Charles James: Beyond Fashion at the Met
This summer, I was looking forward to our family trip to New York the most. Not only because it is an inspiring city, but also as an admirer of all things art and design. I couldn’t wait to see a handful of famous buildings that shaped some of the world’s most expressive art movements. Take for example, the Chrysler and the Empire State Building – whose designs helped build the foundations for “Art Deco” building development. As well as sight-seeing, I was looking forward to visiting some of the museums New York has to offer, especially the Met. In the past I have researched previous exhibitions the Met have showcased, such as “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty.”, and have always wanted to go; McQueen has, since then, heavily influenced my projects. Following this year’s Met Ball, I had seen pictures doted here and there showing the Charles James exhibit and as I scrolled through various pictures of celebrities abiding to the theme of “white tie and debutante-style attire”, my interest in the exhibition started to grow. So, when the opportunity arose to go and visit such a highly anticipated collection, I had to go and investigate “Charles James: Beyond Fashion” for myself.
Even though I had researched the overall concept of the exhibition prior to my visit, I was still blown away by how excellently displayed the collection was. Secondly, I was shocked that I’d never heard of him before learning of the exhibition. At first, as I walked into the room, I instantly related it to the permanent collection that is shown at the V&A Museum; clusters of beautiful dresses displayed one after another, highlighting its colour and shape. Overall, the exhibition had a very unique atmosphere. I felt as if I had stepped into a historical costume museum with an artistic, contemporary stamp on it. It was clear to me at once that James was heavily inspired by art and used it to accompany his works. This was really showcased through his use of contouring. Whether it was formal wear to ball gowns, James had a way of making every aspect of the garment precise, clean and perfectly tailored. To quote the exhibition guide, “(James) created strikingly original garments of unusual variety and intricacy, including opulent ball gowns worn by the most prominent and stylish of women”.
James used his artistic license to the best of his ability throughout, creating garments that separated him from other couturiers of the time. From what I observed at the exhibition as I wondered around, I could tell that by using sporadic contours and unorthodox dress forms, James was able to change and distort garments in a way that complimented a woman’s figure perfectly. Some of James’ dress forms were shown throughout the display. It was interesting to find out that some of his mannequins were hand-made using clay because it made it easier for him to sculpt his work around a particular body type. A particular dress that caught my eye reminded me of many modern designers that have used James’ unusual contouring technique (such as Versace and Dior). The dress accentuated the woman’s natural curves by using a symmetrical pattern at the bust to highlight the waist and hips. As an admirer of many contemporary designers, the exhibition made me realise just how much these designers are influenced by past artists before them. I could imagine James being the first of his kind to use fabric colours and length upon length of fabric to showcase his garments in an expressive yet classically elegant way.
It was fascinating to see how his garments looked so artistically diverse yet at the same time precise and meticulously finished. James was very accustomed to using detail to his advantage, making “every stitch count” to put it in his words. Around the exhibit were plenty of high-tech cameras showing live close-ups of the gowns to show just how much precision went into James’ works. Next to many of his works were quotes from James himself. He said: “I have sometimes spent twelve hours working on one seam; utterly entranced and not hungry or tired till finally it had as if of its own will found the precise place where it should be placed.” This quote was almost brought to life by the many garments surrounding it. You could really tell how hard he had worked to gain these untraditional, eccentric seams.
Something else that stood out to me was the fact that James usually stuck to the same colour palette, simply relying on the fabric to do the work. I could see that he was able to use different fabrics of the same colour to achieve an interesting outcome, as if certain areas of the dress were meant to stand out over others. The exhibition rooms were kept very dark with bright lights beaming down on the garments. I found this effect to be quite attention-grabbing as it allowed complete focus to be drawn to the garment. Also, it allowed me to see the garment not as simply an outfit but a carefully engineered composition. To accompany many of his finished pieces, he also created artistic paintings and drawings of his work to document the idiosyncratic designs and techniques “for future generations”. I could understand the artistic characteristics of his work after seeing sheet upon sheet of his own personal sketches, later becoming famed for their abstract, unconventional qualities, lining an entire section of the museum. It was interesting to see how his abstract and loose drawing style could be translated into the crisp, clean-cut nature of his garments. However, somehow James was able to balance his artistic license with his absolute need for precision and exactitude.
Overall, as an admirer of all things fashion, I was pleased to have been able to visit the exhibition. It enabled me to see classic, tailored fashion in a contemporary, inventive way. I felt fundamentally inspired by his work and I am sure that he is perhaps one of the best and underrated couturiers of the 20thCentury.
