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1940s
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American sportswear

Useful details made American sportswear adaptable to daily life. McCardell’s Pop-over gives this approach a memorable form through a practical dress, a large pocket and an oven mitt.

Practical fabricsAdjustable fitFreedom of movement

About American sportswear

American sportswear offered clothes that could move between activities: practical dresses and coordinated separates with useful pockets, adjustable fits and manageable fastenings. Claire McCardell’s 1942 Pop-over makes the idea concrete. The Met describes a Louise Dahl-Wolfe photograph in which the model has one hand in its large pocket and the other in an oven mitt. The museum also quotes Sally Kirkland’s account of an original $6.95 price; that figure belongs to a reported sales history. Here, sportswear means versatile everyday clothing as well as clothes intended for sport.

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The Met: American IngenuityFIT Fashion History Timeline: 1940–1949The Metropolitan Museum of Art: collection record
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