READ THIS: Charles James Beyond Fashion By Harold Koda and Jan Glier Reeder, with a Prologue by Ralph Rucci and contributions by Sarah Scaturro and Glenn Petersen Our Coverage Sponsored by Hallak Cleaners the Couture Cleaner
.jpg)
For nearly fifty years, Hallak Cleaners the Couture Cleaner has been entrusted with Manhattan’s finest wardrobes. New York’s fashion boutiques have been recommending Hallak to their loyal customers for years. They understand the importance of quality fabric care and protecting their client’s investment. While Hallak is known for their expert handling of couture and other precious items, they also make it a point to give your more casual garments the same level of attention. Their representatives are always on the look out for the hard-to-notice stains, loose seams, missing buttons, etc. You can trust Hallak Cleaners with your entire wardrobe and then some. A sample of some of their specialized services:
Tables & Bed Linens
Suede, Leather & Furs
Couture & Casual Wear
Custom Interior Services
Designer Handbag & Purse Cleaning
Wedding Gown Preservation & Bridal Services
Expert tailoring department located at both locations.
Complimentary Pick Up and Delivery Service 6 Days a Week.
Hallak Cleaners
1232 Second Avenue (near 65th)
New York, NY 10065
212.832.0750
If you have any questions or would like to schedule a pick up, please feel free to email us at info@hallak.com
***
“Not only the greatest American couturier, but the world’s best.” —Cristobal Balenciaga
“The greatest talent of my generation.” —Christian Dior
“A single James creation is worth the whole output of a 7th Avenue year’s work.” —James Galanos
“The praise from Balenciaga, Dior, and Galanos—deities of twentieth-century fashion design—beckons you into the extraordinary realm of Charles James, where vision and proportion take precedence over artifice and trend. What you will see in these pages are not merely clothes, or “shapes,” as James would call them: They are three-dimensional sculptures that come alive once on a woman’s body, because James was ever mindful of the woman wearing the shape. He was the couturier.
—-Ralph Rucci, from the Prologue
Drumroll, please.
Charles James Beyond Fashion
By Harold Koda and Jan Glier Reeder, with a Prologue by Ralph Rucci and contributions by Sarah Scaturro and Glenn Petersen
has earned our highest recommendation and Peachy Deegan read it cover to cover. It's a feast for your eyes. You won't be able to put it down either, and we suggest reading it before going to the exhibit, which is what we made a point of doing this year. We've loved every exhibition of the Costume Institute but this one we are most excited for which we understand will be complete with the new Anna Wintour Costume Center. THESE are the clothes we want to wear the most. The day of the press preview for the Costume Institute has always been of tremendous excitement for Whom You Know, and the A-list of the world goes to the gala at night. Before there was a Whom You Know, we still found all of these Met fashion exhibits to-die-for and the first time Peachy Deegan ever went to the Met, it was to see Jackie Kennedy's clothes. (Now we've dined in the booth where Jackie became engaged to Jack.) We see a bright yellow coat on page 96-97 which reminds us of the Nan Kempner exhibit from years ago.
Fashion is one of the most desirable topics to write on. Everyone gets up and gets dressed in the morning. Some people look at this as a casual event and need to take it more seriously, but not the most glamorous. British-born and New York based, Charles James designed for the poshest women of the world of his time, and as we love all kinds of structure anyway, we had an even greater appreciation for this artist of fashion who was first a student of architecture. He had no formal training as a dressmaker. This history of Charles James the person is echoed in what you'll see in the components of the standout fashion exhibit. His ability to mold fabric onto the human body directly without ever making a sketch (his designs are essentially imagined and directly constructed) is testament to his engineering ability and his great vision that is backed up with his spatial and mathematical skills. Charles James approached his work like a sculptor and before he did dresses, he did hats. He analogized musical theory to his structural theories of dressmaking. Without getting too intellectual on you, we'll summarize and say if you love beautiful dresses, that alone is reason enough to delicately devour this gorgeous book. With your pinkie out sipping tea from across the pond. On pages 108-109 you'll even see something peachy.
We love that James thought cut in dressmaking was like grammar in language. You won't want to miss the Taxi Dress, the Lobster Dress, the Spiral Gown, the Clover Leaf Dress, and whatever one you deem to be your favorite.
On the wall in his workroom at 699 Madison read a sign: "If You're Going to Make a Mistake, Make a New One."
Mistakes won't be found in this book, however. And did you know that Halston was an apprentice of Charles James. We wish we took the Calculus of Fashion in school, but no matter, we are taking it now with Charles James. Though he defies convention, the Charles James style we find to be essentially classic with his unique innovations.
Finally, we're thrilled to say we noticed this top quality book was printed in Italy.
Bravo, Yale! Bravo, Met! Bravo Harold, Jan, Ralph Sarah, and Glen. Harold please let us interview you this year...On a separate note, a
fter the Alexander McQueen exhibit we did not think we'd ever be as blown away, but we were starting with this book.
***
264 pages; 350 color illustrations;
10 x 13 in.; hardcover
Published by
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Distributed by Yale University Press
ISBN: 978-0-300-20436-0
Exhibition schedule:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York
May 8-August 10, 2014
This lavishly illustrated book offers a comprehensive study of the life and work of Charles James (1906−1978), the legendary Anglo-American couturier, highlighting his virtuosity and inventiveness as well as his influence on subsequent fashion designers. Stunning new photography showcases the spectacular evening dresses and revolutionary daywear James produced between 1932 and 1956. This publication also includes early photographs and rarely seen archival items, such as patterns, dress forms, and sketches. An illustrated chronology describes James’s complex personality, his unorthodox design processes, his eminent supporters—such as Salvador DalÃ, Christian Dior, and Cristobal Balenciaga—and his illustrious clients, including Millicent Rogers, Mrs. William Randolph Hearst Jr., and Gypsy Rose Lee. With flair and style echoing that of its subject, Charles James: Beyond Fashion sheds new light on this intensely creative, iconoclastic, and audacious fashion legend and his singular vision, and is intended to stand as the definitive book on this fascinating designer.
