"From the 1920s through the 1960s chenille bedspreads, toilet sets, and bathrobes were sold on clothing lines hung beside popular automobile routes through the Southeast and in souvenir shops across the country, making them part of the American roadside landscape. Chenille also became a popular item in department stores throughout the nation, and tufted bedspreads and robes covered America by the mid-twentieth century. The material became a familiar part of the American experience and its use in apparel represents a notable regional contribution to national fashion. The history of chenille clothing involves a particularly American combination of creative ingenuity Colonial Revival aesthetics, and industrial development"--Provided by publisher.