Charles James : beyond fashion / Harold Koda and Jan Glier Reeder ; contributions by Sarah Scaturro and Glenn Petersen ; foreword by Ralph Rucci.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Koda, Harold, author.

Reeder, Jan Glier, author.

Contributor:

James, Charles, 1906-1978.

Scaturro, Sarah, writer of supplementary textual content.

Petersen, Glenn, writer of supplementary textual content.

Rucci, Ralph, writer of supplementary textual content.

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.), host institution.

Class of 1932 Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

James, Charles, 1906-1978--Exhibitions.

James, Charles.

James, Charles, 1906-1978.

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)--Exhibitions.

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.).

Fashion designers--United States--History--20th century--Exhibitions.

Fashion designers.

Fashion--United States--History--20th century--Exhibitions.

Fashion.

Women's clothing--United States--History--20th century--Exhibitions.

Women's clothing.

History.

United States.

Genre:

Exhibition catalogs.

Physical Description:

262 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 34 cm

Manufacture:

New Haven : Distributed by Yale University Press, [date of distribution not identified]

Other Title:

Beyond fashion

Place of Publication:

New York : The Metropolitan Museum of Art, [2014]

Summary:

Charles James, often considered to be America's first couturier, was renowned in the 1940s and 1950s as a master at sculpting fabric for the female form and creating fashions that defined mid-century glamour. Although James had no formal training as a dressmaker, he created strikingly original and complex designs, including intricate ball gowns worn by members of high society in New York and Europe. This lavishly illustrated book offers a comprehensive study of James' life and work, highlighting his virtuosity and inventiveness as well as his influence on subsequent fashion designers. Featuring exciting new photography of the spectacular evening dresses James produced between 1947 and 1955, this publication includes enlightening details of these intricate creations alongside vintage photographs and rarely seen archival items, such as patterns, muslins, dress forms and sketches. A detailed and illustrated chronology of James' life describes his magnetic personality, his unorthodox design processes, his colourful supporters - such as Salvador Dali, Elsa Schiaparelli, Christian Dior, and Cristobal Balenciaga - and profiles of a number of his famous clients, such as Gypsy Rose Lee.

Contents:

An appreciation of Charles James / Ralph Rucci

Introduction / Harold Koda

Metamorphology: the personal and professional life of Charles James / Jan Glier Reeder

The calculus of fashion: process and oeuvre / Harold Koda

Spirals & wraps

Drapes & folds

Anatomical cut & platonic form

Architectural shaping

Inherent vice: challenges and conservation / Sarah Scaturro and Glenn Petersen.

Notes:

Catalog of an exhibition held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, May 8-August 10, 2014.

Includes bibliographical references (page 255).

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Class of 1932 Fund.

ISBN:

0300204361

9781588395221

1588395227

9780300204360

OCLC:

869726458

Publisher Number:

99964222588