Called the "mother of sportswear," Claire McCardell was a pioneer of the "American look." She studied at the Parsons School of Design in New York, designed for Hattie Carnegie and then for Townley Frocks. From the 1930s to the 1950s, McCardell revolutionized women's wear by designing clothing that was simple, functional, and stylish, all within the constraints of mass-production. She took simple fabrics-cotton, denim, mattress ticking, gingham, and jersey - and created clean shapes using detail as a fashion focus. McCardell effortlessly paired "separates" -skirts, pants, and sweaters - that acted as interchangeable mates, in part to make women's lives easier. In 1955, Time Magazine wrote, "She has an artist's sense of color and a sculptor's feeling for form."Striped shirt-dress. Cotton lawn, silk organza lining. Early 1950s.
