Well, well. That Charles James is something. Train, auto, DC-3, oceanliner, dirigible…just get on it and go!
At this point, you can read plenty of elegant musings about the architectural, sculptural, sexual and haute coutur-al aspects of the Charles James garments on display right now at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, including this comprehensive article by Roberta Smith in the New York Times Arts section today: (Article on Charles James).
I want to take you on the sewing-nut tour. Let’s go!
If you read the articles, there’s a big focus on the design and construction of 15 of Charles James’ most famous ballgowns, which are being showcased in the special-exhibition galleries on the Met’s main floor. But personally, it was the day dresses, cocktail dresses, and archival materials displayed in the galleries of the Anna Wintour Costume Center downstairs that gave me a better feel for the Charles James who worked with fabric.
When you walk in the dark, hushed space, lit by pools of light, your first encounter is with this amazing piece:
Thank you for that new mantra, Charles. Next to it was his “Ribbon Dressing Gown”: 
…hard to imagine swanning around the house in that gorgeous robe with the rows of subtly-shaded satin molding the gown to the body. Would you need a maid to sweep the floor in front of you anywhere you walked?
The dresses, suits and coats are arrayed on “islands” that the viewer can circle around, allowing you to see them from all sides. It’s a very smart layout, as all of the garments have surprising seams, contours and closures on the fronts, sides and backs. You can get within 3 to 6 feet of many of the designs, making it easy to see the details through the plexiglass. Here are a few examples of Charles James’ masterful tailoring, which, as we sewing enthusiasts know, is something that’s very difficult to do right, and very easy to screw up. On his designs, the seams are never where you expect them to be.
I want that green suit.
I took two trips through this part of the exhibit the day I was there, and good thing, because I almost missed this small bright room (the Carl and Iris Barrel Apfel Gallery) displaying items from Charles James’ archives. The custom dressforms he designed:
Scrapbooks and sketches, like this one of his famous “Taxi Dress”:
Some of the hats he designed early in his career:
And this famous wowza piece, a 1937 satin evening jacket, filled with down:
There was also a film showing clips of Charles James in the 1970s, prepping young models to wear his classic designs for a retrospective. I generally think of Charles James as an effete, tailored man of the 40s and 50s, but here he looked like so many of those aging lotharios I used to bump into in 80s New York, with the chin-length swept-back hair and groovy attire, trying to hang out with the club kids. That was an eye-opener.
Heading back into the main room, I saw a number of Charles James futurist 50s dinner dresses, like these:
And two versions of his La Sirene dresses from the 40s and 50s, with horizontal release tucks shaping the front.
Some of my personal favorites were his 1930s cocktail dresses, including this prototype of his “Taxi Dress,” so named because a girl could put it on in a taxi…
A precursor to “fast fashion,” the Taxi Dress was available in two sizes in the accessories department of Best and Co., wrapped in cellophane packaging. Now I’m thinking that Diane Von Furstenberg didn’t just come up with her wrap-dress idea out of the blue by looking a ballerina sweaters. Here’s a version of the Taxi Dress with a zipper spiraling around the side:
You can see the Madeleine Vionnet influence in those designs.
His ballgowns are works of art, but these garments, without the layers of tulle and boning, truly showcase Charles James’ legendary draping prowess.
I’ll talk more about the ballgown part of the exhibit in an upcoming post, but in the meantime I wanted to report that, yes, the skirt I was making from this 1950s Charles James home sewing pattern:
did get completed in time to make it into my case for the train trip to New York, with a few minutes to spare to clean up my ragged sewing nails. I wrote about making the muslin for this skirt in this post.
I’ll admit I was beginning to waver about wearing it, thinking that walking around New York in a pencil skirt and heels would be uncomfortable and hurt my feet and a whole bunch of other lazy middle-aged excuses. Then I read this post by Laura Mae of the blog Lilacs and Lace, a sewing enthusiast who makes and wears gorgeous mid-century confections, giving her readers a pep talk about the importance of dressing up and wearing our beautiful, stylish “makes” out to events, concerts and exhibits. (Lilacs and Lace “Classic Glamour” post)
By the time I was through reading that call-to-arms, I felt like it would be darn un-American not to wear that skirt, and that I should be tap dancing around like Vera Ellen tossing flaming batons to boot!
Wearing the Charles James skirt at the Met Exhibit
Laura Mae, you were SO right! Without that skirt I would have felt underdressed around all of that fine, fine Charles James design. The thing I love about this skirt is that it’s shaped inward down toward the knee to look like a pencil skirt, then it flares out below the knee in a very flirty way at the side pleats (like a “mermaid” skirt), but the back is not clingy at all, so it’s very easy to walk in.
I’m wearing the skirt with the vintage Hermes scarf every gal should have in her travel bag.
My excellent sister, whom I mentioned before as having invited me to this shindig, played hooky from work to see the exhibit and fill in as the Jet Set Sewing staff photographer, then she managed to bumped into someone she knew from work…oops! Thanks again, Janet!
Of course, all good things must end at the gift shop, where I picked up this gorgeous commemorative of the exhibit: a silk scarf with sketches by Charles James.
I’ve also been gifted the book from the exhibit, “Charles James Beyond Fashion” by Harold Koda and Jan Glier Reeder. I highly recommend it if you can’t attend the exhibit. It’s filled with large, detailed photos showing the dresses, coats, gowns, and archival materials.
It’s so big, once it arrives, you may need to purchase a separate coffee table to hold it.
For those of you who can’t make it to New York to see the exhibition, most of the Met’s Charles James collection is on their website here.
More to come on the Charles James exhibit. I would go back in a heartbeat.
Jet Set Sewing 
You bad bad girl! Took photos in the exhibit!
Possibly the best mother’s day gift ever! Thank you so terribly much!
(envious comments redacted)
The woman who let us in the exhibit only said “no flash,” so I took her word for it.
It is a great, great exhibit.
Thank you for posting this, makes me want to see the exhibit even more.
I hope you can see it. It’s a world-class exhibit.
Made it to the exhibit and WOW!!! I am in awe of his skills.Wish his patterns were available, we would clear everything from our sewing schedule to attempt one of his designs.
Isn’t it fantastic? I know the Met has a number of his muslins and flat patterns. Maybe we should lobby to reissue them! There are two more 50s home sewing patterns of his that were released, a ballgown and a dress with a cropped jacket. Wish I could get my hands on them!
If you have any info on the patterns that were issued, I will keep a look out as well.
Hi Sandra, if you look at my reply to Laura Mae in the comments below, there are links to pictures of the other Charles James patterns.
WOW! You are so lucky! Wonderful exhibition. I hope it will come to NL one day.
The skirt is gorgeous!
Thanks so much! I think you and everyone else need to use this as an excuse to visit New York.
Hmmm… goed idea 🙂
Oh my goodness! Thank you, How much I would like to see this exhibit. I love what you do for us stay-at-homes.
Thanks so much, Edwina. It’s fun for me, too!
Can’t wait to hop on a train to NYC to see this exhibit. After seeing your lovely and stylish skirt, I have decided I also must come up with something “appropriate” to wear to this outing! Thanks so much for sharing the highlights of your trip.
I think you should go as soon as possible! Let us know what you end up wearing.
Ooh, that dressing gown! And that red coat and….thank you so much for sharing this! I’m glad you agreed on Laura Mae’s call-to-arms, your skirt is a true homage to Charles James and you look stunning!
Thanks very much! It’s was a fabulous experience. If you can’t make the exhibit, The Met’s website has most of the Charles James collection posted in it’s online collection: http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections?ft=*&who=Charles+James&rpp=20&pg=1
How wonderful it was to read this and get photos. I hope to get there within the next month. Like you I will probably make a few trips through the exhibits detailing construction techniques. Your skirt looked great and very flattering. Thanks for sharing this experience.
Thanks Mary! You will want to take your time going through this exhibit. There’s so much to absorb! I suggest going through both parts of the exhibit in the morning, break for lunch, then go back to get the details. The part with the gowns features video animations showing how all of the pattern pieces go together and x-rays of what the underpinnings are. You’ll want to take a lot of notes!
It didn’t think it was possible for me to be more excited about this exhibition, but you proved me wrong! I can’t wait to see it.
I wish I had had even more time to go through it; there’s so much there. Enjoy it!
Thank you for sharing your experience and photos! Two times around the room seems very restrained – I probably would have had to be dragged out.
By the way, you look fabulous in your new skirt – so glad you got dressed up for the occasion! I think you should start working on your own version of that green suit for your next visit. 🙂
Thanks for the inspiration, Laura Mae! I used to be quite the vintage gal back in the day; and I still love to dress up. I’m with you–more people should do it!
By the way, there is another American Weekly Charles James pattern with a dirndl-shaped skirt and a crossover bolero that could be used to fake that green suit. If only I could get my hands on it! This link has a picture: http://zipsanddarts.blogspot.com/2014/01/charles-james-finally.html. And here’s the Charles James ballgown pattern you need to find: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/325525879288693488/
Wow, thank you for the tour, Julie! So many gorgeous clothes. I will take that dark green taxi dress right now, please. And you look perfectly attired and fabulous in your Charles James skirt.
Thanks, Patricia! Well, it is fun to dress up, particularly in New York. Making that wrap-around taxi dress with the three clips is now on my sewing bucket list.
I hope you make it down to see the exhibit at some point.
How wonderful!! I would love to go but alas LA is not NY. I love the La Sirene dresses. Thanks for sharing this 🙂
Glad you enjoyed that peek at the exhibit. Maybe they’ll send it to L.A. at some point,
Love the skirt! Very shapely. 🙂
Thanks Anita! I know you’re a Charles James fan, too. I’ll be posting construction details of the skirt soon.
Fabulous stuff. And your CJ skirt turned out fabulously! I love the visual lines and what those pleats do to enhance it. His approach to structure and support in his designs/garments will always hold me. So many stunning garments.
Thanks so much! I learned so much making it, and now I get to enjoy wearing it!
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