Brandy, our office & merchandising assistant and Christine, our summer intern (shown here) recently visited the Charles James exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Check out their review of the exhibit:
“It’s not too late to catch the Charles James exhibit (http://www.metmuseum.org/
Charles James created sculptural gowns and daytime pieces. The exhibit is broken into 2 sections – the special exhibition galleries (walk through the Greek and Roman galleries) on the Museum’s first floor and The Costume Institute’s Anna Wintour Costume Center (walk through the Egyptian galleries).
Visit the special exhibition galleries first because this is where the couture pieces are. There are videos that break down the construction of the gowns from 3 dimensional to flat patterns. James created this cream & gold dress following a huge Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit here in the US. Can you see the O’Keeffe influence?
The Costume Institute has less formal gowns and daytime pieces. You will also see more of Charles James’ process here. The satin jacket above is Brandy’s favorite – maybe because of its quilted effect? It was made in response to the all the fur jackets being sported at the time.
Fun Fact. Gypsy Rose Lee (inset) wore Charles James. The red dress shown is believed to be one she wore in a magazine editorial.