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 James's ranking of his top four creations, the Pagoda came in at number four for its emphasis on the "fine art of tailoring." Originally designed in 1954, Harper's Bazaar featured the suit in its July 1955 issue, the same year it was purchased...
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...
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.
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...
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.
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...
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.
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...
Worn by Benjamin Peters Hutchinson (1828-1899), grandfather of the donors, when he was married to Sarah Ingalls in Lynn, Massachusetts, circa 1855. Mr. Hutchinson, who was popularly known as "Old Hutch," established the first packing company in...
