Guided by a grandmother
who painted and a mother who was a skilled seamstress, the young Constance
began her creative path by making clothes for her dolls in the Blue Ridge
Mountains of Virginia. By age nine, she had constructed her first tailored
dress for the local 4-H fair.
Since then, her skills have converged into a distinctive haute
couture…extraordinary art to wear, which she executes in her own studio.
Constance McCardle weds magnificent artistry of fine tailoring with
sumptuous textiles.
The designer’s rich aesthetic background includes a teenage fascination
with
lace-making, needlework and embroidery. Constance researched the various
forms of needlecraft and taught herself how to replicate them. Later, as a
member of the International Old Lacers Society and the American Crafts
Council, she taught classes in lace-making and fine needlework.
In the 1970’s, she became known for her fiber art wall hangings, which
incorporated her knowledge of needlecraft with contemporary soft
sculpture. Her art pieces were shown in museums, galleries and juried arts
and crafts shows, where she won best in show numerous times. During the
same period, Constance owned and operated a vintage clothing store in
Lexington, VA. She began to create clothing from vintage textiles.
In 1980, she moved to New York to attend the Traphagen School of Fashion.
While studying at Traphagen, she used antique lace to create one-of-kind
blouses, which were sold in Henri Bendel and other New York unique
boutiques.
When she finished school, she opened her own boutique, Constance McCardle
Clothing, in scenic Hudson River valley location, Cold Spring, New York.
There she specialized in unique wedding gowns and special-occasion
eveningwear made from unusual laces and embroidery.
Broadening her craft, Constance began working in New York City, where she
became head designer for the Gallery of Wearable Art, located on the upper
east side of Manhattan. During her six-year stay at The Gallery, she
designed haute couture evening gowns, art coats, event costumes and
accessories, and again fabulous wedding gowns using museum quality vintage
textiles. She developed a following of clients who regularly requested
custom couture services.
On a leave of absence from The Gallery, she worked in Milan with Italian
designer Raffaella Curiel and created pieces shown at the 1999 Rome
Couture Collections. She then returned to The Gallery but continued to
work with Raffaella, providing pieces specifically for Raffaella’s Couture
Collections. During this period many pieces can be seen in such fashion
publications as Book Moda Haute Couture, Italian Vogue, Bride’s Magazine,
Where and Wedding Dresses.
In 2002, Constance returned to work under her own label, Constance
McCardle Clothing. Since then she has been providing couture services for
private clients, as well as special collections for boutiques in New York
and California. Her pieces have been worn to red carpet events such as the
Oscars, Emmys and Grammy awards. Constance also works with charity group
fund raising events. She resides and works in Westchester County, New
York.
