Fantastical dresses and Cinderella-like gowns filled three galleries at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s featured presentation, “Charles James: Beyond Fashion”.
I was pleased to find that photography was allowed, albeit ‘no flash’ in the darkened halls, and tried to capture the essence of each piece amidst shadows and subdued directional lighting.
It was a visual feast for the
eyes with sumptuous, nearly decadent dresses comprised of towering layers of
pleats, swags, and sculptural shapes, each presented in its own display like a
special dessert.
One of the fascinating
features of the exhibit was the special computer screen at the foot of each dress,
showing its deconstruction in 3D animation, exploring every element of its
design in blue print form.
I found the backs of each
garment to be every bit as beautiful as the front, if not more so, with its
fine attention to detail.
Here are a few highlights and close-ups.
Here are a few highlights and close-ups.
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Entrance to the first gallery of the exhibit.
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Ball Gown, 1949-50.
Red Silk Velvet and Satin & White Cotton Organdy.
Worn by Mrs. William (Babe) S. Paley in
portrait.
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Ball Gown, 1951. Ivory Silk Satin with voluminous draping and ruching front and back, and shown in 3D. |
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One of Mr. James’ dissected
mannequins.
Scrap book photos displays
James at work with mannequin.
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A collection of sculptural
dresses and gowns as displayed in the second gallery of the exhibit.
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| The exhibit runs through August 10th. |
