Carmel Snow
Carmel Snow (1887–1961) was born in Ireland and grew up in New York City. She began her career in journalism at Vogue in 1921. Eleven years later she “switched sides” to join Harper’s Bazaar, a move regarded as so unforgivable that more than two decades later, Vogue’s editor in chief compared Snow to Benedict Arnold….
Mainbocher ensemble
The gray suit was a mainstay of women’s wardrobes during the post-war period and appeared frequently in Bazaar—often, as this photo suggests, as a travel outfit. Mainbocher, who began his career as a fashion illustrator for the magazine, cut the suit jacket to flare over the hips without padding. The ornamental scrollwork that anchors the…
Claire McCardell swimsuit
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…
Louise Dahl-Wolfe
Louise Dahl-Wolfe (1895-1989) was born and raised in San Francisco. After attending the San Francisco Institute of Art, where she studied painting and color theory, she worked as an interior designer. When she turned her attention to photography, she applied her prior training to her new career. “I believe the camera is a medium of…
Diana Vreeland
Diana Vreeland (1903-1989) once quipped that because she was born in Paris, “naturally, I’ve always been mad about clothes.” She grew up in New York as a young socialite, married, and moved to London in 1929. Her time in Europe—where she mixed with the fashionable elite and befriended Coco Chanel and artists such as Christian…
Claire McCardell dress
Claire McCardell was inspired by the serape, a Latin American shawl with a pattern that resembles that of the cotton she chose for this dress. Her signature brass hook-and-eye closures fasten the dress, which is shirred along the armholes to create volume, making the waist seem smaller. As the model’s pose suggests, McCardell insisted on…
Charles James evening gown
Charles James received no formal training as a designer, instead developing his idiosyncratic techniques for handling fabric from his millinery experience. James draped this evening gown’s curvaceously shaped skirt in the round. It has two zippers—one at the side of the bodice and a second that follows a curving seam along the back of the…
Christian Dior New York coat
Snow immediately grasped the importance of Christian Dior’s debut collection in February 1947. Officially called Corolle, the collection soon became known by the name Snow gave it: the “New Look.” Its influence, seen in the coat’s full skirt and narrow waist, extended into the 1950s. Dahl-Wolfe was so captivated by Dior’s designs that she ordered…
Carolyn Schnurer top
Vreeland covered the American market for Bazaar, which brought her into contact with designers such as Carolyn Schnurer, an early advocate of sportswear-influenced fashion. Schnurer’s resort clothes frequently incorporated culturally inspired motifs. For example, the embroidered elephants on this loose-fitting cotton top reference her trip to Ghana (then known as the Gold Coast). Vreeland styled…