Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free

Leigh says: This forthright account of designer Claire McCardell is really the story of U.S. fashion breaking free from Paris and developing its own style and point of view. She played a huge role in this. WWII led to interest and opportunity for U.S. designers who no longer had access to France (e.g., could no longer copy Parisian clothes). McCardell was often ahead of her time but society eventually caught up to her. We have McCardell to thank for pockets in women's clothes, and she paved the way for swimsuits as we now know them, along with inventing sportswear. Many of today's designers cite her as an influence, including Tory Burch, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger. I can only imagine how she would have continued to impact fashion had she not died at 52.