Cashin
on-the-go with notebook and camera to record her travel observations,
India, 1957.
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"the cashin look"
As much as they resembled her girlhood illustrations, Cashin’s
fashion sketches also were modeled after Hollywood test shots,
wherein the actress posed in costume with details of the scene
scribbled on a chalkboard at her feet. Although she was trained
in all aspects of clothing construction, Cashin did not design
on a dress form. She preferred to tell a story by drawing and
describing her ideas, always depicting them on figures resembling
herself. She supervised the process of translating these drawings
into ready-to-wear by advising on the cutting of the pattern,
the making of the prototype, and the structure of their marketing.
With great visual appeal, and chatty, autobiographical descriptions—"I
live in a penthouse - and have a career - entertaining is fun,
and I can be anything I choose at night"—these annotative
sketches were great publicity tools. Often reproduced in the fashion
press, they allowed Cashin creative control over her editorial
coverage as they eloquently, cheerfully, outlined the context
for each garment and the thinking behind her designs.
"the
cashin look"
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exhibit |