Master tailor, clothes designer James Cubas dead at 56

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James Cubas | Family photo

James Cubas could draw a pattern on paper, cut it out and craft a suit so sharp it looked as if it came from Savile Row in London.

His bespoke creations were wonders of design and construction. Perfectly draped and pleated, with hand-sewn button holes and stripes and patterns that melded seamlessly, they were a testament to his talent and his training at Chicago’s Metropolitan School of Tailoring, Dressmaking & Clothing Design, where elderly Jewish tailors from Maxwell Street passed on Old World traditions of craftsmanship.

He made suits, dresses and costumes in a studio in his apartment filled with fabrics and specialty sewing machines with needles that could stitch the filmiest crepe de chine or the toughest tweed.

Word-of-mouth kept him busy. He worked on costumes for Chicago theaters, including the Goodman. He made gowns for pageant contestants and suits for private clients. He delighted a younger brother, Dennis Nunez, when he whipped up his suit for prom — and a dress for his date. “It was really sharp,” Nunez said. Mr. Cubas also made shirts for Andre Dawson, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen, relatives said.

“He could make anything,” said his partner, Albert Dickens. ‘He made his patterns with brown paper.”

A resident of Edgewater, Mr. Cubas, 56, died from interstitial lung disease Monday at Presence St. Joseph Hospital. “He was a person I loved for 37 years,” said his partner, whose dapper style is partly attributable to custom-made pieces by Mr. Cubas.

Young James grew up in Humboldt Park, where he liked to visit the Humboldt Park lagoon. His father, Ingracio Nunez, was a carpenter. His mother, Bienvenida, died when he was young. He graduated from Clemente High School. He also studied at Truman and Harold Washington Colleges, where he was an honor student.

“He always tried to make a joke. He was really a happy person,” Albert Dickens said. “I remember him making me laugh.” To do that, James Cubas might cross his eyes, or pretend he didn’t have a command of English, asking, “How do you are?”

Extroverted and detail-oriented, he once struck up a conversation with another diner at the Bongo Room by admiring her tattoo, said his sister, Annette Marquez. When Marquez hosted a party, his last-minute tweaks — re-arranging veggie trays and adorning them with colorful napkins — made everything look more appetizing.

Mr. Cubas, whose heritage was Puerto Rican, loved food with a Latin flair. He frequently ate Dominican cuisine and he also dined on Cuban food at La Unica on Devon Avenue.

He enjoyed salsa dancing, people-watching, Lincoln Park and long drives, even if they ended in getting lost in the days before GPS.

Mr. Cubas delighted another younger brother, Geraldo Nunez, when he took him to see the film, “Back to the Future.” A grand-nephew, Nathan Rosado, still remembers the thrill when Mr. Cubas gave him a “Blue’s Clues” book when he was little.

At home, he liked to relax in T-shirts, jeans and sweats, sometimes watching “America’s Next Top Model” or “Project Runway.’’ He listened to the music of Rihanna, Amy Winehouse and an entertainer with an extraterrestrial theatricality he admired: Lady Gaga.

Watching old movies prompted comments on things only a tailor would notice. “Look at the drape of those pants,” he’d say. “Look at the cut of that woman’s dress.”

Mr. Cubas never tired of watching classic horror films like “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Exorcist.”

His heart was tender. When Mr. Cubas found a baby bird that broke its wing in a fall from a nest, he brought the fledgling to a shelter downtown in a vain bid to save it. “He cried about that,” Dickens said.

His home was decorated with warm wall colors, curated found objects and plants.

In his final days, James wondered aloud whether a seemingly dormant plant would ever bloom, said a nephew, Thomas Cubas.

On Wednesday, “Albert woke up,” Thomas Cubas said, “and he was moved by the fact that particular plant sprouted.”

Visitation is planned 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at Caribe Funeral Home, 3314 W. Armitage.

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