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Evening dress
  • Evening dress
    Charles James, born 1906 - died 1978
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Evening dress

  • Place of origin:

    London, England (made)

  • Date:

    1937 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Charles James, born 1906 - died 1978 (designer)
    Colcombet (fabric, manufacturer)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Satin decorated with silk ribbon

  • Credit Line:

    Bequeathed by Miss Philippa Barnes

  • Museum number:

    T.290-1978

  • Gallery location:

    Fashion, room 40, case CA10, shelf FIG9

  • Image in copyright

In 1928 the Anglo-American designer Charles James (1906-1978) brought a nonconformist vision to fashion that won him the ardent support of an elegant coterie of women with the courage to wear his adventurous, and at times demanding, creations. This black sliver of a dress in shiny slipper satin was the culmination of months of experiments with pleating wide silk ribbons (from the French silk-weavers Colcombet) to create bodices that opened around the torso like petals.

Physical description

Long evening dress of black silk satin with double shoestring halter straps looped in a Y stay at the centre back. The bodice is made of fan-folded wide silk ribbons. The dress has a sheath skirt with a slight train. It fastens along the centre back with press studs and hooks and eyes.

Place of Origin

London, England (made)

Date

1937 (made)

Artist/maker

Charles James, born 1906 - died 1978 (designer)
Colcombet (fabric, manufacturer)

Materials and Techniques

Satin decorated with silk ribbon

Object history note

In Elizabeth Ann Coleman, "The Genius of Charles James", cat. no 37, this is the only model of this gown described and identified. She identifies it as having been made in London, probably in 1937 whilst he was briefly in London in between sojourns to Paris.

Descriptive line

Evening dress of satin, designed by Charles James, London, 1937

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

Mendes, Valerie. Black In Fashion. London: V&A Publications, 1999.

Exhibition History

Black in Fashion (Victoria and Albert Museum 01/01/1999-31/12/1999)

Categories

Textiles; Fashion; Evening wear; Women's clothes

Collection code

T&F

Qr_O74701
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