Dress

Claire McCardell|Townley Frocks

1943 · Cotton · Costume Institute

From the full skirt through the clinging wrap of the bodice, McCardell has here demonstrated her acute understanding of Madame Grès and Madeleine Vionnet. In fact, the wrapping in this dress, while variable according to the needs of the individual body of the wearer, gives the effect of being as precisely calculated and measured as any product of the couture. McCardell understood differing bodies, but she was not arriving at a mean point. Instead, she was looking for the dress that seemed perfect and as consummately fitted as any couture garment even though it was mass-produced.

Artist

Claire McCardell|Townley Frocks

Date

1943

Medium

Cotton

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Claire McCardell, 1949