Uncover the Secrets of Charles James - America’s First Couturier

A team of museum staff worked tirelessly to study the garments made by Charles James (1906 – 1978), America’s first couturier. The team turned the dresses inside out, sketching, x-raying, and photographing the pieces. Two years and lots of cutting and reshaping later, unique copies of the interior of James’ iconic sculpted gowns were born: the Clover, the Tree, and the Taxi. [1]

Together, these meticulously constructed gowns and interiors emerged as one of the biggest selling points of the Charles James: Genius Deconstructed exhibition held at the Chicago History Museum, which invites you to touch and feel the replicas to explore the dress-making secrets and construction techniques pioneered by James.

Charles James by Cecil Beaton for Vogue, 1948

Charles James

James began his career as a milliner in the 1920s and later dedicated his life to haute couture, counting such high-profile personalities as Coco Chanel among his list of clients. Known for his structured aesthetics and precise technical skills, he was described by the Parisians as the greatest couturier of his time. The master of cutting, who died nearly 40 years ago, remains a relevant force in contemporary fashion, proposes the museum. [2]

Unfortunately, surviving examples of James’ work are rare. “James was not a prolific designer in comparison to his contemporaries such as Balenciaga and Dior,” says exhibition curator Timothy Long. “They worked in a different way than James. We typically think of new collections for spring and fall, but James focused more on the development of concepts. He would focus on a bodice in 1951, then he would slightly modify that same bodice in 1954, and then he would sell it in the junior market in 1957. He looked at it like art development.” [3]

Infanta by Charles James

Charles James: Genius Deconstructed

Charles James: Genius Deconstructed features approximately 15 of James’ most representative designs from 1928 through 1958‚ including the aforementioned Clover, Tree, and Taxi dresses.

Speaking of the extravagant cuts and striking silhouettes of the Clover gown, Long admits that they were initially confused by the construction of the Clover dress. After tracking down and talking with the people who used to work with the remarkable designer, they were excited to discover that James had leveraged his skills as a milliner when creating this dress.

Clover Gown by Charles James

“James continued to use hat-making techniques throughout the rest of his career and applied them to clothing,” explains Long. “He incorporated materials that you could mold just like a hat. James remolded the mannequin to the shape that he wanted and then draped the material over that shape. He was then able to encircle that shape with plastic boning, which was new on the market.”

While the Clover gown illustrates the innovative use of plastic and fabric, the Tree dress epitomizes the complex engineering used in many of James’ gowns, and the Taxi dress elucidates the flexibility of fabric cut “on the bias,” a technique often used by the couturier. [Flip through: 150 Years of Couturiers, Designers, Labels]

Tree Dress by Charles James

Tree Dress Interior

“It would be wonderful if, through our discovery, some of these techniques get revived,” notes Long. “You see his techniques in dribs and drabs, but James was experimenting with things that people are just experimenting with now. James was doing it back in the 1940s.”

Step into the intelligence and creativity of James and discover the couturier’s techniques up close at Charles James: Genius Deconstructed. Plan your travel to Chicago, U.S. now.

Resources

• Read: Charles James (Fashion Memoire)
• Learn: The Art of Couture Sewing

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When:	Back to Calendar » October 22, 2011 – April 16, 2012
Contact:	http://chicagohistory.org
Categories:	United States
Tags:	Balenciaga Charles James Christian Dior Coco Chanel
Where:	Chicago History Museum 1601 N Clark St Chicago, IL 60614 USA
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