Many bathing suits of the 1940s had structured interiors that molded the body. Claire McCardell’s scandalous jersey suit, which she designed with a coordinating skirt, had neither lining nor padding. Vreeland and Dahl-Wolfe underscored the suit’s uncomplicated elegance by posing the model to emphasize her athleticism and tanned, toned limbs. The photograph, one of a series taken in Brazil, was shot at the stables of an estate near Rio de Janeiro.
Claire McCardell swimsuit
