BEYOND FASHION...

• "There are not many original shapes or silhouettes - only a million variations".  Charles James. 

• Charles James (1906-1978) was a and American, British-born fashion designer known as "America's First Couturier." He is widely considered to have been a master of cutting and is known for his highly structured aesthetic.

If you are in New York City or are you planning to come over this summer and you love fashion, you should visit "CHARLE S JAMES: Beyond Fashion" exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Now and after visiting this exhibition I understood why the name of it, "Beyond Fashion" a sample full of geniallity from a big of fashion, Charles James whom I consider was a great sculptor, engineer, and architect of fashion, and great artist that looked upon their dresses as works of arts and that year after year reworked original designs, ignoring the sacrosanct schedule of seasons, famous for his sculpted ballgowns, made of luxurious fabrics, their spiral dressses and their original white satin guilted jacket.

• James gives the final adjustments to this dress using a model when was Photographed by Cecil Beaton. Published in Vogue, March 1,1948. 

According to Harold Koda, The Costume Institute curator in charge of the Costume Inatitute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York since 2000, James "transformed fashion design" and his "many advancements included the spiral cut and the taxi dress (created in 1929 and so easy to wear it could be slipped on in the backseat of a taxi)." 

James also "championed strapless in the Thirties; invented the figure-eight skirt, the puffer jacket and the Pavlovian waistband that expands after a meal, and was an early proponent of licensing." Christian Dior is "said to have credited James with inspiring The New Look."

• The designer of this lavish dress was Charles James, “master of color comparatives, of the cut and fold of exceptional cloths,” as Vogue wrote.

• In 1948, Cecil Beaton photographed a coterie of models for Vogue in the eighteenth-century drawing room of French & Company, a Manhattan antiques dealer, where models, with necks craned like swans in the composition were swathed in sculpturesque ball gowns of silk and satin, taffeta and velvet created by this talented designer.

This year, their work was the subject of the opening exhibition of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Anna Wintour Costume Center called CHARLES JAMES: Beyond Fashion. 

At a preview of the exhibit, Elettra Wiedemann modeled a replica of the Clover Leaf ballgown James originally created for Austine Hearst. The original version was made for Austine Hearst to wear to the Eisenhower Inaugural Ball in January 1953, but it was not completed in time. She was, however, able to wear it to the coronation ball in London in June.

• Austine Hearst, wife of William Randolph Hearst Jr., wears the Clover leaft gown (1953) she commissioned. The original version was made for Austine Hearst to wear to the Eisenhower Inaugural Ball in January 1953, but it was not completed in time. She was, however, able to wear it to the coronation ball in London in June.

• Elettra Wiedemann modeling a replica of the Clover Leaf ballgown (1953) James originally created for Austine Hearst. It was the dress James ranked as the best of his creations.  

At the preview event, the Costume Institute "detailed the designer’s significance today and showed a 1969 video of a James-led retrospective fashion show."

• This photograph taken by myself inside the exhibit with my cell cost me a scolding from a security guard but was worth it, in the glass is written one of the famous quotes from designer Charles James.

This is an interesting and educational exhibition, with excellent videos showing the patterns and the way of construction of the most significant designs from fashion designer Charles James. Wach the following video:

SOURCES: 

•                     The Metropolitam Museum of Art.
•                     The New York Times. 
•                     The New yorker.
•                     Eonline.com
•                     Voguepedia.
•                          Wikipedia.

                                   

                                    

PEEPING ON THE SUMMER EYES...

• "When I meet someone for the fisrt time my vision goes to the eyes.  I love to be peeping inside them". John Miranda.

Summer is the warmest season of the year, in the northern hemisphere from June to August, and perhaps because my heart and my soul are caribbean, I love this hot season, the most brilliant of all, full of lights, soft shades and cool tones of June. And as caribbean, I really enjoy seeing the sea nuances produced by reflections of the sky and by sunlight and feeling the soft marine breeze on my skin.

People can be divided according to their natural coloring, in two big groups: warm and cool, both associated with the four seasons of the year: Winter and summer (cool), autumn and spring (warm).

Prominent color analyst from the 80's, Carol Jackson, classifies people according to their physical coloring into four groups as the four seasons of the year: winter, spring, summer and fall, where each group of people presents a distinct array of colors, in shades and intensity, and their coloring is in harmony with each of these four "seasonal" palettes.   

Now allow me to invite you to peeping on these summer type eyes placed below to find out if yours are part of this group.

Gray-blue.

Pale gray.

Gray-Green eyes.

Blue Eyes (with brown around pupil and "cloudy" iris, gray rim).

Blue with white flecks (may have gray rim).

Bright, clear blue.

Clear Pale aqua (eyes change from blue to green, depending on clothes).

Green with white fleckes (may have gray rim).

So if you discover that you have the soft summer color of the sea and sky inside your eyes, this exactly mean, that the summer colors, explicity, the ones with their cool bluish undertone, are the tones that best complement your own coloration.

Summer's eyes can also be, hazel, or occasionally, rosy brown. Check out the following eyes posted below.

Hazel (Blue and brown or green and brown).

Soft brown eyes.

• " The genes that determine your skin tone, hair, and eye color also determine what colors look best on you"...said  Carol Jackson.

I am absolutely convinced of this too and with theory that the colors that go best on you are those which are in harmony with your skin, hair and eyes coloring, I mean their subjective colors and their complements. Some people as we'll cite in this chapter, are flattered by the softer shades of summer.

After be peeping on these eyes, now look at you in the mirror to analyze your skin and hair original key, and if you see a very fair skin and discover that the original tone of your hair is platinum blonde, ash blonde, dark brown (taupe tone) and blue gray, it is pretty sure that you are summer.

• The typical Summer has rosy pink skin tone , blue eyes and and ash blonde hair.

• Summers usually have Pale beige with delicated pink cheeks, very pink or visible Rosy pink skin tone, and blond hair with an ash blonde rinse. or can also have a light brunette,  medium brown, or dark ash brown hair.

• Summers are most often blonde with Platinum blonde, ash blonde, "Mouse" Blonde, Dark brown (taupe tone) or blue gray hair tone.

• She is the freckled type , with Pale beige skin, with delicate pink checks, soft rosy brown eyes and ash blonde rinse hair.

Summer's is flattered by soft colors with a blue undertone, and glows in the pastel of June, the soft color of the sea and sky with their cool blue undertone. Summer's colors are cool and soft with (blue undertone) blue, rose or gray undertone.

The summer palettes contain cool blue-based colors and have either blue, rose or gray undertones, and because of these undertones, Summer is a cool palette, composite by Soft Blues, as Sky blue, Medium Blue, Periwinkle Blue, Pastel Aqua, Pastel Blue-Green, Navy, Rose Pink, Lavender, Mauve, Soft Fuchsia and Plum, and neutrals as Rose- Brown, Cocoa, Gray Navy, are some of the most flattering shades for them.

And finally do note that genes that determine your skin, hair, and eye colors also determine what color is best on you, that is why everyone is born with an inclination toward certain colors, so the best advisor, when selecting your colors that look best on you, is your own intuition. You just have to follow her, she is never mistaken. 


And always remember this:

• "You can wear almost any color; it is the shade and intensity that count", said Carol Jackson.