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...
Worth, Charles Frédérick, 1825-1895 (designer); House of Worth (Firm) (designer)
circa 1900
Worn by Mrs. Colin Powys (Nancy Lathrop Carver Leiter) Campbell, wife of Colonel Colin Powys Campbell, mother of the donor, and daughter of Levi Zeigler Leiter, a pioneer Chicago merchant and associate of Marshall Field and Potter Palmer.
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...
Anita Carolyn Blair wore this dress to the debut of Gladys High in Chicago, a bold and possibly scandalous choice that would have upstaged the young woman hosting the party.
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...
James, Charles, 1906-1978 (designer); Samuel Winston Inc. (manufacturer)
1952
There are four known versions of this dress, including this one worn by Chicagoan, Mrs. Byron Harvey, Jr. The others belonged to Mrs. Jean de Menil, Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, and Mrs. William Randolph Hearst Jr.
James designed this dress for New Yorker Millicent Rogers in 1949. Two year later the design appeared in Vogue magazine, when it was photographed by Horst and included in James's "black and white" collection. James described the dress as a...
Worn by Kathleen Catlin, née Kathleen Tharaldsen. Cristbal Balenciaga appealed primarily to connoisseurs of fashion who understood his style of avant garde classicism. One of Balenciaga's most successful 1950 designs, this wrap appeared in...
In the late 1950s, James created a limited number of designs for Albrecht Furs using a faux fur called Borgana, which was supplied and marketed by the company. Although James liked to experiment with manmade materials for the interiors of his...
James launched this mermaid-like gown early in his career and created several versions of it over a period of twenty years. The name of the dress, La Sirène, refers to sea creatures in Greek mythology who used their enchanting voices to lure...
This dress is called Infanta, or sometimes Williamsburg, referring to skirts worn at two different times in history. Infanta was a title used by royal women in the seventeenth century Spanish court, whose wide skirts are captured in paintings by...
