Evening dress
James was expert at the implementation of bias, but often deviated from the use of “true” bias, or the angling of the fabric 45 degrees. In this rare instance, he describes his design as “pure bias” with the exploitation of the natural draping qualities of the luxuriously supple satin-faced crepe. The gown’s surplice top has an extended shoulder-line creating the effect of short cap sleeves. James notes that unlike typical kimono-sleeve constructions that angle 90 degrees from the body, he has draped his design with the front of the sleeve line at a precise 33 degrees and the back sleeve edge at 45 degrees from the body. In addition, rather than a shoulder seam, James has used a short neckline dart in a practice he calls “à cheval” to leave the main body of the sleeve undisrupted. The skirt is no less considered with a center front and back seam, both originating from the hem to split in a “Y” at the pelvis. The resulting extensions are two sets of criss-crossing waist ties that cinch the gown and end in small bows with asymmetrical streamers. The designer was especially proud of the fact that the dress, made in two sizes, was protean in its accommodation of a large range of figures.
Artwork Details
- Title: Evening dress
- Designer: Charles James (American, born Great Britain, 1906–1978)
- Date: 1932
- Culture: American
- Medium: silk/rayon
- Credit Line: Purchase, Costume Institute Benefit Fund, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, and Acquisitions Fund, 2013
- Object Number: 2013.401
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
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