In fashion there are various terms whose meanings are not entirely clear. Sometimes the terms blur, sometimes they change meaning. The same is true of women's pants. What does this term really mean? What kind of outfit hides under it and what is its history? It turns out that it is not at all so clear-cut.
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Women's pantsuit - what is it actually?
Quoting from the Polish Language Dictionary PWN: "spodnium "women's costume consisting of a jacket and long pants"". Contrary to the similarity at first glance, we do not conjugate this word like words derived from Latin, for example, "technum". The correct forms are: spodnium, spodniumie, spodniumy, or spodnium, that is, the variety is similar to that of the word "costume." The term "spodnium" entered women's fashion in the last century. And in fact, initially the term meant a set of clothing that consisted of women's pants and a jacket. A spodnium was simply a two-piece suit for ladies. And what is it like today? The language is alive, so there are constant changes in it. It adapts to reality and it happens that words expand or even change their meaning. If you type the word "pantsuit" into an Internet search engine, you will notice that a completely different type of clothing often appears for this term. It follows that currently under the term spodnium is increasingly understood to mean an elegant women's suit, the former owerol. Interestingly, in Silesian owerol is simply a tracksuit. This creates a certain chaos and, for example, in conversations with our grandmother or with our mother or a friend, we can use the same words to describe something completely different. It's hard not to get the impression that it's a bit confusing. Maybe it is just worth finally recognizing that currently under the term trouser we understand both a women's suit and an elegant suit for women?
Spodnium originally, or a suit for women
The history of the women's suit is extremely turbulent and has to do with the emancipation of women. A set of clothing consisting of long pants and a jacket was for many years unequivocally considered to be typically male attire. Wearing this type of clothing by women was basically unthinkable. One of the first brave ladies was actress Sarah Bernhardt, who, back in the 19th century, not only reached for pants and a jacket, but also appeared in public in them. Photos of her from her sculptor's studio have survived, in which she poses in just such an outfit. However, society was still a long way from accepting the suit as women's attire.
Pictured: Sarah Bernhardt in the sculpture studio. Source: https://www.michaelandrews.com/history-womens-suits/
At the beginning of the 20th century, a different type of uniform for ladies began to gain popularity. The set consisted of a skirt and a jacket. The two-piece set was more comfortable for active women than the traditional dress. However, over time, ladies began to wear pants more and more, especially when spending leisure time. In early 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt failed to dress up after a horseback ride and became the first woman in public office to officially appear in pants. By this time, Marlene Dietrich was appearing in suits with pants both in films and in private. In 1939, the British fashion house Aquascutum released a three-piece set, consisting of a jacket and pants and a skirt. This arrangement allowed one to comfortably ride a bicycle to work in pants and change into a skirt on the spot.
Pictured: three-piece set Aquascutum, source: Cally Blackman: "100 years of fashion," Laurence King Publishing, London 2012, p. 162
A milestone in the history of the women's suit came in the 1960s. Yves Saint-Laurent's legendary "Le Smoking" was an outfit modeled on a men's suit that was created specifically for women. It represented a kind of revolution in the fashion world. The designer claimed that he didn't want to dress a woman like a man, but let her be elegant and modern at the same time. Another important moment in the history of the women's suit was the 1990s. At that time, the costume consisting of pants and a jacket experienced exceptional popularity. Nowadays, it is already a classic women's outfit. Still, it is often associated with power, authority and professionalism, which is why it is readily chosen as an outfit for work. However, its potential as evening wear is also appreciated. Today, women's suits are a fashionable and elegant choice for both business situations and grand outings.
Pictured is Le tuxedo by YSL, source: Cally Blackman: "100 years of fashion," Laurence King Publishing, London 2012, p. 235
Spodnium nowadays, which is also an elegant suit
The one-piece outfit combining pants with a blouse also has an interesting history and not much shorter at all. At the beginning of the 20th century, this type of garment was designed for parachute jumpers, then pilots and divers. As early as the 1930s, a version of the one-piece outfit with legs was created for women, mainly used as work attire. In wartime, women worked in factories replacing men. The suit was a comfortable garment for work. In those years, the first versions of this outfit were created to be worn in leisure time as well, but they did not meet with wide popularity.
Pictured: a woman in a work suit, 1940. photo source: Cally Blackman: "100 years of fashion," Laurence King Publishing, London 2012, p. 166
In the 1960s, after the population boom of the post-war years, young people were an important part of society. This had an obvious impact on fashion, and designers had to take such a large yet unique group into account when preparing designs. It was then that the popularity of women's overalls flourished. At that time in Poland, such an outfit was also called an owerol. From very colorful, monochromatic models with psychedelic patterns, through snow-white knitwear in the Courreges edition, to punk-inspired black versions made of imitation leather: the 1960s and 1970s were the golden time of women's overalls. The next decade also belonged to owerol in successive modern iterations. In the 1980s, women's overalls were very popular. One American fashion designer called this outfit the ball gown of the next century. However, by the 1990s the success of this type of outfit had waned. The return of the women's jumpsuit came at the beginning of the 21st century, and it is currently enjoying popularity.
Pictured is the cover of Petticoat magazine showing women in colorful suits, source: Cally Blackman: "100 years of fashion," Laurence King Publishing, London 2012, p. 248
What to choose: a suit or a jumpsuit for a wedding?
Although they differ in form, both types of pants can be a fantastic outfit for a wedding. Among the many dresses, a stylish suit or an elegant suit will stand out from the crowd. Which type of outfit is better to opt for? It depends on many factors. For glamour style weddings, both types of elegant trousseau will be suitable. However, for rustic or boho style receptions, it is better to opt for an airy suit made of lightweight fabrics. It will probably fit in better with the character of the party. Nevertheless, the most important thing is to choose the right pantsuit for your figure. So that the proportions are optically aligned and the assets of the figure are emphasized. Both the suit and the suit are comfortable and great for dancing. Freedom of movement is extremely important during such occasions.
Bibliography:
https://sjp.pwn.pl/slowniki/spodnium.html
https://www.michaelandrews.com/history-womens-suits/
Bertrand Meyer-Stabley: "The men who shook the fashion world" Dom Wydawniczy Rebis, Poznan 2015, p.197
Cally Blackman: "100 years of fashion," Laurence King Publishing, London 2012, 162, 166, 235, 248
François Boucher: "History of Fashion," Arkady, Warsaw 2009, pp. 413, 420, 423
