While we think of women's suits as a product of women entering into the workplace, it's worth remembering that women's suit actually have a much earlier origin.

The first women's suits were outfits for horseback riding and appeared in the mid 17th century. Additionally, women's suits modeled on the designs of men's military wear (but featuring a skirt instead of trousers) were also popular for fancy dress parties and other festive, but not necessarily formal, social occasions at the time.

These suits often featured floor-length skirts that could be buttoned up or draped to make walking and riding easier while also maintaining a woman's modesty.

The suit was not just worn for riding, but also for traveling and any other activity that might be considered challenging. While these suits were significantly more ornate than today's suits for women, they were distinguished by their use of durable fabrics and limited (for the time) trim in an effort to make them more practical than other women's clothes of the era.

Suits took their next step in evolution in the mid-19th century, as practical feminine attire for women became important during and after the American Civil War. By the end of the 19th century, some women had started working in offices, and suits for them, as well as the walking suit for ladies of leisure, became prevalent.

In the 20th century, the suit became fashionable for ladies both in and out of the office. With suits being the dominant look for women in the 1950s and 1960s.

Pants as a part of women's suits did not exist until the 1960s, and even then these suits were considered more casual than skirted suits. It took two decades for such pants suits to gain wide acceptance as office attire.

Today, thanks to the business casual movement of the 1990s, suits are less a stable of both men's and women's wardrobes in most professions. However, a return to structured tailoring and an interest in retro looks has helped revive the suit for women as a fashion statement, if not a practical one.