military influence on fashion, WWI (part two)

i've excavated my archives and photographed a few of my favourite pieces from the time period discussed below.  every garment posted is part of my wardrobe rotation -- and every time these lovely ladies see the light of day, people are astonished to hear their story (and age!) since the styles are surprisingly fashion foward.  below is a woman named agnes bickel on her wedding day, 1922:

here is the wedding suit, a delightful creation of the darkest blue wool with exquisite hand embroidery, tassels, and asymmetrical cummerbund belt closure.

black wool walking suit with incredible embroidered petal detail.  labelled "hamburger's, los angeles, cal".  hamburger's department store opened on 8th and broadway in 1908 and was celebrated as the "biggest department store in town".

charming blue wool coat with teal contrast, trimmed with celluloid buttons large and small.

whew!  taking military button trim to an extreme with this black wool walking suit jacket that would take the wearer ages to close.  luckily, it looks equally stunning worn open.  labelled "exclusive wearing apparel, the stern and mann co., the woman's store, canton, ohio".

lastly, it is not uncommon to find these walking suit jackets are lined with vibrant patterned silks, intentionally done to offset the understated exteriors.  unfortunately, many of these extraordinary jacket linings were constructed of weighted silk, which disintegrates rapidly even under the most favourable storage conditions.