Charles James Clothing

TheRealList presents: a museum-worthy bodice created by Charles James in about 1940. James is remembered for his masterful command of fabric, structure, and silhouettes and this piec...

Charles James, ca. 1950 Dinner Dress, often referred to as the Spiral Dress Red silk faille Extremely rare example Like a red-hot cyclone, a spiral emanates from a central point on the hip. The fabric then angles off the straight grain as the skirt revolves around the body, introducing the bias.  The swirl terminates in a flared, curved-hemmed back, fastened by 3 fabric - covered buttons of graduated size. The asymmetric draping forms a pronounced diagonal neckline which seems to wrap the wearer of its own volition, suddenly creating the effect of a stole at the back, before continuing on its tornado-like path. A tour de force in draping, the dress, in constant motion, is 'engineered' more than 'designed', using the wearer's body as an axis. Long considered a masterpiece of the James oeuvre, the Spiral Dress is indeed a sculpture in its own right. In the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Spiral Dress is currently on view in the Museum's seminal, historic exhibition, "Charles James: Beyond Fashion".  Provenance: This dress was acquired directly from the collection of Design entrepreneur Murray Moss...

An incredible example of James' simplicity and elegance.
One single front pocket on the left side which appears to be suspending the drape from the back-side of the dress.

Category

1950s Charles James Clothing