The Little Sixties Suit: Spadea Patterns NS-286, Capucci
We often think of the 1960s as the era of kooky clothes and wild experiments. Yes, there were plenty of those, especially later in the decade, but there was also the continuation of the tailored woman’s suit especially early in the decade. Women wore suits for work, for travel, and for shopping in the city. This one is an especially nice example by Roberto Capucci of Rome who is better known for his more daring evening dresses.
Notice the clever seam at the collar allows for a button opening up top, then the collar, which is cut in one with the right front of the jacket, sweep around the back of the neck and finishes off attached the the left front of the jacket. Two equally large buttons below match and create, as the pattern says, “pyramidal buttoning.” This creates a kind of arrow pointing up to the face. The sleeves are three-quarter length and would have been worn with longer gloves that bridged the distance (see how she holds them in her hand). The sleeves are a single pattern piece with darts at the elbow to acknowledge the natural bend of the arm.
This is a fitted jacket, see the front and back darts at the waistline and then at the back shoulders. Fitted jackets were popular through the 1950s, although you can also flared jackets, and loose box jackets which were usually less formal. The skirt has a front pleat deep enough to create the impression of a wrapped skirt, while avoiding the inconvenience of one.
The big hair illustrated began in the late 1950s with teasing, rollers, and hairspray, and continued well into the 1960s. Notice that hair that big did away with the hat in this picture. Also, notice how the entire ensemble, including hair looks like something Jackie Kennedy wore. The rest of the careful accessories, gloves, bag, scarf and bracelet, and the polished look would become less popular and thus less necessary as the decade wore on. But for now, the “stop-and-look suit,” as they called it, ruled.