05/10/2026
Art by the Yard
This 1955 cotton shirtwaist dress by Claire McCardell was made using Parade Sauvage, a textile based on the work of modernist artist Fernand Léger. The fabric was part of Fuller Fabrics’ groundbreaking 1950s “Modern Masters” series, which translated the work of major European artists into affordable American textiles.
McCardell’s genius was in balance. Against the energy of Léger’s print, she used a practical cotton shirtwaist silhouette—wearable, and unmistakably American.
The result brought avant-garde modernism into everyday life.
🏛️ Cooper Hewitt
Collection Record 2013-5-1
éger
