1948 Blue tweed suit
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1948 A suit in blue tweed
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The back of the suit
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Detail of the jacket front showing the buttons
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The skirt from the side front
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The worksheet sewn inside the skirt
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The utility mark label sewn inside the base of the skirt placket
Description
The tweed is in a herringbone weave.
The jacket is lined with a pale pinkish grey rayon and the skirt is unlined.
The jacket is single breasted with three buttons and worked buttonholes. The pockets on each side are 4¾" wide with bound edges, ⁵⁄₁₆" wide. The two darts rising from the top of these are about 1½" apart, stitched for about 2½" and then released as tucks. The shoulder pads do not extend into the sleeve heads.
The skirt has a self waistband 1⅜" wide and is fastened on the left side with a button and worked buttonhole. There are three press studs spaced down the 8½" long placket.
The front has a wide box-pleat at the centre, 2½" deep each side, and the edges are top-stitched for 13½" down from the waist, sitiched at an angle for 1" and then released as pleats. The back has a similar centre panel, 5½" wide at the waist, but the pleats begin 19½" up from the hem, and the tweed has been cut away above that. This might have been done to economise on the fabric. There are 6½" long darts from the waist about 2" each side of the centre back panel.
The suit was made under the Utility scheme and a utility mark label is sewn into the right hand side seam of the jacket lining and also at the bottom of the placket in the skirt. It was evidently unsold as it still has the maker's worksheets sewn on the front of the jacket and inside the skirt, dated 30-9-1948; the one on the jacket has not survived well but the one in the skirt is better preserved. The pleats in the skirt still have the stay stitches at the hem to keep them in position until the skirt was worn.
Contemporary illustrations
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Advertisement for Debenham and Freebody in Vogue, February 1941
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Detail from an advertisement in Vogue, 1945
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Fashion drawings in Harrods News, February/March 1947
History
The Utility scheme for clothing was set up in 1942 after rationing was introduced in 1941 during the second world war. It ensured that good quality clothing was available to everyone at affordable prices, and garments in the scheme all carried labels with the Utility Mark. Clothing came off-ration in March 1949 which may be why this suit was unsold.