Journalist Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson uncovers the untold story of the revolutionary American fashion designer who reshaped women’s lives through what they wore.

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In the mid-20th century, Claire McCardell upended fashion norms, trading corsets for pockets and transforming womenswear with her ingenious, rebellious designs—from ballet flats and wrap dresses to leggings and women’s sportswear. In her new biography of McCardell, Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson reveals a creative force who built a business empire at a time when few women reached such heights, presenting her as both a designer ahead of her time and a pioneer for women’s independence—on and off the runway.

Dickinson will discuss her research, drawing on the Fashion Group International Archive housed in the Library’s Manuscripts and Archives Division.

To join | Please register for an In-Person Ticket. Doors will open around 1:30 PM. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson is an award-winning journalist and author whose writing has been widely published in The New York Times, Harper’s, The New Yorker, The Southern Review, and The Washington Post Magazine, among many others. A National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellow, Dickinson’s work has earned recognition in anthologies such as The Best American Essays and been awarded Maryland’s prestigious Mary Sawyers Imboden Prize for literature. Dickinson lives in Baltimore with her husband and daughter.

READ THE BOOK:

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ACCESSIBILITY

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Courtesy Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson