A Grand Look Inside the Costume Institute's Charles James Exhibit

The corset-like bodice and asymmetrical apron wrap over pleated ruffles are reminiscent of late Victorian bustle dresses, a common theme in James's work. Although the museum can't confirm the anecdote, James often described a fashion show finale in which eight clients who owned this gown paraded down the runway on the arms of tuxedoed escorts carrying bouquets of roses!

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

A photograph of Babe Paley in the gown in 1950.

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Shortly after Georgia O'Keeffe's sexually infused art was featured in a retrospective, James created this design, which "merged his passions for historical styles and erotic sartorial markers," according to the museum. "The shawled overskirt frames the cascade of drapery on the underskirt in an O’Keeffe-like allusion to the primary site of feminine sexuality and procreation."

A 1948 photo of James with a model, taken by close friend Cecil Beaton.

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

For the caterpillar-to-butterfly effect of this gown, James exaggerated the torso length of the sheath with "the highest bustline in 125 years" and layered transparent tulle in unexpected colors to accrue depth and iridescent shimmer to the surrogate wings.

The owner of this dress purchased it at Lord & Taylor for $1,250, the equivalent of $12,000 today. "It was, according to her recollection, surprisingly comfortable to wear despite its eight-pound weight and posterior amplitude," the museum notes.

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

A photograph of a model wearing the butterfly gown in 1954.

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

James's innate sense of grandeur was in full effect when he designed this voluminous dress. "An aesthetic and technical masterwork, it weighs 10 pounds, yet the skirt is comfortably balanced on the hips and calibrated to move with a gentle sway as the wearer walks," the museum notes. James made six clover leaf gowns in this black-and-white abstract design.

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

A photograph of Austine Hearst, the wife of William Randolph Hearst Jr., in the clover leaf gown at the coronation of Elizabeth II in London in 1953.

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

This 1955 photograph of Nancy James shows her in James's famed — and quite literal — swan dress. According to the museum, "the beautiful curvature of the bodice back is signature James anatomical styling designed to displace extra flesh that might ruin the graceful line."

He used transparent chiffon and stiff nylon tulle, a relatively new textile innovation for the time. The skirt's six layers, composed of 1,080 square feet of tulle, are combined in various colors to offer a luminous effect. Despite its ethereal appearance, it is, at 12 pounds, the weightiest of his grand creations.

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

This famous photo of James marks the entrance to the Anna Wintour Costume Center. As visitors descend the steps toward this exhibit space, they are treated to a recording of his voice.

In the photo, James is pictured with a dress form he developed to update the fashion industry's outdated version. His originated from the belief that the standard forms "contributed to the bad fit of Seventh Avenue clothes," according to the museum. The new form reflected the slender long-waisted silhouettes of Millicent Rogers and Jennifer Jones.

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

It was a signature James design strategy to combine several different fabrics in one garment for special effects of light, color, and movement. Here, according to the museum, "he combined the light-absorbing texture of black velvet, the sheen of red satin, the rustle of matte brown taffeta, and the supple drape of black crepe" to evoke a constantly changing sensory experience as the wearer moves.

In defiance of any convention, the pointed front skirt panels fold over to form hip wings before meeting at the center back waist. Likewise, the bodice back becomes shoulder straps that meet at the center front bodice. James designed this dress for style icon Millicent Rogers, who was one of his most stylistically adventurous clients.

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

This black satin and velvet evening gown from 1948 showcases the many drapes and folds that have come to symbolize James's couture-like techniques.

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

In a divergent turn from his more opulent ball gowns, James is also known for creating this taxi dress, which was an ahead-of-its-time version of the iconic wrap dress. He created it with the thought that the wearer could put it on and take it off in the back of a taxi cab.

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

An early photo of James, in 1936, taken by Cecil Beaton.

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art