Tailleurs: nostalgic and new

by Sibel DORSAN

The jacket-and-skirt or jacket-and-trousers combination you are wearing is not to be taken for granted. Revolutionary in the past, it has been evolvıng for almost a century and continues to rejuvenate itself in fresh forms each season.

The female two-piece suit or tailleur has been enjoying another golden year. The combination of jacket over skirt or trousers has rarely, indeed, been out of fashion, showing an endless capacity to reinvent itself – casual or business-like, unisex or unrepentantly feminine - in the hands of the famous fashion houses. It is also set to take on new connotations in summer 2005.

The tailleur was first inspired by male fashion at the end of the 19^th century. Its simple style and practicality contrasted sharply with the imposing and uncomfortable clothes worn by women at the time, and it perfectly reflected the spirit of an age when women in the West were struggling for equality and political rights.

Conservative society was shocked, but social rules were eventually to bend and break, and women-in-jackets were to become a familiar and unquestioned sight. At the end of World War I, the tailleur gained an indispensable place in the world of fashion. Soon it came to symbolize the 1920s androgen image.

Return of the feminine

It was in France that the two-piece initially conquered the fashion world, so it was only proper that it should be given a new lease of life in the simple and comfortable designs of Chanel. A symbol of women’s independence, it now also proved that freedoms did not have to come at the expense of femininity.

When it first began to dominate the collections of the grands ateliers of Chatel and Patou, the tailleur was regarded as a casual costume worn for travel or holidays. But before long, the two-piece had come to symbolize smartness at every hour of the day.

Jackets, worn in various lengths from the waist to the thigh, had at first merely imitated male jackets. But the new suits departed from the strict designs of the 1930s. They were worn primarily as evening wear and for ceremonial occasions. The jackets were long, fitted and embroidered, and sported broad padded shoulders and colored buttons made of jewels. This was the baroque period of the tailleur.

From the ‘50s to the ‘80s

Two-pieces of various cuts and lengths remained popular throughout the 1940s and 1950s. The unique styles of Dior and Balmain added a catchier look. Jackets made of quality fabric, gathered at the waist and embracing the body like a corset, made an indelible impression. It was left to Chanel – author of the famous dictum “Fashion is temporary, but style is permanent” – to resurrect the popular “simple and comfortable” motif. As of 1959, the famous “Chanel tailleur” became almost a uniform for the world.

The tailleur was later to become an indispensable part of the 1980s “dress for success” thesis - a reaction against the “jeans years”. Bold, eye-catching jackets were made of embroidered, colored satin, their silhouettes enhanced by substantially padded shoulders.

The look of 2005

This season’s suits have distinctly feminine lines, with nostalgic echoes of the 1950s. Jackets are fitted, with a length between waist and hip, and three-quarter length arms. Skirts are knee-length and very tight. Trousers are also for the most part drain-pipe narrow, but flared trousers are also in evidence, particularly in alternative suits consisting of male-look jackets and trousers. Fabrics include tweed and flannel, with a spattering of tartans on offer for a Scottish touch.

For summer 2005, designers have approached the classic tailleur from a gentler perspective. The skirts are wider. The jackets are more feminine with drape collars and incisions. Short trousers worn to knee-length or just below the knee are the flavour of the season, whether of cotton, satin, chamois or jersey.

(DIPLOMAT  -  January 2005  -  Ankara)