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Charles James: Beyond Fashion (Metropolitan Museum of Art
"His work went beyond fashion and was a fine art." —a Charles James patron
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 colorful supporters—such as Salvador Dalí, Elsa Schiaparelli, Christian Dior, and Cristobal Balenciaga—and profiles of a number of his famous clients, such as Gypsy Rose Lee. With flair and style echoing that of its subject, Charles James brings to life one of the most fascinating and creative figures in American fashion.
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 colorful supporters—such as Salvador Dalí, Elsa Schiaparelli, Christian Dior, and Cristobal Balenciaga—and profiles of a number of his famous clients, such as Gypsy Rose Lee. With flair and style echoing that of its subject, Charles James brings to life one of the most fascinating and creative figures in American fashion.
264 pages, Hardcover
First published June 3, 2014
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228 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 3, 2014
Regardless of whether you're bibliophile you probably have a stack (or stacks) of art monographs lying around. Ask yourself, how frequently do you pick them up? These unwieldy and expensive volumes, produced to accessorize exhibitions you never went to often simply suffice as cultural markers: The deplorable Anna Geddes tome in the dentist's waiting room. The cheap Taschen Klimt or Renoir best-of in the dormitory. The seemingly ubiquitous Banksy collection (I have to stop myself from saying You're missing the point.)
I'm not going to bore you all with the Life of Charles James. It's bittersweet and doesn't end very well. You can read about it elsewhere. It shall suffice here to say that he created some of the most exquisite dresses imaginable--elegant, showy, and never vulgar. This monograph, serving to record the ongoing exhibition at the Met's Costume Institute, is the complete package: awash in color and beautifully printed with a fine essay and useful chronology. Gazing at the images, gorgeously rendered in these pages--sometimes it was hard to turn to the next--I was reminded of what Fernand Point did with his cuisine: tone down the excess, focus on elegance and basic form. James's designs embody this philosophy, a sort of nouvelle couture that is endlessly dazzling and inventive. This book can be had--at Amazon prices--for the price of a non-vintage champagne. And you'll find yourself picking it up over and again...
I'm not going to bore you all with the Life of Charles James. It's bittersweet and doesn't end very well. You can read about it elsewhere. It shall suffice here to say that he created some of the most exquisite dresses imaginable--elegant, showy, and never vulgar. This monograph, serving to record the ongoing exhibition at the Met's Costume Institute, is the complete package: awash in color and beautifully printed with a fine essay and useful chronology. Gazing at the images, gorgeously rendered in these pages--sometimes it was hard to turn to the next--I was reminded of what Fernand Point did with his cuisine: tone down the excess, focus on elegance and basic form. James's designs embody this philosophy, a sort of nouvelle couture that is endlessly dazzling and inventive. This book can be had--at Amazon prices--for the price of a non-vintage champagne. And you'll find yourself picking it up over and again...
June 25, 2014
This is an unexpected and delightful addition to my summer reading, and an unexpected delight, period. A gift from a Goodreads and otherwise friend, it lured me away from washing the dinner dishes, a chore I, not uniquely, dearly despise. And for the next four hours, I've been dazzled by truly alluring fashions and clear, informative prose of equal elegance. Hats off to Harold Korda, Jan Glier Reeder, Sarah Scaturro and Glenn Peterson, all contributors of scholarly chapters in this Metropolitan Museum catalog, and to the Met's publisher and editor-in-chief Mark Polizzotti, an old pal whose talents I much admire. Charles James was known for his singular approach to draping and his innovations in seams, darts, and combinations of materials. I think his clarity of design is honored by the clarity of writing herein and by highly informative chapters such as 'The Calculus of Fashion: Process and Oeuvre' and 'Inherent Vice: Challenges and Conservation'. I ask you, who can resist titles such as these? Reader, I read every word. And adored every illustration. Thanks, Ruthie!
February 3, 2016
This heavy, large coffee table book is incredible. I found this gem at the Bethlehem Library and brought it home to take time to enjoy all the lovely ball gowns and dresses. This is the show piece from an May 8-August 10, 2014 exhibit at the New York Metropolitan Art Museum Costume Institute. How I wish I would have seen this marvelous display.
The images are lush and exceedingly beautiful. I never heard of Charles James, but hope to visit the Met in the upcoming months to see if any of the gowns are still on display. The book notes that the gowns were taken from the Brooklyn Custome Institute and given to the Met. Many of the gowns were worn in the late 1940-early 1950's by New York high society women and the rich and famous of Europe.
With no formal training, Charles James made very intricate designs using just the right materials to highlight the female figure.
The images are lush and exceedingly beautiful. I never heard of Charles James, but hope to visit the Met in the upcoming months to see if any of the gowns are still on display. The book notes that the gowns were taken from the Brooklyn Custome Institute and given to the Met. Many of the gowns were worn in the late 1940-early 1950's by New York high society women and the rich and famous of Europe.
With no formal training, Charles James made very intricate designs using just the right materials to highlight the female figure.
October 15, 2014
Amazing life and work. The craftmaster of haute couture was truly a genius. The book is a revealing look into his life and legacy, a must read for the true fashion lover and connoisseur.
May 11, 2015
This book and his work is Beautiful!!!!
July 25, 2019
I'm ashamed to say I knew nothing about Charles James until I picked up this incredibly beautiful book. I was purely attracted to it by the cover and am so glad I read it cover to cover. It is a comprehensive look at the fashion designer's life and work. With no formal training as a dressmaker, he created original and unusual clothing that are still the epitome of elegance. If I knew an ounce about sewing fabric , I would have been even more captivated by the descriptions of how he managed the dramatic drapery with minimal, if not complete absence of seams and the skillful orientation of the fabric. The photographs of the gowns are amazing and the mix of colours in the garments is shown to stunning effect. Beautiful!
September 13, 2017
There is some really beautiful construction and ideas in this book. However, there are also some very crazy ideas of fashion as well. As I was going through the book I kept thinking of Project Runway, where they tell the designers no woman wants that part of her body accentuated. For example some of the kick flares for a skirt look like they are coming out of the models butt. You don't want to look like you are pooping material. For fashion at the time....these designs are beautiful.
March 4, 2020
absolutely stunning and so informative....i only wish i could afford to own this book.
October 21, 2021
I enjoyed this book very much. Sometimes these fashion retrospectives are a bit hard to read; often the writing seems overly complex. This one was not as difficult as some others I’ve seen.
July 8, 2015
"Charles James: Beyond Fashion" by Harold Koda and Jan Glier Reeder is an addictive pleasure that literally changed how I look at design. Organized into three main sections "Metamorphology: The Personal and Professional Life of Charles James," "The Calculus of Fashion" and "Inherent Vice: Challenges and Conservation" I immersed myself into the creative world of a genius whose life from his birth in 1906 to his death in 1978 was a dramatic whirlwind of unsung victories.
Interspersed with the captivating text are black and white photos of James at work and the women who wore his creations, along with glorious color photos and sketches of some of the most beautiful clothes I've ever seen. Intellectual and entertaining I learned as much about his inspiration behind his famous "Taxi Dress" (ca. 1932) as I did about the efforts to conserve and save his garments today. While he never achieved the worldwide acclaim of Christian Dior this book proves he was just as important.
Interspersed with the captivating text are black and white photos of James at work and the women who wore his creations, along with glorious color photos and sketches of some of the most beautiful clothes I've ever seen. Intellectual and entertaining I learned as much about his inspiration behind his famous "Taxi Dress" (ca. 1932) as I did about the efforts to conserve and save his garments today. While he never achieved the worldwide acclaim of Christian Dior this book proves he was just as important.
Want to read
March 24, 2016Charles James designed beautiful awe inspiring clothes for society women of America, Britain and Frances. Among his patrons were Vanderbilt, Whitneys, Dietrich, Rose Lee, and others.
What this retrospective does is showcase these clothes along with a brief biography of his life. Thereby acknowledging James as one of the Greats and Giants of Fashion. Not only his designs but their construction show a genius.
Charles James came from a privileged background. His mother could be considered a Buccaneer, that is an American heiress who married into British society. His father was an officer in the British Army. He was educated both in America and in England. It was while at Harrow, he met and became lifelong friends with Cecil Beaton. It was also there that he 'came out' as a homosexual.
What this retrospective does is showcase these clothes along with a brief biography of his life. Thereby acknowledging James as one of the Greats and Giants of Fashion. Not only his designs but their construction show a genius.
Charles James came from a privileged background. His mother could be considered a Buccaneer, that is an American heiress who married into British society. His father was an officer in the British Army. He was educated both in America and in England. It was while at Harrow, he met and became lifelong friends with Cecil Beaton. It was also there that he 'came out' as a homosexual.
March 20, 2015
Must confess to not having read the text cover-to-cover -- it was a library book in high demand, and every time I opened it, the photos drew me to them.
Fascinating to see the unique structures James developed in order to realize his creations; intellectual stimulation for anyone who has ever sewn a garment. (Would so like to view the Met exhibit in person. Who knows, there's still a little time before it closes.)
Fascinating to see the unique structures James developed in order to realize his creations; intellectual stimulation for anyone who has ever sewn a garment. (Would so like to view the Met exhibit in person. Who knows, there's still a little time before it closes.)
October 26, 2014
An excellent pictorial overview of his work with full page high quality photographs. Not much text, but it does include a concise timeline of James career. This is a large format coffee table-style book that accompanied the Charles James retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum last year. Wish I had seen the show. Photographs just can't capture the incredible quality of the craftsmanship in couture.
July 11, 2014
I absolutely loved this book and everything about it from the photos to the brief biography about James to the extra chapter outlining why it's difficult to care for these garments and preserve them for future generations to come. This book almost made me wish I could turn the clock back 25 years and focus on fashion rather than fiber art!
January 20, 2015
Wanted to dive headfirst into every page. Oh, the text. Yes, it taught you a lot about the man, his process, and his life of designing clothes and why he felt it was so important. The beauty of each photo and most of all--the colors! Imust take this book out from the library again. I didn't have enough time with it.
September 21, 2014
Fabulous photographs. His patternmaking skills were extraordinary. His designs were all about sex.
October 18, 2014
Every page is an education in textiles, architecture, and fashion. Astonishingly exquisite.
June 14, 2015
The value of this book is in the photos of James' work and the timeline of his life. An extremely important book for a designer to own. I go back to it often for inspiration.
April 26, 2015
If you love fashion and/or design, this is a must read. Charles James' understanding of architecture and texture made him a true innovator.
June 8, 2014
gorgeous dresses, photos are really detailed and beautiful to look at
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews