Dinner suit
Designer Charles James American
Not on view
Unusual mixtures of fabrics and textures were integral to the James aesthetic. Here, a versatile combination of daytime gray flannel dressed up with silk faille allows for the transition from late day to evening. The skirt, which James referred to as his "wrap-over trouser skirt," adds another level of ambiguity in the service of functionality. A combination of skirt and pants, the innovative design wraps one leg like a trouser and crosses over in front to cover the other like a skirt. The cut accentuated the movement of the legs, imparting a sensual aspect to the otherwise businesslike fabric. James worked out this design in London in the 1930s.
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