tweed coat and skirt is always a necessity to our wardrobe, and here is show a most useful style for spring and summer tweeds and suitings..."

"A smart little suit for morning, country, or seaside wear, made in spring tweed, serge, fancy or plain cloth... Three gored skirt and semi-fitting double-breasted coat."

"...the pleated skirt is an excellent model for tweeds, serge, homespun, etc.  Four-gored skirt, pleated side and semi-fitting coat."

Once again from left to right:

"One of the new coats for the new spring woollens... with velvet faced collar."

"A most useful style for cachemire, tweeds, fancy woollens, hopsack, serge, cloth, trimmed braid.  Six-gored skirt, pleated panel back and front.  Semi-fitting coat."

"A dressy coat and skirt for ribbed serge or tweed... Two piece skirt with inverted pleats at side.  Semi-fitting coat."

Suits II (McCall's Magazine, October 1900)

 As we move into a new century the skirt suit is still going strong.  As ever, it is shaped on fashionable lines, but it is noticeably less ornate than the dresses of the same era.

 

 

 

The figure on the left shows a model wearing a jacket made from McCall's Bazaar Pattern no. 6171 and a skirt from Pattern no. 6169.  The two become a suit by being made up in the same material.  The vest is part of the jacket, and is made of the same material as the insertions in the skirt.

At left we have a Misses' Eton Costume.  Except for the length of her skirts this is very like the suits worn by her adult counterparts.  At centre is "an up-to-date coat and skirt costume", the jacket of which "may be composed of material matching the skirt".  At right is a Ladies' costume made of "pebble cheviot in the new gray and black shade".
 

Suits (The Delineator, May 1896)

 suit 

/su:t/

noun

1. a set of outer clothes made of the same fabric and designed to be worn together, typically consisting of a jacket and trousers or a jacket and skirt.

Women had worn matching skirt and bodice combinations before the 1890s (sometimes described by contemporaries as "suits") but it wasn't until the last decade of the nineteenth century that the classic pairing of skirt and jacket came into vogue.  The costumes illustrated below have typically tiny Victorian waists and sweeping skirts—not to mention those fantastic balloon sleeves—but they are undoubtedly plainer and more... businesslike than anything that came before.  Women were gradually moving out of the home and into the wider world, and their clothes reflected that.

Ladies' Jacket and Skirt. "...The jaunty box fronts are lapped and closed in double breasted style with button holes and buttons placed at the throat and below the waist... The collar is in military turn-down style and is inlaid with black velvet."

Ladies' Eton Costume.  "The newest style in the popular Eton costume is here illustrated, brown mixed cheviot being shown in the jacket and skirt and figured red silk in the blouse-waist."

Ladies Basque and Skirt.  "The toilette is here pictured made of cadet gray cloth and stylishly decorated with black braid, gilt buttons and black silk cord."

Ladies' Jacket and Skirt.  "The toilette is a most desirable style for the promenade and general outdoor wear and includes a covert jacket and a stylish skirt.  Light-brown broadcloth was here selected for the jacket which is skillfully shaped to give a long effect to the waist..."

Ladies' Toilette  "This toilette is somewhat severe in style, but is given much distinction by its military air.  It is here shown made up in a Scotch mixture and decorated with braid and buttons."

100 Years Ago (The Delineator, July 1922)

 "Smart Blouses Go Over the Skirt", reads the caption for this illustration.   Overblouses would remain the most popular form of blouse through the rest of the 1920s—mainly because they complemented the dropped waistlines in fashion during the decade.

On the left we have a middy blouse.  

"For camping and real out-of-doors enjoyment every woman should pack a middy blouse or two in her vacation luggage.... The choice of a detachable collar is another advantage and for warm weather the short sleeve is comfortable.  Make the blouse of white jean..."

Above centre, is a Russian blouse. 

"How attached we have become to those lovely slip-over blouses, especially those that follow the Russian type!  This one has a narrow standing band for a collar.  It is bloused at a low waistline which may be adjusted with an elastic through a casing.  A new embroidery is used as a trimming for the blouse."

("Russian" blouses had been worn by women—on and off—at least since the 1890s.  However Russian design and ornament became particularly smart during the 1920s, partly because of the number of Russian exiles who supported themselves by working in the fashion industry after the Russian revolution!)

On the right:

"Blouses these days have a pleasing way of belonging to the costume with which they are worn, probably because  they are worn over the skirt."  [This one] "may be trimmed with bands of contrasting color repeated on the sleeve and lower edge.  A decorative embroidery is used."