Doris Duke was partial to pantsuits, and there are examples in the Rough Point collection from as early as the 1930s. Pantsuits were gender-bending—and their rise in popularity corresponded with the increase in American women in the workplace—a traditionally male-dominated space. By the 1960s, it had become more acceptable for women to wear pants at work. But it was still scandalous for many women to wear pantsuits as streetwear or formalwear.
Thanks to her fortune and status, Doris did not have as much to risk by wearing a pantsuit as other women of her generation did.
French designer André Courrèges was inspired by the Space Age—and his designs (including this pantsuit) are futuristic, minimalistic, and fun.
