Margaret Heing (b. 2/24/1911) wore this Navy WAVES uniform designed by Mainbocher when she married Mortimer Abramson on February 1, 1947. Margaret's family had been in Chicago since the 1840s and she graduated from DePaul University in 1933. She...
Court presentation dress worn by donor Mrs. Charles S. Dewey when presented at the Court of St. James in 1927 while her husband was Assistant Secretary of the United States Treasury Department. This kind of dress, with its dropped waistline and...
Worn by donor's grandfather, George Walker Meeker, at his wedding to Mary Ellen Forgan Farwain. Mr. Meeker (born July 26, 1854; died April, 1899) lived on Astor Street in Chicago and was a coal merchant.
Designed initially in black silk chiffon and tulle, this gown became James's most executed custom order. Vogue featured the garment in 1951. James's wife, Nancy, wore it in the mid 1950s and he created at least one version with a cocktail-length...
James created his first Tree gown in 1955; this version followed two years later. He stated that the design used "faille stretched like a ruched membrane over a stiffened shell molded NOT to the figure of the client, but to the shape I wished it...
