S T Y L E & D E S I G N
The Female Voice
By Kate Betts
February 9, 2004
When Claire McCardell stitched up her first denim Popover dress
in 1942, she answered the sartorial prayers of American women by
creating exactly what she knew they needed. In 1955, she told
TIME, "I've always designed things I needed myself. It just turns
out that other people need them too." Like the creations of many
female designers--Miuccia Prada, Donna Karan, Vera
Wang--McCardell's designs were a complete expression of herself.
Over the past century women as much as men have been the
innovators in fashion, not just on the runway but also in the
boardroom. Women such as Coco Chanel, Anne Klein, Norma Kamali
and Vivienne Westwood have been some of the most adventurous and
thoughtful players in the business. TIME has celebrated several
of these great visionaries on its cover, including Elsa
Schiaparelli and McCardell, as well as models like Claudia
Schiffer. Our cover highlights another superstar model, Gisele
Bundchen, as well as a host of women who have revolutionized
fashion creatively and commercially.
Women wield enormous spending power, influencing almost 80% of
all consumer decisions in America. But it's not just the Giseles
and Chanels of the world who influence what we buy or the way we
look. Behind the scenes, women like Margareta van den Bosch,
design director of the Swedish fashion chain H&M, have a hand in
the look of more than 500 million pieces of clothing a year.
Wildly popular entertainers like the Olsen sisters oversee a
billion-dollar business that includes fashion and beauty
products.
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His life and death recalled in images
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