Ensemble

Designer Claire McCardell American
 Manufacturer Townley Frocks American

Not on view

In setting out parts to be assembled at will by the wearer, McCardell was posing modern fashion as a compact between the designer as maker and the consumer as stylist. Akin to the individuality of how her wraps dresses might be worn differently by various women, the construction of actual outfits depended upon the specific need of the wearer. In this, she anticipates Halston's famous statement that he only proposes and that the wearers actually make the style.

Ensemble, Claire McCardell (American, 1905–1958), cotton, rayon, American

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Ensemble, Claire McCardell (American, 1905–1958), cotton, rayon, American
Ensemble, Claire McCardell (American, 1905–1958), cotton, rayon, American
Ensemble, Claire McCardell (American, 1905–1958), cotton, rayon, American
Ensemble, Claire McCardell (American, 1905–1958), cotton, rayon, American
Ensemble, Claire McCardell (American, 1905–1958), cotton, rayon, American
Ensemble, Claire McCardell (American, 1905–1958), cotton, rayon, American
Ensemble, Claire McCardell (American, 1905–1958), cotton, rayon, American
Ensemble, Claire McCardell (American, 1905–1958), cotton, rayon, American
Ensemble, Claire McCardell (American, 1905–1958), cotton, rayon, American
Ensemble, Claire McCardell (American, 1905–1958), cotton, rayon, American

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