France has its elegant couture from its established ateliers, and Italy has its craftsmanship

in its storied houses. But America has brands. Brands that make mass-produced, casual, sporty,

comfortable clothing for everyone. And we're a young country, but when you think about it, our fashion design history is even younger.

Like, who are the titans of American fashion design?

It's Donna Karen, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren,

these designers who are all still alive.

But if you want to look at where these great fashion designers got it all from,

there was a great American fashion designer who many of them were looking to.

Calvin Klein, I quote in the book, like he said she's the one who did it.

She's the one who set the stage and set the standard.

This is journalist Elizabeth Evitz Dickinson.

We were speaking live on stage at the

New York Historical for this interview, hence the little stagey echo. And we were talking about this

designer who made so many of the classics of the American wardrobe. This was a woman who was

responsible for much of what was in my closet. Ballet flats, mix-and-match separates,

wrap dresses, denim and women's wear, hoodies.

And I was shocked that I had never heard her name.

Her name was Claire McCartle.

And Elizabeth wrote a brilliant book about her called Claire McCartle, the designer who set women free.

And if you talk to designers today, many of them will say that Claire McCartle, the designer who set women free.

And if you talk to designers today, many of them will say that Claire McCartle is part of their design inspiration, whether that's Anna Sween, who I've talked to about her, or Michael Coors, or Tori Birch.

Claire McCartle was doing what many of those designers were doing decades earlier. All of her clothes you could wear today. Claire made halter tops and wrap dresses and leotards and pants with big practical

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