Charles James, born in 1906 in England, was the child of an American mother and an English father. He was expelled from the prestigious Harrow, for a sexual scandal, but he became friends with such famous people as Cecil Beaton, Evelyn Waugh and Francis Rose.
He also attended the University of Bordeaux for a short time.
Charles James’s Early Career
James eventually decided to move to America. He started his career as a milliner, and opened his first shop in Chicago at the tender age of 19. He called this Charles Boucheron, borrowing the surname from a friend.
He moved to New York two years later where he began designing his famous dresses.
Charles James’s Designs
The beautiful hour-glass dresses of the Edwardian era heavily influenced the young James who was born during that era. He became famous for his sculpted gowns and layered use of different colors. He structured his gowns on his models – he was so keen on this style that he often studied the weight distribution of the garment!
His famous gowns included the ‘Four-Leaf Clover’ gown, and the ‘Butterfly’ gown.
Charles James’s Four-Leaf Clover Gown
James created this gown for Mrs. Randolph Hearst, Jr. to wear to the Eisenhower Inaugural Ball in 1953. The shape of the skirt, which has a distinctive black velvet band around it, resembles the four-leaf clover. The three layers of boning, stiffening and underlining keep the graceful gown in shape. Mrs. Hearst also wore this beautiful dress to Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation ball and to a function at the Palace of Versailles.
Charles James’s Butterfly Gown
This voluminous dress also first created for Mrs. Hearst, contains twenty-five yards of peau de soie and nylon net. It weighs over fifteen pounds. The strapless gown features different layers of colors and a butterfly-like bustle. This was one of the dresses featured in the Chic Couture exhibition at the Chicago History Museum.
The designer had a rather acrimonious relationship with customers and other people in the fashion industry because of his difficult personality. Sometimes he wouldn’t deliver a particular dress to a customer. Sometimes he even delivered the dress to another customer instead!
He fell out with Elizabeth Arden after a long relationship – he designed for her for many years. He also conflicted with Halston after one collection.
The Retirement of Charles James
Charles James retired in 1958. His last years were plagued by drug abuse and decline. The talented designer died in 1978.
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