Evening dress of silk grosgrain and satin, designed by Charles James, probably London or Paris, 1938.

Strapless evening dress in heavy black grosgrain. The bodice is swathed asymmetrically with a kingfisher blue satin sash which forms flowing drapes down back of dress. The skirt is cross cut and panelled, semi-inflated and sculpted over an interior network of boning and tapes, holding it out like a semi-furled umbrella. Bodice lined in pink satin, with a metal zipper up centre back.

Bequeathed by Ruth Sheradski

Although this dress is unlabelled, the donor remembered it being a Charles James dress, and a grey (later dyed maroon) grosgrain labelled James suit also came from the same source. The design and construction of this gown and its use of fabrics and colour (kingfisher blue silk satin contrasted with heavy black grosgrain) are certainly typically James.

It is possible that this is the "Starfish" evening dress made in Paris in 1938 according to Elizabeth Ann Coleman in "The Genius of Charles James" (cat no 46). Coleman's description of the gown as having a strapless bodice and a long full skirt with a hemline structure of an elevated star form sound similar to our gown, although Coleman could not find a picture or description of the dress to give a more detailed analysis. Strapless James gowns from the 1930s are few and far between - Coleman only identifies and describes four strapless models from this decade (catalogue nos 17, 36, 46 and 49) of which only the description of the Starfish dress really seems to tally with this dress. Coleman could only find one reference to this dress in the Charles James archive, with minimal description of "black" and 1938.

- Daniel Milford-Cottam (2011)

T.291-1977