Description:
Woman's suit jacket of polychrome wool tweed with high V-notched lapels, padded shoulder areas, and four pocket flaps. Green silk crape lining. Going away suit worn by Cathleen Clare Esleeck after her wedding, December 16, 1944. Purchased by buyer Ruth Fillebrown whose shop was located in Weldon Hotel. A practical choice for traveling, Esleeck's tailored suit was influenced by menswear and WWII, the latter reflected in its army-like dark green coloring and soft hat.
Label Text:
This ensemble, consisting of a jacket, skirt, coat, and hat, was purchased by Cathleen Clare as a going away ensemble upon her marriage to Irving N. Esleeck, Jr., on December 16, 1944. Clare selected and purchased the ensemble at the Ruth Fillebrown shop, located in the ground floor of the Weldon Hotel in Greenfield, Massachusetts.
The tailored, military-inspired cut of the ensemble was a practical daytime choice for the new bride. The clothes also reflect regulations set out by the United States’ War Production Board in 1942. A regulation known as L-85 rationed the amount of fabric and trimming used in civilian clothing made during World War II, so that resources could be directed to the country’s war effort. Besides the ensemble’s overall streamlined silhouette, specific construction details that lent a patriotic air included the 6-gored skirt, absence of pleating or patch pockets, short jacket, and small hat.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+1999.13.1 |
