October 13, 2016 / como / 0 Comments
Although born in England, Charles James is considered one of America’s greatest couturiers. Photographer Cecil Beaton’s iconic image of 1948, which shows a group of mannequins wearing dramatic James’ evening gowns in the elegantly paneled room of a London residence, epitomizes his contribution to post-war glamour. His clothes are known for their astounding complexity, beauty and use of luxurious fabrics.
Bestowed with an obsessive personality, James was a perfectionist who was known to reconsider the construction and cut of a dress – even a single sleeve – for years. His output was limited as a result, but this was of no consequence, because he was uninterested in the cycles of fashion. However, his perfectionist drive and methods towards fashion did prevent him from entering the ready-to-wear market.
The complexity of the cut of his clothes produced garments that changed dramatically in appearance when looked at from different angles. Caroline Rennolds Milbank notes in her book, Couture, that James was ‘always refining, always working towards a moment when it would exactly embody his vision. His evening dresses especially look as if they were captured in the moment or unfurling… they capture the essences of movement, they were “moments in time”.’
Undoubtedly, the sculptural cut of his clothes found its genesis in his training as an architect in Chicago. His most famous ball gown was the ‘Clover’, based on the shape of a four-leafed clover. It was designed to be seen at best advantage from above, and consisted of four black velvet panels set into white satin. James always considered his dresses to be works of art and renewed and reworked similar designs over and over again.
Often made from vast quantities of fabric (up to 25 meters / 27 yards), using luxurious materials such as satin, velvet and tulle, and under laid with three differently cut petticoats, they could weigh up to 7 kg (15 lb). Despite this, owing to James’s mastery in distributing the weight of the fabrics, the dresses were reputedly as light as a feather to wear. He had a brilliant sense of color and juxtaposed the most beautiful colored linings with the more subdued colors of his jackets and coats, which included celadon sky blue, chestnut and various shades of rose.
James started as a milliner in Chicago, in 1926, and opened his couture house in London in 1930. Following bankruptcy, and with the outbreak of the war, he returned to New York, opening another couture house in 1940. His businesses fell in and out of bankruptcy for the rest of his life.
June 21, 2016 / como / 0 Comments
The glorious age saw remarkable revolution in the field of art, culture and fashion. The flourishing period of passion and literature was the Edwardian era, unlike the Victorian age.
A total revolution in the facets of crafts, literature, social and political scenario, stage forms and styles of the age itself find its change. Ideological alteration also happened during this period. Edwardian literature was further intense in its spirit and artistic excellence. The Main proponent in the Edwardian era was the prolific writer George Bernard Shaw. The politics, norms and overall conception of the society was questioned by him through his writings. E.M. Forster introduced the themes based on the indifference of English people through his works. E.M. Forster pioneered the subjects based on the indifference of English people through his works. E.M. Forster introduced the themes based on the indifference of English people through his works. Thomas Hardy and Rudyard Kipling are other geniuses who revived ballads, satire and other narrative forms in literature.
Edwardian era was enormously active in all sorts of sports and entertainments, in addition to literature. The most popular sports of that time, hunting animals was also apart of Edwardian era fashion for both men and women. Men and Women got a new voice in the social and economic state of affairs. Another notable feature of this period is the eradication of child labor. A lot of developmental changes were made to the upper and middle class society.
Life in England during the period was splendorous due to style and trends in the field of dressing pattern, Education, Architecture and all other peripheral and ideological norms. Houses of Edwardian times were 2 floored along the landscapes.
The foremost change happened was in the dressing style of women during this period. Edwardian era trend was evident even in the skirts of the women of those times. Skirts were made of fine fabrics, which helped to exhibit the feminine outlines. Women were seen more pretty in that dress. During the Edwardian era, an aesthetic sense was ostensible in architectural forms. New ideas blended together in contemporary and classical architecture gave rise to advancements in the form of garden cities and suburbia.
An excessive development in the hairstyles that went along with a large Edwardian hat was seen in this era. Curled hair for women was a fashion that time. A new trendy bob hairstyle also became prevalent during this period. Edwardian epoch was actually an age of relaxation, free from all kinds of boredom. Women disguised to be beautiful innately even though they were not so.
Diamonds and platinum ornaments were excessively used and became a fashion in this era. The light weighted jewelry adds stylishness and style to the women. Edwardian men too were in the main stream of fashion like all others. Three-piece suits with challenging colors made them more special. Unlike Victorians, Edwardians preferred more light shade colors in their garments and thoughts itself.
The vogue and trends created a new style in the Edwardian life of England. The new dogmas and philosophies brought a fresh outlook to the United Kingdom that was completely different from the past histories.