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This detail shows a cotton which has been produced as a lattice-pique, and then screen-printed with a pattern of yellow brush strokes, white splodges and black spots, all on a ground shaded in grey. Innovative and abstract textile design was a feature of the 1950s, and this sophisticated cotton was locally printed in Lancashire by Hollinwood Textile Printers. The fabric was made up by the London design house of Lachasse to a commission by the Manchester based Cotton Board, an organisation dedicated to promoting the use of cotton in fashionable clothing.

Two-piece suits with tightly fitted jackets and matching pencil skirts were a staple of 1950s daywear, suitable for most smart events, or for early evening or cocktail parties. However, as this one was a commission, it was only actually ever worn on the catwalk and not socially.

Full item descriptions:

"suit" [1959.100/6], Lachasse

Related Themes:

1950s Cotton Board Fashion
1950s Fashion