Ensemble

Bonnie Cashin created award-winning clothing known for its casual comfort. As the daughter of a dressmaker, she was exposed to textiles and fashion nearly from birth and began designing professionally in 1925, at age 17. Prior to establishing her own company in 1951, she designed for Adler & Adler and Twentieth Century-Fox. Thereafter she worked with manufacturers such as Sills and Co. and Coach to offer fashion and accessories in every price bracket. She was adept at manipulating organic components into modern basics which could easily be mixed, matched and layered for the active woman. Her brightly colored leather trim, metallic toggle hardware and shaped knits are still a recognizable trademark of her work today. In 1962 the Brooklyn Museum, with her assistance and donations, staged, "Bonnie Cashin Presents Her Living Sketch Book," which was a retrospective of her work. Cashin's forethought to preserve her past while still designing is one which makes her work still accessible today.

During the 1950s and early 1960s Cashin designed aprons to benefit LightHouse for the Blind, an organization dedicated to assisting people with vision problems. This ensemble is probably a product of that work being re-interpreted for the fashion world. The simple half apron elevates the basic sweater dress and creates a feeling of comfort, re-emphasizing Cashin's sporty casual goal. Interestingly, the basic silk binding on the apron is a motif she also executes with leather later in her career.