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.
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.