Elizabeth Evitts Dickenson, Award-winning Journalist and Critically Acclaimed Author

Claire McCardell and the Birth of Modern American Fashion

Tuesday, December 9, 2025 at 1:30 pm

Hybrid in-person and online program via Zoom

Claire McCardell forever changed fashion—and most importantly, the lives of women. She shattered cultural norms around women’s clothes, and today much of what we wear traces back to her ingenious, rebellious mind. McCardell invented ballet flats and mix-and-match separates in the 1930s and '40s. After World War II, she fought the severe, hyper-feminized silhouette championed by male designers, like Christian Dior. McCardell became, as the young journalist Betty Friedan called her in 1955, “The Gal Who Defied Dior.” Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson brings to life the behind the scenes drama and industry secrets that went into the writing of her critically-acclaimed biography, Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free.

$15 fee for guests and subscribers (no fee for members)

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