Suit
Norma Kamali
1986
Gift of Liz Mazurski
2012.1142.71AB
Norma Kamali's fringed two-piece suit is a challenging, slightly eccentric, take on 1980s power dressing. During the 1980s, bland, tailored skirt suits defined women's professional dress. These power suits, derived from men's business suits, articulated the idea that dressing for workplace success meant dressing very much like a man. Power suits, with their sedate palette and uniform silhouette, also worked to disguise the individuality of the wearer. Kamali's suit, with its layers of swaying fringe and stylish bolero jacket, challenges the neutrality of the 1980s power suit.