Introduction
Elements of American Fashion
If there were a single word to describe American fashion, it would be "functional." Despite the
fact that seminal American designers have used embroidery and made sculpturally dramatic
gowns, the designs most commonly identified as "American" are those with long, lean, and
all-but-unadorned silhouettes.
click image to enlarge
Examples include Mainbocher’s two-piece black silk evening
ensemble, trimmed with a punch of coral banding and made for
the Duchess of Windsor in 1941, and Halston’s floor-length
cashmere coat and dress dating to the 1970s. The long, fluid
lines of these garments exemplified the idealized body of the
American woman.
