American clothing designer Elizabeth Hawes (1903-71) was an outspoken critic of the fashion industry and champion of ready-to-wear styles. In addition to her work as a fashion stylist and journalist, she was among the first Americans to establish a reputation beyond Parisian haute couture as well as a union organizer and political activist. Brooklyn-based writer Alice Gregory has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Times, Times Magazine, Slate, Elle, Harper's, The Boston Globe, and other publications.