Evening dress

Charles James

1933 · rayon · Costume Institute

James, a piano prodigy, manipulated favorite arrangements of structural details into varied compositions, much like musical themes and variations. The neckline, halter, and cap sleeves of this lithe crepe dress are a riff on the designer’s predilection for splitting and overlapping pattern pieces and their extensions. As opposed to the soft bias flutes of its skirt’s flaring hem, the flattened pleats that loop around the neck and spiral over and under the cap of the arm introduce a crisp discipline to the dress’s otherwise languorous lines.

Artist

Charles James

Date

1933

Medium

rayon

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Purchase, Costume Institute Benefit Fund, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, and Acquisitions Fund, 2013