Bathing suit
McCardell was among the first in the post-War period to discern not the "man in the gray flannel suit," but the woman in gray wool, an inconspicuous, but notably chic outfit for the beach combining a bare halter with a wrap skirt. This was the American counterpart to the contemporary invention in France of the bikini; McCardell's is a two-piece ensemble that respects American standards of propriety. McCardell wraps with a fullness of cloth both at the bust and waist, diminishing the overt sexuality of the minimal bikini and providing a sizing that will flatter a variety of body types in that most sensitive of garments in body and self-esteem, the bathing suit.
Artwork Details
- Title: Bathing suit
- Designer: Claire McCardell (American, 1905–1958)
- Date: ca. 1946
- Culture: American
- Medium: wool
- Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. A. Moore Montgomery, 1970
- Object Number: 1970.153.1a–c
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
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