The Museum at FIT’s Dr. Valerie Steele recently hosted a conversation with author Michèle Gerber Klein and her new book Charles James: Portrait of an Unreasonable Man: Fame, Fashion, Art. Over 300 people listened as Gerber Klein and Steele explored the life of America’s first grand master of fashion, Charles James – the man Christian Dior named as the inspiration for the “New Look” and Cristóbal Balenciaga called “the greatest couturier in the world”.
“James was known for pushing the boundaries of fashion, but also for his sharp tongue, drug problems, and grandiose ego,” said Gerber Klein. “One of the questions he asked himself, ‘How can I make a dress one could wear to make love in a taxi?’ The answer came as the first wrap dress. It was just one of his many significant innovations.”
Pictured:
Valerie Steele, Michele Gerber Klein, Edgar Batista
Joanna Fisher, Bobby Fisher