Claire McCardell: The Girl Who Defied Dior, Part I

Dressed: The History of Fashion

Dressed Media

Arts, History, Society & Culture, Fashion & Beauty

4.6 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 6 August 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Called the "designer's designer," Claire McCardell turned the American fashion industry on its head starting in the 1930s with her fresh modern take on sportswear. This week we examine her career and legacy in a two-part episode from 2022. For additional reading, check out Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson's recently released biography Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free (2025) Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion? Our website and classes Our Instagram Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Dressed is a part of the AirWave Media network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	There are some things you should always check, like the hygiene rating on your local takeaway,
0:06.2	the setting on your razor, and whether the party actually is fancy dress.
0:11.1	The other thing you should check is your Experian credit report, especially if you're looking to borrow money.
0:17.2	It lets you understand what lenders see, so you can increase your chances of getting the best deals.
0:22.8	It's dead easy to check it and completely free.
0:26.6	See it in seconds. Download the Experian app today.
0:30.1	Have you ever wondered how inbred the Habsbergs really were?
0:34.2	What women in the past used for birth control, or what Queen Victoria's nine
0:39.3	children got up to. On the History Tea Time podcast, I profile remarkable queens and LGBTQ plus
0:46.8	royals explore royal family trees and delve into women's medical history and other fascinating topics. Join me every Tuesday for
0:56.5	history tea time, wherever fine podcasts are enjoyed. Dress listeners, Bonjour from Paris. Yes, we are
1:05.5	currently on our annual summer hiatus from the show as we conduct our summer fashion history tours of the city of lights.
1:12.3	But worry not, we will be back in August with brand new content dedicated to all of the exciting
1:16.8	fashion history exhibitions and other behind-the-scenes experiences we have encountered well here.
1:22.4	Until then, please enjoy this episode from the Dressed Archive of over 500 past shows.
1:28.2	Dress, the History of Fashion is a production of Dress Media.
1:36.5	With over 8 billion people in the world, we all have one thing in common.
1:40.8	Every day, we all get dressed.
1:43.3	Welcome to Dressed, the History of Fashion, a podcast that explores the who-what win of why
1:48.3	we wear. We are friends, fashion historians, and your host, Cassie Zachary, and April
1:54.1	Callahan.
2:12.6	Yeah. Dress listeners, Cassidy and I are super excited about this week's episodes, and I say episodes,
	...

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