Claire McCardell has been called the USA's first fashion designer, and though her name might not be as instantly recognisable as Coco Chanel or Christian Dior, she's definitely up there with the greats in terms of the influence she had on style and contribution she made to the industry right up until her death in 1958. All you need to do is run a google image search for her name to see some of the amazing dresses she created (especially towards the end of her career).
The good news for fashion obsessives is that her (ghost-written) book, 'What Shall I Wear' is finally being reprinted, years after it disappeared from the shelves (and thus commanded hundreds of dollars on eBay). It can be pre-ordered from Amazon for £15.34 (or $16.47 in the USA). The release date is listed as 3rd Feb for the UK and 9th March in the US, so get those orders in quickly.