A Thin Wall of Air Charles James at The Menhil Collection

Charles James (1906-1978) is considered by many to be America’s first couturier. Starting as a hat milliner, by the 1940’s he established himself as a premier fashion designer for an elite clientele including Millicent Rogers and Gloria Swanson. John and Dominique de Menil were introduced to James in the mid to late 1940s, and Dominique de Menil began to buy pieces from him soon thereafter. As the relationship deepened, the couple became great champions of James, commissioning both furniture and couture, collecting his sketches, donating examples of his work to museums, and hiring him to dress the interior of their home, his only residential commission.  A Thin Wall of Air: Charles James explores the work of James in relation to some of his most committed patrons and clients, John and Dominique de Menil.