1909 Walking Suit

Date: ca. 1909 - Material: Wool - Accession: 2001.191.1.102

As women continued to enter the universities and the workforce, tailored suits with loose straight lines became a fashionable alternative to exaggerated curves of S-silhouette or lacy frills of lingerie dresses. These were often favored by upwardly mobile working women and suffragettes. As seen in this wool walking suit, straight lines have triumphed over the mature “S” curve lines. The buttons are stylishly large, but they and the same color soutache trim are purposefully understated details. The front of the suit is slightly cut away to reveal the same trim on the lower center of the skirt. This suit was purchased at Chas. A. Stevens & Bros. in Chicago.

Donated to the University of Illinois Bevier Historic Costume Collection by Mrs. Henry Baldwin Ward. Property transfer to the Illinois State Museum, 2001.