Charles James: Beyond Fashion

'This luscious volume took me into another world--a world where gowns are architecture and gossamer and dreams and drop-dead sexy all at once' - Library Journal

A well-dressed coffee table book about the American couturier Charles James

This richly illustrated book of the inaugural exhibition of the newly renovated Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art offers a comprehensive study of James’ life and work, highlighting his inventiveness as well as his influence on subsequent fashion designers.

Featuring new photography of the spectacular evening dresses James produced between 1947 and 1955, this publication includes 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 unorthodox design processes, his 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. 

Details

• Authors: Harold Koda, Ralph Rucci, Jan Glier Reeder, Sarah Scaturro, Glenn Petersen
• Hardcover: 300 pages | 315 colour and black and white illustrations
• Date published:  April 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN: 978-0300204360
• Product Dimensions: 34.9 x 26 x 3.8 cm

Reviews

'[A] magisterial monograph' - Wall Street Journal 

'The . . . catalog, Charles James: Beyond Fashion, is as sumptuous as [James'] work' - Chicago Tribute

'This luscious volume took me into another world--a world where gowns are architecture and gossamer and dreams and drop-dead sexy all at once' - Library Journal

'Charles James: Beyond Fashion . . . by The Costume Institute's Harold Koda and Jan Glier Reeder, demonstrates just how inspiring James was, and how much 'beyond' clothes that influence goes' - Women's Wear Daily

'One of the most beautiful books ever printed' - WNYC 

'Harold Koda’s detailed examination of James’s creative process and his oeuvre reveals the designer’s true genius…This book is beautiful. The printed canvas cover cleverly opens to endpapers printed with James’s canvas toile. The photographs are bold and alluring… But the real merit in this book is the sheer breadth of its source material and the depth of its examination. .. Even the most unyielding reader will be unable to resist its appeal.' - The Journal of The Costume Society