What Shall I Wear?

Description

Claire McCardell is often credited with the creation of the American Look; the casual yet stylish approach to dressing, which has endured for years since. In What Shall I Wear?, originally published in the 1950s and, since then, increasingly sought after, McCardell emphasises how important it is to wear what suits, and is comfortable. McCardell pioneered several fashions still seen today. For example, she was the first designer to put models in ballet flats, which then became one of the biggest trends since high heels. What Shall I Wear? will become a staple on the shelf of any aspiring fashionista or designer.

Claire McCardell studied at Parsons School of Design in New York, from which she graduated in 1928. After the Second World War, the American public wanted easier-to-wear, more affordable clothes than the cumbersome French fashions that had been popular before. McCardell championed easily fastened, figure flattering outfits made in cheap, common materials to make her designs affordable. She was the originator of mix-and-match separates, pedal-pushers, bareback summer dresses, strapless swimsuits, and feminine denim fashion. A genius in her own time, her creations are now on display in the Smithsonian and the Fashion Institute in New York. McCardell also won the Coty award in 1943 and 1956, and won the first American Sportswear Designers Award by Sports Illustrated magazine.

'Revolutionary' The New York Times '[What Shall I Wear?] has had tremendous influence on fashion even up to today - there is a spirit of independence and humor that I think transcends the context of the era' Colletterie