Charles James: Beyond Fashion (Metropolitan Museum of Art (Hardcover))

This is an in-depth look at the life and career of Charles James, full of details that provide insights into the man and into his method of design. The quality of the photos is brilliant making it easy to see details of these carefully crafted works of art. There is an abundance of photos, showing both "big picture" and essential details which help the reader understand the challenging structure of this artist's work.Koda has researched his subject and James' oeuvres extremely well and is able to provide insights into how or why James designed as he did. He puts his vast knowledge of fashion, architecture and art into the discussion of James' unique strengths and talents.The quality of the book - the binding, the weight of the paper, the luminosity of the photos, make this a book for the ages. It is right up there with The Quilts of Gees Bend as one of the best crafted books I own.

I am overwhelmed by the depth of this book! I remember the gorgeous ball gowns of the late 40's & early 50's from the Modess ads in my Mother's ladies magazine. I had no idea why one needed " Modess to be sure" at ten years old but I remembered drinking in the beauty of the creations. Now at 71 I know who created them and also the fashions of my life. Kodaa and Reeder have assembled a magnificent thing even for the uninitiared. Great reading with the time-line format. Great company in the Rhode Island storm of February 2015. Thank you to all who made this grant possible for such a stunning book.Missed the costume show at the Met but this is fair compensense.

If you are into fashion or wanting to learn about fashion this book is a must have. Charles James was in my opinion a genius with fabric and the female form. This book is a master collection of his fashions and his process. He was a groundbreaking designer in his prime and catered to the cream of the socialites of his day. The book is full of beautiful full color pages, well bound and high quality. A companion book to the Metropolitan Museum of Arts exhibit of Charles James fashions, this is a perfect keepsake and reference book. Everything about this was done right.

A gorgeous book. I admit that I haven't "read" it but have only looked at the wonderful photos. This book has full page photos of corner seams, bust line seams, couture details, and detail pictures of the different types of interfacings and linings used in James' jackets and dresses. I find it all very fascinating because I sew for myself. If you like beautiful clothes and often wonder "how'd they do that?" or if you like to learn more about how beautiful couture clothes were made back-in-the-day, then this book will please you. I am very happy that I made this purchase.

This a wonderful accompaniment to the Charles James exhibit at the Met. If you are a Charles James lover or just a lover of American couture (which honestly, if you love one you love the other) this is a great book to add to your collection. I will say that it is organized in a bit of a funny way. Its not chronological, its more topic inspired, so I was kind of flipping back and forth a bit when I was reading because I like to see what he was producing at the same time as a particular garment.

The most comprehensive book on the worlds most talented couturier ever. This book has it all over the previous book The Genius of Charles James from the Brooklyn exhibit in 1983. This tome is perhaps the best ever fashion book on a designer. This is up there with Betty Kirke's book on Vionnet and the various books on Gres and Balenciaga. I cannot stress how importajt a book this is and it ha s more than whetted my appetite for the show.

very well wrapped and in perfect condition for a very reasonable price

I will keep this review short and honest. Charles James is one of my favorite designers hands down,and honestly I ordered the book for his (SWEEPING BALL GOWNS)super excited, and was a bit (A LOT) disappointed . The majority of the book was full of his more structured pieces. The photos are clear and in color, but I will say I was underwhelmed by a lot of the pieces included If you are getting the book for his biographical background you will love this, If you are getting the book for his (SWEEPING BALL GOWNS) I would skip this one-I did not see any dress that a pinterest search would not pull up-which disappointed me a little further.I did not give this book a low rating because -the book was made to showcase all his works,not just the (SWEEPING BALL GOWNS)I did take off a point because I was underwhelmed by a good amount of pieces that were in this book-which I thought would be impossible. I mean its (CHARLES JAMES).Pro'sTons of in color photos :)His personal and professional life is written in a timeline format which I loved.Cons:In my opinion not always the best of his work was showcased, some of the items were underwhelming.Did not show photos of inside the garments,This might be nit picky but it would have been amazing to be able to see the interior construction in photos especially for the price tag that is on this book.So, is it worth it? for me..No. Had I checked this book out from the library I would not have been tempted to purchase it.

It's a gorgeous book. Quality paper. Beautiful saturated color photos. Enough information to help you understand his story

This is a beautiful book. Would recommend to anyone who loves fashion or would like to know more about this truly talented English designer.

Para quien quiera conocer la historia de la moda, como mi esposa, es un imprescindible aunque está en inglés. La encuadernación es de muy buena calidad.

Beautifully printed. Beautifully presented. But most of all, James' genius just shines through and shines through again. A spectacular book for anyone interested in the design, garment construction and, well, just sheer beautify.

Aww what a superb book!! Only recently taken any notice of Charles James. WHY?? Genius!!Lots of lovely pics, good big size too.I like to think I work in a similar way to him!!