Evening dress

Charles James

1952 · silk · Costume Institute

The asymmetries of this evening dress begin with the diagonal seaming of the bodice and the tucks at the bust and resolve in an arcing peplum that is integral to the skirt. The two-paneled skirt is constructed with a left front and right back seam, which narrow it despite the fullness at the thighs and the flare below the knees.

Artist

Charles James

Date

1952

Medium

silk

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Eleanor Searle Whitney McCollum, 1975