1932
CHARLES JAMES
Evening Dress
1932
Charles James, American, born Great Britain, 1906–1978
Black silk-rayon satin-faced chiffon crepe
Purchase, Costume Institute Benefit Fund, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, and Acquisitions Fund, 2013 (2013.401)
1986
AZZEDINE
ALAÏA
Dress
Autumn/winter 1986–87
Azzedine Alaïa, French, born Tunisia, 1935–2017
Black synthetic jersey
Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2019 (2019.369)
By the early 1930s, the natural curves of the feminine body were back in fashion. The zeitgeist was ripe for the bias cut, which was angled at forty-five degrees to the straight grain of the fabric and brought out the textile’s inherent elasticity, so that it clung to the body like a second skin. Charles James was especially intent on avoiding unnecessary seaming—especially traditional side seams, which he considered to be design vulgarities. He therefore delighted in exploiting the properties of the bias for glove-like fit and elegant drape, as in this dress, which seductively wraps around the body.
James’s masterful dressmaking was admired by Azzedine Alaïa, who likewise treated the body as a sculptural form that could be enhanced through clothing. Exploring the possibilities of bias draping, Alaïa worked with knit fabrics to achieve a similar cling. His virtuosity in manipulating supple jersey is revealed in this dress. As in many of James’s creations, Alaïa reduces traditional seams in favor of seam lines that spiral around the body, accentuating its curves and encouraging the eye to travel around its form.
James’s masterful dressmaking was admired by Azzedine Alaïa, who likewise treated the body as a sculptural form that could be enhanced through clothing. Exploring the possibilities of bias draping, Alaïa worked with knit fabrics to achieve a similar cling. His virtuosity in manipulating supple jersey is revealed in this dress. As in many of James’s creations, Alaïa reduces traditional seams in favor of seam lines that spiral around the body, accentuating its curves and encouraging the eye to travel around its form.