Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free

Journalist Dickinson’s first biography restores semi-forgotten American designer Claire McCardell (1905–58) to her rightful place in the fashion pantheon and in feminist history. In a fashion industry then dominated by men, McCardell worked her way up from anonymous designer to household brand name. She revolutionized fashion, designing comfortable yet stylish clothes and inventing apparel items that are now ubiquitous, such as ballet flats, spaghetti straps, and mix-and-match sportswear. She was aided and abetted by powerhouse women (and a few men), including fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who saw her potential, and publicist Eleanor Lambert, who promoted the designer. Dickinson writes as if she too is McCardell’s friend, though she avoids hagiography. Her research is formidable, but the book wears it lightly, providing context about cultural events of the day and how they affected McCardell. Readers will feel like they are alongside her as she parties during the ’20s, survives the Depression and World War II hardships, combats sexism before it was called that, and triumphs in her chosen field.