Dress

Claire McCardell|Townley Frocks

1946 · wool · Costume Institute

McCardell's classic day-to-evening dress is a synthesis of the unassuming drawstring peasant blouse and the chic Empire silhouette achieved through spaghetti-string tying at the waist and collar. Is she Esmeralda or Madame Récamier? In fact, she is both vernacular and commonplace and extraordinary. Moreover, if the dress resembles the columnar drapery of ancient or Romanesque sculpture, it is also the exemplar of ready-to-wear adaptability, compliant to a variety of different body types.

Artist

Claire McCardell|Townley Frocks

Date

1946

Medium

wool

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Irving Drought Harris, in memory of Claire McCardell Harris, 1958