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July 31 - August 7, 1998

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Lord and tailor

Jimmie Booth ushered in the new American look

by Leon Nigrosh

DESIGNING WOMEN: AMERICAN STYLE 1940-1960 At the Wadsworth Atheneum, 600 Main Street, Hartford, Connecticut, through February 6, 1999.

Designing Women During World War II, while the boys were slugging it out in Europe, American women were working on the home front as mechanics, engineers, and drivers. Cut off from French couturiers and in need of practical, comfortable ready-to-wear clothes, they turned to American fashion designers. Rosie the Riveter's coveralls soon won the federal government's "E for Excellence Award" for fashion designer Vera Maxwell. Though women lost their defense jobs, when the boys came home, they didn't lose their love of simple, elegant clothing. The French fashion industry was quick to respond with the "New Look," but by then American women had found designs that better suited their modern postwar lifestyle. Virginia "Jimmie" Wagoner Booth was the epitome of the All-American Modern Woman who emerged in the late '40s. She was tall, lean, and self-assured. She rode horses, sailed, skied; she was married with three children -- and had a lengthy career as a fashion buyer for Lord & Taylor.

The current exhibition at the Wadsworth Atheneum, "Designing Women: American Style 1940-1960" tells the story of the growth of the American fashion industry through cabinets filled with Booth's personal memorabilia and 22 original outfits by seven designers, drawn mostly from her daily wardrobe. Curator of Costumes and Textiles, Carol Dean Krute spent hours with Booth (she's 76 and operates a restaurant and summer theater in Brooklyn, Connecticut), discussing the close relationships Booth forged with the top female designers of their day.

Booth put Maryland designer Claire McCardell's (1905-1958) Future Dress in Lord & Taylor's flagship store on Fifth Avenue and sales took off. The simple dress made of two large triangles that tied at the neck, front, and back became the harbinger of things to come (earning McCardell enough exposure that Time ran her picture on its cover). This dress, shown in tiedyed green silk, and a simple sundress in printed cotton are the earliest examples in this display of Lord & Taylor's "Signature of American Style" that not only promoted the new American attitude that focused on sleek design but gave prominence to the individual designers.

When her help with the war effort was no longer required, Vera Maxwell (1904-1995) turned her attention to the idea of designing "separates" -- a line of mix-and-match pieces that could be purchased individually, allowing women to create a personalized ensemble, unlike French design that remained centered on the complete outfit. Maxwell's Speedsuit consisted of six separates all designed to fit into one small carry-on bag for that last-minute weekend getaway.

One of Booth's favorite working outfits is a 1960 Maxwell two-piece day dress, worn with a mock turtleneck. The actual ensemble is on display, and there are several photos of Booth wearing the outfit. When entertaining at home, she would wear another Maxwell, the simple white wool floor-length evening dress adorned with a single row of tiny rhinestone buttons.

Another designer whom Booth launched was Bonnie Cashin, who returned to New York after designing costumes for 20th Century Fox movies. Cashin set out to "look for a simple, elegant solution for real women." She came up with the "layered look," including a hot-pink leather and wool jersey tunic over the same-color union suit (complete with a drop seat!), a Day Ensemble with short coat, dress, and skirt in blue canvas and jersey with blue leather trim, and a three-quarter sleeve brown and white jacket with matching wool knit mittens.

At one point during her career, Booth traveled to Sweden to convince Countess Ebba von Eckermann to design specific skirts and gowns for Lord & Taylor with her colorful handwoven fabrics. Two of Booth's evening dresses from the late '50s show the countess's originality and tasteful flair. In the early '50s, Booth brought Sybil Connolly's handwoven Donegal tweeds from Dublin to Lord & Taylor's Country Clothes Shop. The suit on display, handwoven in subtle gray, white, purple, and green tweed lined with silk crepe, comes from the estate of Mrs. Beatrice Auerbach, who gave Booth her first job in the industry at Hartford's G. Fox.

This exhibit, touched with a bit of nostalgia, shows the kind of detailed attention paid to American fashions before the department store mega-mergers and the computerized buying services took over. Choice and selection have become limited because most clothing designs are now mass produced and market driven. This is a good opportunity to see real fashion of a real woman.

The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call (860) 278-2670.


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