SKU: 73613605878

"Charles James: Architect Of Fashion- From The Wardrobe Of Lisa Kirk & The Collections Of Homer Layne & FIT"

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"Charles James: Architect Of Fashion- From The Wardrobe Of Lisa Kirk & The Collections Of Homer Layne & FIT"11 1 2" x 8 1 2" (menu size) Cover artwork by 'Antonio' Lopez FIT Exhibition March 23 May 1, 1993 w 11" x 4 1 4" folding [4] pp. card laid In w the (55) CJ lots featured [2] pp. Scroll Down for (2) Additional Scans: Charles James (1906 1978) was a designers designer. Although greatly admired by other couturiers, such as Christian Dior and Jacques Fath, he was unknown to the public at large. Indeed, he was often on the verge of bankruptcy, despite

11 1/2" x 8 1/2" (menu size)
Cover artwork by 'Antonio' Lopez

FIT Exhibition March 23 - May 1, 1993

w/ 11" x 4 1/4" folding [4] pp. card laid-In w/ the (55) CJ lots featured 

[2] pp.

Scroll Down for (2) Additional Scans:

Charles James (1906-1978) was a designer’s designer. Although greatly admired by other couturiers, such as Christian Dior and Jacques Fath, he was unknown to the public at large. Indeed, he was often on the verge of bankruptcy, despite creating expensive clothes for some of the world’s most discriminating clients, such as Mrs. Randolph Hearst and Millicent Rogers. A brilliant designer, but a difficult and tormented personality, he made fewer than 1000 garments over the course of a 50-year career. There are many stories of his eccentricities: once, for example, two clients wanted the same dress, so—like King Solomon—he cut it in half. The extreme rarity and originality of his existing garments makes them among the most valuable objects in museum costume collections.

Born in England, James began his career as a milliner in Chicago, working under the name Charles Boucheron. Then he moved to New York, where he also began designing dresses. The influence of millinery can be seen in the way he juxtaposed rigid geometrical forms and fluid folds. Many couturiers of the 1950s incorporated boning and padding into their dresses, but James went much further, often creating an elaborate infrastructure, encasing the wearer’s torso. A virtuoso with fabric, he would then create a superstructure of artfully-draped silk and satin. James is best-known for the intricately-cut, often asymmetrical ball gowns that he designed in the 1940s and 1950s, which sold at the time for about $1500, and can easily fetch 100 times that figure today. A fashion journalist described one evening gown as “so intricately shaped, so marvelously massed into drapery that every angle presents a new silhouette.” The Museum at FIT owns several gowns that James designed for the performer, Lisa Kirk, as well as a beautiful example of his most famous dress, the Abstract or Four-Leaf Clover ball gown. His quilted, padded evening jackets are also justly famous. Although best known for his ability to “sculpt” with fabric, James was also a brilliant colorist, masterfully juxtaposing unexpected colors, such as golden yellow and ice blue.
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SKU: 73613605878

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Iraida Torres Cuba
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 5
Muy práctico 👌
Color: Rucstic Brown, Size: 2+1 Tier Size, Color: Rucstic Brown, Size: 2+1 Tier Size
Muy práctico y fácil de armar e instalar.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2026
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Lynley
Birmingham, US
★★★★★ 5
love!
Color: Black, Size: 2+1 Tier Size, Color: Black, Size: 2+1 Tier Size
these floating shelves are sooo cute and i love them so much. it took a HOT minute to put them together (prob like 30-45 mins for me), but i can’t explain how happy i am to have them! i hung these once in my last apartment and re-hung again after moving, and they’re still great. the only con is that the rail around the bottom shelf (the part “holding” the L block, plant, and white block in) is a little bent and i can’t straighten it out no matter what i do. it’s really hard to tell, but it’s not quite level with the board beneath it (pic 2). i’m just a perfectionist so it was very clear to me when putting it together haha. nobody else notices it until i point it out, and i’ve begun to overlook it too, but just a little something that i wanted to add.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2023
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Kristin
Houston, US
★★★★★ 5
Cute and functional
Color: Brown, Color: Brown
I wanted something to spruce up a corner in my kitchen and these did the trick. They were easy to install and look great. I use mine for small items and they hold up no problem!
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Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2025
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Samantha Schloemer
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
Shelf
Color: Brown, Color: Brown
Easy to install, clear instructions on how to install. Great quality. Goes well in my space.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2026
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nelsond7004
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 5
They look good and seem well built.
Color: Brown
These are very well made and look really good. They ended up being too small for my need, but that was my fault on measurements. I would highly recommend if you are looking for corner shelves.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2026

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