This installation celebrated the acclaimed American fashion designer Claire McCardell. In 1942, Harper's Bazaar's editors Diana Vreeland and Carmel Snow asked McCardell to design a dress for American women whose lives were radically transformed by World War II. Many of them joined the war effort while also managing households on their own, following strict rationing guidelines that limited access to certain goods. McCardell met the challenge with her “pop-over” dress, a simple wrap of durable cotton complete with an oven mitt attached at the waist that could be easily reproduced in the factories of New York’s garment district. On view was one of over 50,000 “pop-over” dresses sold in 1942 alone. Retailing at only $6.95, the dress included a large patch pocket and topstitching as decorations. These elements, including the pop-over pattern itself, remained McCardell’s signature even after the war. McCardell is credited for transforming American fashion into what it is known for today: practical, effortless, and youthful clothing.

An interview with collector and fashion historian Julie Eilber

Image: Glen Castellano, The New York Historical