Browsing by Subject "American Dress History"

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    A Case Study on the Designer Hannah Troy, who Translated Couture into American Ready-To-Wear During the Mid-20th Century
    (2023-05) Martin, Nancy
    This study investigated how the American designer, Hannah Troy, adapted the aesthetic qualities of original couture creations to appeal to the American market. It used a historical-comparative and material culture methodology and compared apparel designs and garment artifacts presented by Hannah Troy between 1947 to 1955 to the work of contemporary American designers and Parisian couturiers. The study used ready-to-wear designer Hannah Troy as a case study into how American designers successfully translated the aesthetic dictated by top Parisian couturiers into a product that suited the expectations of American women. Two competitive but complementary clothing production systems, ready-to-wear and couture, were prevalent in the United States and Europe following World War II. The two methods of producing clothing differ. In couture, design and fit are individually customized in the commission, in conjunction with exclusive and often hand-made textiles. The couture garment is a unique and singular product. Couturiers have long maintained style authority to set trends and historically have been extolled as aesthetically and technically superior to ready-to-wear. The other method of apparel production is ready-to-wear, which depends on an agreed-upon sequence of construction supported by mechanization. Ready-to-wear relies upon replication- exact copying- as a process developed to ensure product quality in quantity. The research focuses on how Hannah Troy created her designs for the American market using these two systems.