A Rare 1954 Documented Jacket by Claire McCardell

When I found this Claire McCardell jacket, I recognized it immediately as being featured on the cover of the May 1954 issue of Harper's Bazaar magazine, a magazine I have in my archives.

While Bazaar calls it a bateau-neck shirt, this garment is really a kimono styled jacket that is open in the front.  I can just see Diana Vreeland telling the model to "put in on backwards" for the photo shoot! Perfect to wear over a swimsuit or with a simple black dress or pants, this piece bears the rare Claire McCardell Pieces label and was originally sold at Lord & Taylor.

The jacket is ingeniously cut in parallelogram shaped pieces and there is a 6" gap between the front opening edges when it is laid flat. The fact that McCardell juxtaposed the very angular geometric shape with polka dots delights me! If it didn't have the labels and the documentation, I'd swear the jacket was from the 1980s.  That's how forward-thinking McCardell was.  She made simple, unfussy clothing in great fabrics.  All of her garments are still relevant and completely wearable today.

Now that you know the shape of the jacket flat, look at the cover photo once again.  As the model is posed, the jacket is completely gaping open in the back!  It can't be clipped or pinned together.  If it was, the bottom hem wouldn't flare out as it is.

This rare Claire McCardell Pieces jacket is now available at Couture Allure.  Check it out to see lots more photos!  For another interesting perspective on the styling of this jacket for Vogue, check out Jonathan's post about it on his blog Kickshaw Productions.

"What Shall I Wear?" - Another Review

Remember my review of Claire McCardell's book, "What Shall I Wear?" earlier this year?  It's a great read that I highly recommend.  Today I'm going to send you over to my online friend and client's blog, "Book a Week With Jen" where she reviews the same book.  Why?  Because Jen shares her vintage coat collection with you, and you want to see it!  Go....Read....Enjoy!

Book Review: "What Shall I Wear" by Claire McCardell

Claire McCardell's classic book What Shall I Wear? originally written in 1956, was republished by Overlook Press in November 2012.  I was offered a free copy of the book to review for you and have completely enjoyed reading it during my travels this month.

Claire McCardell

As you probably know, Claire McCardell was one of America's most famous designers of easy, wearable dresses and sportswear in the 1940s and 50s.  Her clothing is still relevant today and is not only highly collectible, but completely wearable as part of a modern wardrobe.

What Shall I Wear? gives the modern reader a delightful view of fashion and dressing from the perspective of 1956.  Just as McCardell's designs are wearable today, her advice is, for the most part, pertinent for the modern woman.  When reading the book, you will need to dismiss (with a smile) certain references that were the norm in 1956, such as gloves being a necessity or the maximum 60 pounds of luggage allowed for airplane travel.  At the same time, I urge you to take note of the attitude towards purchasing pieces for your wardrobe that is as far from today's "fast fashion" approach as can be.  McCardell's advice, "Plan to keep what you buy.", is something I truly believe we should aspire to as responsible world citizens today.

Here are a few more gems of wisdom from the book:

1949

"Don't try to live up to Fashion.  First of all, stay firmly you.  And if Fashion seems to be saying something that isn't right for you, ignore it."

1955

"Ask yourself about color....I suspect you can wear more variety than you think....Texture affects color.  Turquoise in satin and turquoise in jersey are two entirely different stories.  In a shiny fabric, color may be too bright, too hard to live up to.  In a dull fabric it is softer, may seem an entirely different color even though it has been put into the same dye pot."

1958

"I believe firmly that any woman who loves clothes is going to be a collector....Certain clothes will stay in her wardrobe for years......You will bless the ageless clothes in your collection.  They are the backbone of any closet, things you can depend on when you need them."

To me, this is the essence of why we love vintage clothing.  It was designed and made to be worn for years and years.  Those vintage garments we search out and add to our wardrobes are purchased to become part of our closet collections, and are still working half a century or more later.  You will find the same to be true of almost all of the advice dispensed in "What Shall I Wear" by Claire McCardell.  This is truly a charming and delightful read that will cause you to think about your wardrobe from a classic perspective, one we need to rediscover and recapture today.

You can order your own copy of "What Shall I Wear" by clicking the link.  It will take you directly to the book on Amazon.  Enjoy!

Claire McCardell Dress - 1956

Spring, 1956.  Claire McCardell teams with DuPont for this full page ad.  McCardell designed this tattersall check dress in a 65% Dacron/35% cotton batiste fabric.  In case you didn't know, Dacron is DuPont's registered trademark for polyester.

But what I want you to notice here is the wonderful things McCardell does with a simple check fabric that you would associate more with a man's shirt.  Look how she turns the bodice on the bias so the stripes run diagonally.  The skirt front is cut on the straight of grain.  So is the button placket that runs the full length of the dress, the bow at the neckline and the sleeve cuffs.  She then pleats the front of the dress and adds fullness at the back of the skirt.  In short, McCardell takes a fabric that could be boring and turns it into something wonderful.

Claire McCardell, 1949

Claire McCardell was well known for her easy-to-wear sportswear designs.  In the spring of 1949, her designs were featured in this 2-page ad for fabric manufacturer Celanese.  Celanese had developed a new acetate/rayon sharkskin fabric that was knit rather than woven.  Sharkskin is normally associated with men's suits from the late 50s and early 60s.  It has a smooth finish with a subtle shiny finish.  This fabric would have been perfect for McCardell's esthetic, as it was comfortable and wrinkle resistant.

2 piece dress above with wonderful large pockets available in pink, white or blue.  Sold in 1949 for $40 (about $378 in today's dollar.)

More from the same collection, also available in pink, white, or blue. 
At left:  Bathing suit, also with large pockets and a deep decolletage.  Sold for $20 in 1949 (about $189 in today's dollar.)
At right:  The darling beach coat to wear over the swimsuit.  Sold for $20 in 1949 (about $189 in today's dollar.)

American Fashion Spring 1955

As much as we like to look at and dream about Parisian haute couture, American designs were more relevant and more affordable to a 1955 woman here in the U.S.  The styles shown here were featured in an American magazine geared to the average homemaker.  Just as fashion magazines and blogs influence our choices today, a 1950s housewife would see these photos as inspiration for ways to update her wardrobe.  The big difference is that she couldn't run out to H&M or Target and grab a cheap "fashion fashion" version.  No, our 50s homemaker would probably sew her own version or save a few dollars each week for months to be able to purchase one of these designer items that she would then wear for years to come.

Above, Pauline Trigere suit with a striped silk belted jacket and narrow wool skirt.

Golden suit by Claire McCardell worn with blue shoes.

Vera Maxwell silk paisley dress and paisley lined beige silk coat.

Larry Aldrich blue tunic and skirt worn with a nude shoe.

Maurice Rentner cotton sateen floral dress.

Summer Stripes, 1956

Nothing feels more summer-y than stripes. Beachy, breezy, and nautical, stripes are always in style. These photos are all from 1956.

Above: Brigance of Sportsmaker uses blue and white striped cotton jersey for a bathing suit with matching straight beach shirt that gets belted for added shape. Set sold for $43 in 1956 (about $345 in today's dollar.)

Claire McCardell cotton sateen beach poncho to wear over a swimsuit or shorts. Red, green, and yellow. Sold for $20 in 1956 (about $160 in today's dollar.)

Tina Leser glazed cotton dress in bold yellow and white stripes. Sold for $50 in 1956 (about $401 in today's dollar.)

Sir James rayon sunsuit in navy and gold stripes with brass buckles and buttons. Sold for $13 in 1956 (about $104 in today's dollar.)

Helga silk/cotton blend dress in blue, white, and coral. The pleats in the skirt change the look of the stripes. Sold for $70 in 1956 (about $561 in today's dollar.)

Do you love to wear stripes? Which is your favorite?

7 Important American Designers, 1954

So often we read about American fashion designers from the 1950s, and we love to drool over the clothes they made, but we have no idea what the designers themselves looked like. I stumbled across this photo which was part of an ad for Chrysler cars in 1954. The ad headline states, "7 top fashion designers find Chrysler Corporation's 1955 cars a stimulating new concept of good design."

Click on the picture to enlarge and you'll see the faces behind the clothes.

From left to right: Tim Brigance, Anne Fogarty, Clare Potter, Lily Daché, Nettie Rosenstein, Pauline Trigere, and Claire McCardell.