emmapeelpants

For someone so prolific and popular at the time, Gerald McCann's work still remains incredible rare. Perhaps because his speciality was wearable daywear with a clean, sportswear influenced line (which meant he was one of the most popular exports to the USA). This skirt suit is from the mid-Sixties and is a stunning example of McCann's signature loosely cut and tailored style, very few of which turn up today! The boxy jacket is softened by the rounded shoulders which give a great silhouette. The placement of the vertical pockets is also well done and a very classic example of British tailoring. The collar is intended to button and therefore stand up, but this button has gone walkabout at some point. The collar does look lovely down as well, but I'm sure a similar plain black button (or even a brooch) would do the trick because I love the way it looks when it's stood up like that!

Lee Bender was not only a genius when it came to tea-dresses and wearable separates, she was also brilliant at creating wearable suits for women in the early Seventies. Mostly what we see are skirt suits, but her trouser suits were something of a trademark at the time - and are bizarrely somewhat rarer to find nowadays. This suit is a wonderfully relaxed, pyjama-style cut which would have been a superb alternative to floaty, plungey dresses for a groovy young hostess at the time (very similar to the Ossie and Jean Muir suits on my inspirational images page - see below). The trousers are, frankly, enormous in width and flare out beautifully from a typical high waist. The jacket is cut loosely and flares out from the gently gathered front yoke and completely freely in the back, it is then tied to fit in the waist with a completely separate satin tie. There are no belt loops, so presumably this is also an optional thing and you could just as easily tie the satin belt around your hair if you wanted to keep the jacket lovely and loose. I love Bender's work in satin backed crepe, and the way she used the satin to trim the jacket so beautifully at the collar and cuffs.

Biba deco 1970s print skirt suit