In the 1950s, Claire McCardell was one of the most influential women in America. The New York–based fashion designer had become a household name by pioneering “the American Look”—casually elegant sportswear that was as beautiful as it was pragmatic. In the 1930s, McCardell created mix-and-match “separates,” a capsule wardrobe of six items, including pants, a skirt, and a halter top, that could be (as the name implies) mixed and matched into numerous outfits. Her concept of separates would go on to become the foundation of modern fashion. She partnered with Capezio, the storied manufacturer of dance shoes, in the 1940s to invent the modern ballet flat. She modernized the wrap dress, introduced hoodies and denim into women’s wear, put pockets on all her clothes, and boldly designed leggings at a time when women could still be arrested for wearing pants in public.
McCardell was the first ready-to-wear designer to get her name on her own label, and everyone wore her clothes, from housewives and career women to Hollywood stars such as Lauren Bacall, Greta Garbo, and Joan Crawford. When Calvin Klein was asked in 1981 who’d inspired him, he named McCardell. “She really invented sportswear, which is this country’s major contribution to fashion,” Klein said.
