Tribute : Fashion Illustration, the Lost and Found Art



Cédric Rivrain

  Life is full of coincidences. While I was looking for material for my article on illustration, I realized that my last follower was incidentally one ! His name is David McGrievey ( http://www.davidmcgrieveyillustration.com/ ) and his old-fashioned drawings have illustrated W, Glamour, Spanish Vogue and Bloomingdale. Oh my, that's a follower I'm proud to have. I am always very humble in front of illustrators, because drawing is an art I adore, I would love to master. That's why I wanted to make an article on this under-appreciated genre.
Once upon a time, when cameras didn't exist, magazines used illustrators to recreate trendy outfits for their readers. I was the time of elegant silhouettes, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy, and other "black and white" icons.

David Downton - Lauralaine

 During these hours of glory, the great names were Rene Gruau, most famous for the adds of Miss Dior perfume and Rouge Baiser lipstick, Joe Eula, Yves Saint Laurent's illustrator, Tony Viramonte, Antonio Lopez, a regular of Vogue, Elle and Harper's Bazzar, and the famous Jacqueline Bissett. But, with the development of technicity, photography became almighty, and the illustrations were relegated to the horoscope pages or to art classes teens. But, now, Fashion tries to find itself, and is experimenting through art. In spite of digital art, fashion illustration insinuates itself back into the pages of the magazines.

ëlodie

 The new generation is torn between old-world aesthetics and modern lines. David Downton ( http://www.daviddownton.com/fashion.html ) prefered 50s women, with their hats and tiny waists.
Others are mixing academic drawing with modern designs, such as Frenchies Cédric Rivrain ( http://www.cedricrivrain.com/ ), inspired by models such as Kate Moss, Monsieur Qui ( http://www.myspace.com/monsieurqui ), who invade streets with melancholic beauties, or ëlodie ( http://www.elodie-illustrations.net/ ) and her gorgeous women.

Monsieur Qui

 But, illustration can overtake photography by its power to show what eyes can't see, and only imagination can. So, they are numerous to follow the path of contemporary art, and to offer us silhouettes that comes from the universe of dream and fantasy. My favourite among us is definitely Finnish artist Lauralaine ( http://www.lauralaine.net/ ) and her tiny feet/big hair figures, which are closer to poetry than anything. She took magazines by storm, and I hope to see more of her art in the future.

Petra Dufkova

In order to continue this travel in the world of beauty at the point of a pencil, I suggest you to look at :
- Book 100 Years of Fashion Illustration, Cally Blackman
- Nina Borowski's article http://nina-borowski.livejournal.com/558.html
- Illustrator Sophie Griotto's website http://www.sophiegriotto.com/
- Illustrator Petra Dufkova's artwork http://www.illustrationweb.com/illustrators/home_large.asp?artist_id=3348
- Illustrator Akari Inoguchi's gallery http://www.akariinoguchi.com/
- Illustrator Cécile Mancion's blog http://www.cecilemancion.com/blog/
- The Fashion Week Illustrée, French website http://www.fashionweekillustree.fr/
- http://www.fashionillustrationgallery.com/
- http://www.antoinettefleur.fr/
- http://www.erlikh.com/

Fashion : The Wind is Turning in UK

Felicity Brown

It was a genuine surprise. All the journalists agree to say that, this year, the London Fashion Week was strangely wise. What happened ? Did London loose his mojo ? The capital used to be a man-size laboratory of all the eccentricity, and suddenly, Vivienne Westwood is doing office suits. As we are not in an episode of Doctor Who, I think we still are in the same dimension. The reason of this change is much more down to earth. Money. Boo, that dirty word ! But, it's true ! Britain is tired to be seen as the wild kid of the Fashion industry, and want to secure its gold mine. The British Fashion Council recently announced that fashion was worth £21 billion to UK Economy, so, they decided that it was a very serious business, and that the joke must stop, and the profit must start.



Viking Wong

 It is in this perspective that was launched this September the website "Young British Designers". The goal of the site is to make designers' clothes more accessible to the public, but also to help young artists to survive.
Their editorial shows incidentally some sordid realism, calling for our pity for these poor students who don't eat to buy their fabrics ... Ah, to be or not to be a British designer ( pardon me, maybe am I a bit too obsessed by John Simm playing Hamlet ) ... The rest is even patriotic, a sort of 'I want you for British Fashion' manifesto, all punchy and witty. The presentation video shows many British clichés, but it is still the Britain we like, punk and elegant. Plus, I love that they choosed the song New Rose of the Damned.

J.W. Anderson

The very positive point is inside the package : it is the first attempt to sell British products only. A way to explore ?

But let's stick to the content of the site. Young British Designers, as its name announces it, offer to buy the creations of the nouvelle vague, young ( read beggining ) talents that were spotted at the London Fashion Week. So, if you want to buy something from the next Alexander McQueen, it is your chance. The prices are, well, the prices, but if you really want to invest, there are some great pieces. I am especially in love with the rings of J.W. Anderson, simple, cunning, elegant. A must have for a rock-chic outfit.

Irwin & Jordan

Kudos to Viking Wong too, not only because his name rocks, but also because his clothes are classy.
The clothes are from the Autumn Winter collections, so, if you want to flesh out your wardrobe before the cold and impress your pals, rush at Young British Designers. After all, it is a question of Life and Death, of duty ... Isn't it ???

http://www.youngbritishdesigners.com/
http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/
http://www.britishfashioncouncil.com/

IFB's Links a la Mode

Fashion Blog Improvement

Edited by Jennine Jacob of Independent Fashion Bloggers

Whether you are contemplating starting a blog or if you’ve been bloggging for a while, getting to know the ropes is a never-ending journey. This week we have a nice round up of bloggers sharing how they do it, what they find important about blogging. From taking your own photos, whether or not to have comments, and how to cover the fashion shows with your own twist, this is the week to buckle down and learn. Well, before the holidays set in anyway!

Links à la Mode: September 30th

• Boheme Noir: Burberry S/S 11 Show Coverage
• Brachman’s Sparrow: So you want to know how to grow your blog…
• Chic Steals: Marshall’s and the World of Off-Price Retailing
• Dramatis Personae: Fashion vs. Fatfashion Blogger
• Dressful: Fashion is Art, Not Trivial!
• Fashion Pulse Daily:New York Fashion Week Team’s Top Spring 2011 Trends
• Fete a Fete: Dolce & Gabana Evocative Beauty Fall 2010
• Hello Beauty: Bobbi Brown Black Velvet Fall 2010 Collection Review & Video
• Independent Fashion Bloggers: The Importance (and Unimportance) of Being Niche’d
• Leia’s Delights: No Comments?
• ModlyChic: How to Take Your Own Outfit Photos
• Retro Chick: Revies Illamasqua Lipstick
• Scarlet Letter Style: Are Boobs Really Back?
• Style Spotting: The Women of Warpaint
• The Column of Samantha Tyler: Decoding: Bestiary of the IT Girls
• The Coveted: Getting Inspired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• The Lingerie Addict: How to Dress Like Dita von Teese
• The Simpliy Luxurious Life: Tips for Looking Fantastic Each Day
• Vogue Gone Rouge: New Upcoming Designers Show
• Wit & Whimsy: Getting to know designer Phillip Lim and why everyone’s talking about him and his line

Decoding : A future without catwalks

We now are into the period of the Fashion Weeks, and the models are bustling about going back up the catwalks. The catwalk, symbol of fashion, engraved in people's mind as the only way to show collections for what it seems to be forever. But, already back in July, when I saw that Givenchy chose to exhibit only few dresses in a private lounge, to happy few, I started to ask myself if the catwalk wasn't out of date. My impression is now confirmed by Gareth Pugh's choice for his Paris Fashion Week presentation.

He showed a video clip, directed by Ruth Hogben, a name that you surely will heard again in the future. The video possesses an aesthetic quality which bluffed me. The video, quite long, is a game of moving images of model Kristen McMenamy, wearing Pugh's incredibly gorgeous collection. But what amazed me the most, is the designer's statement. He claimed that it was the 'modern alternative' to catwalk shows. Pugh is of the avant-garde, a sort of Cassandra of Fashion. Could he be right ?

Can we imagine Fashion without catwalks ? No more plethora of models and outfits, no more front row icons, no more direct contact with fabrics, no more journalists. We would go to see a collection like we go to see a movie or an art exhibition. We can even imagine 3D movies projected in streets, monuments or museums, a technological version of Chanel, catwalking at the Grand Palais, in Paris. It would place Fashion in the domain of Fine Arts again, and allow creators like Gareth Pugh to express all their creativity.

Givenchy chosed an elitist version of this futuristic caltwalk, bringing back fashion to luxury and patricians. But, with Pugh's vision, we could imagine a democratisation of catwalks, where everyone could witness designers's collections. Which direction will we choose ?

But, maybe this is only a passing snobism, a Fashion equivalent of singer Prince's reaction to online downloading. Only future will tell us, but Pugh's initiative is certainly refreshing. Would you like a world without catwalks ? I, I would like to see more videos like this in the next years, and less private lounges.

Gareth Pugh's video : http://vimeo.com/15395630

Photos Ron Rox, Chanel, Givenchy and extracts from Gareth Pugh S/S 2011 Collection's video.

Spotlight : Frida Adore

Difficult to resist this sweet seventeen Swedish angel. Frida Gustavsson was noticed by an agent while she was shopping in Stockholm, and since then, she had made her way through the world of fashion. Her elfic face is often admirable in the greatest magazines, and she models for many brands and designers. I was especially stricken by her photos for brand Paul & Joe, and her shots for talented French photographer Patrick Demarchelier, who succeeded in conveying her ethereal aura. As some pictures are worth thousand words, these are my favourites.

Sources : Models.com, Wikipedia.com

Photos : Noir ( photographer unknown ), American Vogue ( photographer Patrick Demarchelier ), Jill Stuart ( photographer Mario Sorrenti ), Paul & Joe ( photographer Patrick Demarchelier ), Elle Sweden ( photographer Andreas Sjodin )

New Design

Hi, I have finally changed the design of the Column with success. I would like some feedback : how do you find it ? Do you like it ?
xoxo Sam

Trend : Venus in Fur

PETA was very happy when the crisis showed its face, the association of defense of the animals thought that, forced to cut their budget, the rich grannies would stop buying furs. But it was without counting on the asteroid of the season. Coming back from the ages, the fur muscles into the modern fashion's debate. Of course, some are fake, but some animals, not threaten of disappearance, are still used to make clothes. That doesn't seem to cause a stir in the Fashion world. This Winter, fur is everywhere, the new whim of fashionistas, and they stick by it. That will make the fur fly !

Adieu snobs and villains ! Fur is the new leather, a decadence which flaunts itself on every catwalk, from Chanel and its Teddy Bear silhouettes to Burberry Prorsum and its adventurers of the ... Lost Chic. The wire woman is over, now is the time of the bouffant, spicky and bulky furs. Every part of the fashionista disappears under it : the face seems tiny under the gigantic fur hats, no more necks, muscular-like shoulders, muffs of patholigical thickness, and Chewbacca's legs used as boots. Cold, what's that again ?

Well, that won't be a convenient trend to wear in your overheating office, and you risk to faint in the middle of your fitting inside the Fendi shop. But in the subway, you will always find a seat, all the allergics having turned tail seeing you coming. Yes, I am a fierce defender of the usefulness of Fashion : every trend has got its positive points, even the most improbable. And this one is a winner, all categories. Alexandre Vauthier already saw it coming, and even offered to wear those 'little bubbles of blaze' in plain summer. The more masochist, the merrier.

But, like every fashionista, I can't resist this little weakness. So, I plan to move to far-off lands : I hesitate between Minnesota, Siberia or Greenland. After all, 'ermine fur adorn the imperious', and I guess it would be the hypest to open a Balmain shop in the middle of an Inuit village. Or not. Actually, I think I will stick to lined coats and boots and fall for an adorable bag made of fur. I would be too afraid to make a grizzly angry. And it will prevent me to choose between eco-freak and trend-freak ...

From high to down and right to left :

- Tilda Swinton in her role of the White Witch in the movie The Chronicles of Narnia : The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe of Disney, coat Fendi, our majesty Elizabeth II, Freda Beha Erichsen for V Magazine, Dita Von Teese for UK Glamour

-Fur hat Maison Martin Margiela, coat Chie Imai, jacket Valentino, photo Thomas Sing, fur hat Pamela Roland, coat Michael Kors, boots Roger Vivier, Disney's Cruella De Vil

- coat Topshop, Raquel Zimmermann for Vogue Paris, bag Mango, The Woman With Ermine of painter El Greco

- Liane Haid, coat Balmain, coat Escada, bag and boots Chanel

- Dress Miu Miu, coat Alexandre Vauthier, bag Cartier, Kasia Struss for Numero Japan

photomontages by Samantha Tyler