I’ve always been interested in fashion – not to wear, necessarily . . . but as an art form to follow - so I was eager to read an advance copy of this new biography of American designer Claire McCardell written by Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson (published by Simon & Schuster on June 17, 2025).

Informative and engaging with good pacing throughout, I very much enjoyed this well-written and well-researched biography. I appreciated that the author didn’t get overly bogged down in the minutiae of her subject’s life – although I do wish there had been photos included as I constantly googled images and photos while reading. (Note: Because I read an ARC version, it’s very possible these were included in the actual published book; I have not seen a copy yet.)

Highly recommended for readers interested in the evolution of American women’s sportswear and separates from a fashion perspective – and through a feminist lens. Claire McCardell was a trendsetter and a huge influence on how we wear clothes today. (Thanks for the pockets, Claire.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book was published on June 17, 2025.


4 stars.

Do you have a garment in your closet with pockets? How about a pair of ballet flats? You have this pioneer of women’s fashion to thank for those along with many other innovations ahead of their time. This book is a fascinating look at how fashion in the early 20th century influenced the emancipation of women from the social strictures of the time. As hemlines rose, and women fought for the right to vote, Claire McCardell looked at the clothes she wanted to wear and designed them. At a time when a woman could be put in jail for wearing pants in public - yes, jail time, she designed them anyway. McCardell was the first to put pockets in dresses, something actually scandalous at the time as it would distort the ideal female form. She stopped designing dresses requiring corsets, and embraced the natural female form providing clothes that were comfortable to wear and less restrictive in range of movement. She was the first to design and produce a wrap dress, something ubiquitous today. She was the first to use denim in women’s wear, something we all live in today. With pockets. The story of how her designs influenced societal change is fascinating. Even if you don’t have much of an interest in fashion, this book will open your mind to the power one woman wielded at a time when women were encouraged to return to the home and kitchen after World War II, and Dior reintroduced corsets. Receiving a number of awards later in her career, it is unfortunate that her name was forgotten with the rise of new designers, mostly men, in the 60s and 70s. But even they acknowledge the influence McCardell had on their own designs. This was a true maverick in the garment industry, and one you will enjoy reading about.

I’ve known about McCardell as I used to work in Frederick Maryland, her hometown. However this book brings her history to life in a way that is easy to read. Historical information and quotes are woven in so seamlessly that this story reads like fiction.

Claire McCardell made women’s wear and fashion actually work for the women - comfortable and stylish shoes, pockets, zippers you could actually reach. This book is a year by year history of McCardell’s work. You come away with a wonderful sense of how she joined high fashion with mass production and clothing that was stylish but affordable. We can thank McCardell for American Fashion and many styles that still are in the world today.

I am not a fashionista, but I enjoyed this book immensely. The history of fashion has been swayed by so many factors, and women like Claire McCardell have been so impactful in my own life without my knowledge, and this would be the same for any woman in the US. This book further reminded me that what we tolerate is equal to something being acceptable. I wish this book had pictures in it, where there were descriptions of clothing, magazine covers, etc. I spent a fair amount of time looking these up on the internet. I'm assuming the actual release will include those, while this was an ARC, but if not, I hope the publisher will consider adding those visual aids.

Claire McCardell seems to be in the midst of a renaissance, and for good reason. She had an outsized influence on fashion, American and at large. She invented or popularized a number of foundational styles, including ballet flats, wrap dresses, leggings, and women's clothes with pockets. Where would I be without McCardell!

This book is a well written, straightforward biography of the designer, focusing on her family life, growing up and later in marriage, and her professional life, centered around New York and Paris. We're fortunate to have so much material left behind - letters, interviews, illustrations - to give reasonable insight into her thought process, particularly her evolution from middling student to her own greatest advocate. The book is a little light on insight into her relationships, but that seems like a feature of McCardell rather than a bug of the book.

This isn't the longest or deepest biography I've ever read, but it's digestible and doesn't get bogged down in minutiae, and that's its own kind of virtue. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

A fantastic bio of a post-WWII designer I'd not heard of before, but one who changed fashion by making women's clothing with pockets, reachable zippers, and easy to wear silhouettes created for freedom of movement. Many of the items women wear today -- ballet slippers, leggings, denim, and mix-and-match pieces -- can be credited to her influence. Highly recommended!

Fascinating! I loved reading this - it is compelling, well-paced, and informative. I was somewhat familiar with McCardell’s designs before reading this and it was delightful to read about all of her ideas and perseverance in a male-dominated industry (and disheartening to realize how little may have changed in a century - though at least women in the U.S. are no longer arrested for daring to wear pants!).

I hope this brings much more attention to her work and contributions to the fashion industry.

Highly recommended, especially to readers interested in fashion, history, women’s rights, and innovation.

Thank you very much to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.