Coat
This coat alludes to the body at the bust and ribcage, then extends away from it with two deep reverse pleats at front and an unfitted and flaring back. The perfectly mounted sleeves are cut in one piece, without the undersleeve panel seen in custom tailored coats at the time, so their forward-angled curve occurs not with shaped panels but with the introduction of darts at the inner elbow. Though this is primarily a tailored garment, James introduces soft release darts, a dressmaking detail, at the bust.
Artwork Details
- Title: Coat
- Designer: Charles James (American, born Great Britain, 1906–1978)
- Date: 1947–48
- Culture: American
- Medium: silk
- Credit Line: Purchase, Costume Institute Benefit Fund, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, and Acquisitions Fund, 2013
- Object Number: 2013.376
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
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Charles James
ca. 1947
Charles James
1940–1959
Charles James
1940–1959
Charles James
1940–1959
Charles James
1940–1959
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