trouser suit

Jean Paul Gaultier 1952

Summary

2-piece trouser suit in wide vertical stripes of chestnut brown and black burnished wool twill. Jacket : DB, fastening with 2 black fabric covered buttons; baggy-style with large shoulder pads, wide stepped lapels, long sleeves with 4 black fabric covered buttons, breast pocket and flapped side pockets. CB seam; side seams with back vents; cb outer loop for hanging. Lined brown, black, lime-green striped acetate; 2 inner pockets with buttons. Woven label cb , green on black "Jean Paul Gaultier femme, 42, dry cleaning only, made in Italy". Matching trousers : Wide waistband, double pleats either side cf, zipped front fly and button above, tapering legs to turn-ups, back loop and single button flap pocket. Faced striped acetate; woven label, green on black "Jean Paul Gaultier femme, 44, made in Italy"

Display Label

During the 1980s the trouser suit was widely adopted by business women in order to project the serious, focused, determined and often masculine image which was seen to be crucial for success in Thatcherite Britain. In the long term, wearing masculine-style clothing in a male dominated commercial sector probably did help women to win a greater role in business, and certainly, today, female trouser suits are universally accepted in the urban environment, more commonly worn than skirts. This striking double-breasted suit of striped brown and black wool sateen twill was designed by Jean Paul Gaultier in 1989, and belonged to Janet Street Porter, the media celebrity. Gaultier preference was that this jacket should be worn next to the skin, without a top or blouse below, thus deliberately encoding this outfit with a provocative comment on the usual dull professional suit which seems virtually unisex, and distancing his outfit from the typical male suit with shirt and waistcoat as pictured below.