100 Most Influential People in Fashion

Fashion Influential #6: Claire McCardell

images via fashion encyclopedia and papier doll

CLAIRE MCCARDELL
Born:
May 24, 1905 in Frederick, MD Died:
March 22, 1958 in New York City, NY
Inspired:
Donna Karan, Cynthia Rowley, Isaac Mizrahi
Innovations:
zippers, spaghetti straps, ballet slippers, tweed evening coats, jersey dresses, drawstrings
Beginnings.
As a child, Claire McCardell noticed the clothes she wore were terrible for everyday activites like playing with her brothers. When she entered design school at what is now Parsons, she brought with her the idea of crafting clothing for utility and purpose, as well as aesthetics.

Career Highs.
McCardell avoided Parisian fashion shows, which helped her develop a particularly American look characterized by comfort and utility. When America entered WWII in 1941, textile supplies were severely rationed. There was no longer a place for expensive, impractical couture, and McCardell's wearable, frugal separates began to change the look of women's fashion. By the end of the 1940s, she was Lord and Taylor's best selling ready-to-wear designer.

McCardell's still-popular "Monastic" design.

Career Lows.
McCardell's career was tragically cut short by her failing health. Near the end of her life, she passed on her collection's design duties to a Parson's schoolmate, Mildred Orrick. She died of cancer at the age of 52.

Legacy.
McCardell is often compared to architect Frank Lloyd Wright. She did for fashion what he did for architecture: created pieces largely shaped around the lifestyles that included them. She was the first designer to bring us zippers, thin-strapped evening gowns, and ballet flats, and it she we have to thank for the simple, mix-and-match sportswear that characterizes American fashion.

McCardell has inspired the likes of Isaac Mizrahi.

Get the Look.
Although the McCardell line is no longer in stores, it's easy to find pieces influenced by McCardell. She has inspired designers Donna Karan, Isaac Mizrahi, Cynthia Rowley, Anna Sui, and many others, who continue to keep elements of McCardell's design vision alive on today's runways.

- Alicia