Bathing suit

Claire McCardell|Townley Frocks

1944 · wool, rayon · Costume Institute

The consummate wrap for McCardell is the diaper bathing suit, swaddling the body three-dimensionally and even passing through the legs. Bare and bold, the diaper bathing suit is more innovative in its form on the body than in the exposure of skin. Later, in the 1970s, there would be many copies of the McCardell diaper suit.

Artist

Claire McCardell|Townley Frocks

Date

1944

Medium

wool, rayon

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. A. Moore Montgomery, 1970