Claire's Guide to What Shall I Wear...

Claire McCardell (1905-1958) was the pioneering American fashion designer whose "popover" wrap dresses, mix and match separates, ballet flats, zippers on skirts, and pockets on dresses liberated women from the formal looks of the 40s and 50s.

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Casual but chic, her designs epitomised "The American Look", which she described as, "a clean line look, just the opposite of too much dress. It is a comfortable look, neither threatening to burst at the seams nor to smother the wearer." Urging women to "dress for yourself", her fashion philosophy - revealed in a new edition of her book What Shall I Wear? The What, Where, When, and How Much of Fashion by Claire McCardell (Abrams Image, £17.99) New Edition with Foreword by Tory Burch - remains timeless.

Fashion Choices

Look at new fashions and see if they can be yours. Test the way they fit, feel, look - how they are supposed to be worn, and how you will wear them... fashion isn't meant to be taken too seriously.

The more of yourself in your clothes, the better. Your imagination, your thought, your time, your energy.