The Trouser Suit (or Pant Suit if you’re from the left-hand side of the Atlantic) really took off in 1963 when Cathy McGowan, star of the TV music show, Ready, Steady, Go! wore one on television.
Until then, trousers for women had not received good press and during the earlier years of the decade was deemed by those in high society to be beneath them and a fashion statement for working-class women.
Some restaurants even refused entry to potential customers wearing one, despite the fact that women had been wearing long trousers since the 1920s.
It was the fact that designers had introduced a jacket and trousers in women’s fashion as evening wear which caused so much controversy.
In the 1970s attitudes changed and the trouser suit was able to rise above its lowly position and it became acceptable for women to be seen on a night out in trousers.
For the first time, women were allowed to wear trousers in business and formal settings.