Claire McCardell's Influence

I am looking forward to watching the U.S. Open. I started playing tennis, and I have been shopping for skirts with pockets. Every time I purchase one, I think of Claire McCardell, the American fashion designer who recognized that women have purposeful lives. We play sports, too. And we need pockets.

McCardell is credited with creating American sportswear, and those in the fashion industry know very well who she is. But for the rest of us women, well, we probably never thought twice about the history of pockets and ballet flats and separates. After her death in 1958, her family did not continue her brand; however, her style continued to influence such designers as Donna Karan, Isaac Mizrahi, Michael Kors and Diane von Furstenberg. Donna Karan, for example, created "Seven Easy Pieces."

Mary Ryan Reeves' illustration in the picture book, Claire.

I am pleased to see that McCardell has been getting a lot of attention these days, and rightfully so, thanks to Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson's biography, The Designer Who Set Women Free. Dickinson has been on a book tour, and here is one of her recent panel discussions.

I first learned about Claire McCardell in 2018 when I read an article in The New York Times about an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art called, "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination." Her Monastic Dress was on display. The Monastic Dress from 1938 was simple like a monk's cassock and you could tie a rope around the waist, up or down, to add shape. Claire McCardell wore one in red at the Townley store, and by chance a buyer saw her and bought 100 dresses. They sold out, and the success of this dress earned McCardell her own label.

I thought children should learn about our American fashion icon. So my research led me to read her 1956 autobiography What Shall I Wear? and any and all articles I could find. One of the many facts I learned was that in 1950, President Harry Truman and First Lady Bess presented Claire McCardell with an award from the Women's National Press Club. I finished my manuscript, let it sit in the drawer for some time, and then decided to find an illustrator. What happened next could be called fate or luck or serendipity.

Mary Ryan Reeves' illustration in the picture book, Claire.

The Claire McCardell Project

Thanks to the internet, I found out about the Frederick Art Club, its President Marilyn Bagel and their Claire McCardell Project. The Frederick Art Club, based out of Frederick, Maryland, is a bunch of bright, talented and community-oriented women who dreamed up a way to honor their hometown hero with a bronze statue. I reached out to Marilyn with my idea and she graciously introduced me to one of its members, Mary Ryan Reeves (pictured below), who graduated from Claire's alma mater, Hood College in Frederick. Mary’s first job was as a fashion model before she embarked on a long career as an art educator. Mary and I clicked across state lines, remotely, during the pandemic and she went to work on the pen and ink illustrations for my words about McCardell.

Illustrator Mary Ryan Reeves

Our picture book, Claire: The Little Girl Who Climbed to the Top and Changed the Way Women Dress, was published on what would have been McCardell’s 116th birthday, May 24, 2021. We also created a companion coloring book, Claire’s Closet to show children the progression of Claire’s designs to our modern sportswear.

Five months after the publication of our books, the Frederick Art Club unveiled their bronze statue, exquisitely sculpted by Sara Hempel Irani, on a beautiful October day at the east end of Carroll Creek Linear Park in downtown Frederick, Maryland. There are not many statues of women in the United States, and my belief that more people would learn about Claire McCardell is coming to fruition.

Three years ago, there was another development in the retelling of Claire McCardell’s story. McCardell’s autobiography, What Shall I Wear? was republished. The popular designer Tory Burch wrote the introduction, and she appeared on "Good Morning America" to speak about McCardell’s influence on her. Then The Maryland Center for History and Culture opened its Claire McCardell exhibit in November 2022. Tory Burch established a scholarship at the Center in honor of McCardell.

Learn about Claire McCardell

You can find our picture book and our coloring book about Claire McCardell online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Walmart, or by asking your favorite independent bookseller to order it for you. It may also be found in the shop at the Maryland Center for History and Culture and signed copies at The Catbird Seat in Sayville, New York.

Picture Book, Claire, illustration of young Claire with seamstress Annie, and Coloring Book, Claire's Closet