Charles James is a designer who is inspiration to many, but known to few. James essentially invented American haute couture in the 1930s. At once charming, difficult, and brilliant, James could not scare away his admirers. With a bold style that focused on carefully structured and intrinsically feminine design, James brought an eroticism to American fashion that had never been seen before.

Richard Martin’s slim volume, published by Assouline, on the late couturier goes far beyond basic biography. It delves into James’s philosophy, and the reasons behind his genius. However, the text is brief – only the first twenty pages or so. The remainder of the book is devoted to what we all came for: the clothes.

Fifty pages of illustrations and photographs are offered up of James’s exquisite work. Many of the photos are old, and not retouched, which adds both a regal air and a frustrating lack of detail to his work. Wisely, the details from each picture are left to an index in the back, so as not to disrupt the photos themselves. Thumbnails remind the reader of the dress, and text offers up info on date, inspiration, material, and construction.

The book is hardbound, with the glossy, heavyweight pages you expect to find in an enormous coffee table book. However, the volume itself has roughly the same dimensions as a standard hardbound novel, and far fewer pages. This is good and bad. On the good side, the volume is easy to store, easy to read, and easy on the wallet – all things that normally prevent me from purchasing other mammoth fashion books. But because of the book’s compact size, there are not nearly enough pictures. Then again, the volume could be 800 pages and that probably wouldn’t even satisfy my hunger for the stunning gowns.