Mannequin
James’s approach to shaping his designs was anchored in his manipulation of the contours of the body. In some instances, the additive padding of a form appears to approximate the figure of a client, but that is not necessarily the case. James stated explicitly that he padded out the form to the shape he wished to give to the wearer. The stuffing of crumpled tissue to represent the “wall of air” between the dress form and his pattern development for a short jacket suggests his strategy and hands-on approach. The grain of a garment is penciled in, but important seam and design lines are articulated by black tape. One form with a modified “Josephine” (empire) bodice, which he called his “string frame,” has a skirt with hoops in a silhouette first established by verticals that were splayed open and stapled to the floor in the desired dimension. He then overlaid the form with stiffened muslin to develop his sculptural shapes.
Artwork Details
- Title: Mannequin
- Designer: Charles James (American, born Great Britain, 1906–1978)
- Date: ca. 1956
- Culture: American
- Medium: cotton, synthetic, metal, paper, silk, wood
- Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009
- Object Number: 2009.300.8507
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Charles James
1956
Charles James
1956
Charles James
1940–1959
Charles James
1940–1959
Charles James
1940–1959
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.