Charles James: The Couture Secrets of Shape by Charles James


Charles James: The Couture Secrets of Shape
Title : Charles James: The Couture Secrets of Shape
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 3959052383
ISBN-10 : 9783959052382
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 412
Publication : Published May 21, 2019

Avant-garde designs from “America's First Couturier” British-American designer Charles James (1906–78), “America’s First Couturier,” is famed for the extraordinarily elegant evening gowns he created in the 1930s through the 1950s for society ladies on both sides of the Atlantic. From the beginning of his career, James also designed revolutionary unisex styles. The famous eiderdown evening jacket, designed in 1937 for women, was revived as a cult unisex design object in 1970s New York. The eiderdown jacket and James’ other unisex designs share with his ball gowns a sculptural, architectural presence and a rigorously cerebral design process grounded in science and mathematics. James is regarded as a visionary thinker in the world of fashion, introducing lasting innovations in both technique and methodology.

Charles The Couture Secrets of Shape goes beyond the evening gowns, focusing on some of James’ unisex designs and his life in the artist community at the Chelsea Hotel, where he lived from 1964 until his death in 1978. He remained restlessly creative in this period, his rooms at the Chelsea serving as a studio, workshop, and archive. In 1973 he wrote The Charles James Approach to Structural Design ; this allowed a glimpse into his thinking at that time and is included in this publication in facsimile. Edited by Homer Layne, James’ last assistant, and Professor Dorothea Mink, with a preface by fashion designer Rick Owens, this volume reveals a new facet of James’ groundbreaking body of work.

Charles James: The Couture Secrets of Shape Reviews

  • Calla Reviews (كالا)

    The book is broken down into three sections. The sound and shape of desire. The design practice of a fashion genius. The legacy of Charles James: perfect jennie dress form.

    The Sound Of Shape And Desire:
    The first pages flip flops between his life,his design notes on the Eiderdown Jacket and bits and pieces of his approach on designing. The Eiderdown Jacket Honestly is certainly not one of my favorite pieces that he has made. The section felt a little weird as so many different "topics" are included but it definitely flows.
    This section included the Eiderdown, some biographical writing about his life,Quotes from others on his work, praises and accolades.
    Homer Layne gives and accounting of the time he worked for Charles, and Charles's personality. It shows notes and photos from Homers first attempt at documenting Charles methods.Antonio Lopez-Background info and Juan Ramos collaboration with Charles, are given some pages as well. Numerous photos were given of his work space, models etc. The only part of this section I truly enjoyed was the Design Philosophy interview.

    The Design Practice Of A Fashion Genius:
    This section shows how Charles would create slopers, to me it is pretty straighforward and the photos are numerous, keep in mind it is done through draping. He presents three different muslined garments. The rest are pretty much photos of muslins or created garments and what the pattern looks like. Very little is written on recreating or measurements too create. So I was-am confused as to whether this section was to be replicated or just used as an example.

    The legacy of Charles James: perfect jennie dress form.
    This section is exactly as stated, creating your own dress form. I don't think it revolutionary and more info into padding the dress form correctly could have been given.

    I wanted this book because I wanted a book that would provide detailed information on recreating some of Charles's works. I don't feel I got that from this book. What I received was insight into his design aesthetic, some photos of muslins and clothes but no real breakdown on recreation. One section literally shows you the muslin, what the pattern looks like and presents a couple of text here and there. You get more information from historical patterning books. The garments presented are not copy worthy. Overall I think the book needs major tweaking to help it with cohesion especially the first chapter. This book should be usable, "replicate-able". I'm just disappointed in this book all around. What secrets to shaping was given? anyone that knows me knows that Charles James is at the top of my designer list. The very top. So for me to have to give a book two stars associated with his name is disappointing in itself.

    I did not like the preface by Rick Owens it seemed to self absorbed. The Forward by Valerie Steele was perfect.

    The information I touch upon in this review is simply not enough to encompass how much information is given in this book, even in each chapter but its not truly usable information. So is this book worth it: No, to me the book lacked direction among other things.