Irene Cattle was one of the first entertainers to influence American fashion nationwide. As half of the popular ballroom dancing team Vernon and Irene Castle, she was as well known for her clothing and hairstyles as for her steps on the dance floor. She bought dresses that left her legs free fur dancing and favored simple flowing lines. Early in the 1910s, her influence led to the popularity of a shorter, slightly bell-shaped skirt made of'light weight chiffon m tulle. She is also credited with getting wtimcn to give up their corset:, and petti coats for slips, and bloomers. Yet her most important fashion statement came in 1914, when she cut her hair to the nape of her neck for practical reasons just before flic underwent an appendectomy. After the surgery she appeared in public wearing a seed pearl necklace on her head to...