McFadden, Mary

Mary McFadden was an American fashion designer renowned for her historically inspired pleated gowns and patented Marii fabric. Founder of Mary McFadden Inc. (1976–2002), the company was noted for the McFadden-designed pleated dresses, which draped "like liquid gold" down a woman's body similar to those on the caryatids at the Acropolis and the first female president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, she drew on global art and travel for her designs, earning accolades like the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award. Her work is in museum collections, and she authored Mary McFadden: A Lifetime of Design, Collecting, and Adventure. McFadden also licensed her name to many products such as eyewear, footwear, home furnishings, and more.