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For four more days, voyeurs and aesthetes can celebrate the life of a man Cristobal Balenciaga called "the world's best and only dressmaker." "Charles James: Beneath the Dress," a free exhibition at The National Arts Club offers never-before-seen fashion drawings and erotic images by the artists, as well as a new short documentary, completely for free. The exhibit runs through October 5th and promises thrills of both the erogenous and fashion-conscious varieties.
James is known for his dresses (you may remember the Met's exhibit), which are triumphs in structural engineering—they look like satin body armor and prove that tulle can be fierce. Known as the greatest Couturist, James' designs transcended fashion and became art. Christian Dior rightfully called his work "poetry." The mixed-media exhibition of his work focuses on his life as an artist, showing 60 drawings from the private collection of society columnist R. Couri Hay. The exhibit is worth a visit this weekend, but if you can't make it, or if titillating designs and 70s era filmmaking aren't for you, Edvard Muhnch (who painted "The Scream") is next up at The National Arts Club.