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Fashion Illustration is the communication of fashion that originates with illustration, drawing and painting. It is usually commissioned for reproduction in fashion magazines as one part of an editorial feature or for the purpose of advertising and promoting fashion makers, fashion boutiques and department stores.

History [edit]

Fashion Illustration has been around for nearly 500 years. Ever since clothes have been in existence, and there has been a need to translate an idea or image into a fashion illustration. Not only do fashion illustrations show a representation or design of a garment but they also serve as a form of art. Fashion illustration shows the presence of hand and is said to be a visual luxury. (Drake, 9).

More recently, there has been a decline of fashion illustration in the late 1930s when Vogue began to replace its celebrated illustrated covers with photographic images. Laird Borrelli, author of Fashion Illustration Now states,

Fashion Illustration has gone from being one of the sole means of fashion communication to having a very minor role. The first photographic cover of Vogue was a watershed in the history of fashion illustration and a watershed mark of its decline. Photographs, no matter how altered or retouched, will always have some association with reality and by association truth. I like to think of them [fashion Illustrations] as prose poems and having more fictional narratives. They are more obviously filtered through an individual vision than photos. Illustration lives on, but in the position of a poor relative to the fashion.

Notable fashion illustrators [edit]

Past illustrators [edit]

Paul Iribe (1883–1935), Carl 'Eric' Erickson (1891–1958), 'Erté' Romain de Tirtoff (1892-1990), Christian Bérard (1902–1949), Max Hoff (1903 – 1985), Cecil Beaton (1904–1980), Rene Gruau (1909–2004), Irwin Crosthwait (1914–1981), Lila De Nobili (1916–2002), Kenneth Paul Block (1924–2009), Andy Warhol (1928–1987), Antonio Lopez (1943–1987), Joel Resnicoff (1948–1986).^[1]

Present illustrators [edit]

There are hundreds of fashion illustrators today, including Izak Zenou who has provided the illustrations for Henri Bendel for the past 15 years, Rebecca Moses, Jason Brooks, Amelie Hegardt, Anja Kroencke, James Dignan, Marguerite Sauvage, Carine Abraham, Cecilia Lundgren, Lucile Prache, Maren Esdar, Puntoos, Mr. Z, Paula Sanz Caballero, Penelope Rolland, Vince Fraser, Rikke Jorgensen, Wendy Plovmand, Francois Berthoud, Mats Gustafson, Jean-Philippe Delhomme, David Downton, Tanya Ling, Ruben Toledo, Julie Verhoven, Sarah Hankinson, Jennifer Lilya,  Jessica Mack, and Kime Buzzelli.  Between them these artists have contributed work to virtually every major international fashion magazine as well as a myriad of fashion businesses including Barneys, Selfridges, Louis Vuitton, Viktor & Rolf, Chanel, Coach, and Burberry.

Further reading [edit]

• " Le Premier siècle de René Gruau " by Sylvie Nissen & Vincent Leret. Published by Thalia Edition Paris. 2009. ISBN 978-2-35278-058-8
• An Illustrated History of Fashion: 500 Years of Fashion Illustration, by Alice Mackrell. Published by Costume & Fashion Press, 1997. ISBN 0-89676-216-5.
• Fashion Illustration Next, by Laird Borrelli. Published by Chronicle Books, 2004. ISBN 0-8118-4573-7.
• New Fashion Illustration, by Martin Dawber. Published by Batsford, 2005. ISBN 0-7134-8961-8.
• Fashion Illustrator, by Bethan Morris. Published by Laurence King Publishing, 2006. ISBN 1-85669-447-X.
• 100 Years of Fashion Illustration,, by Cally Blackman. Published by Laurence King Publishing, 2007. ISBN 1-85669-462-3.
• Essential Fashion Illustration: Details. , by Maite Lafuente. Published by Rockport Publishers, 2007. ISBN 1-59253-331-0.

References [edit]

• Borrelli, Laird. (2000). "Fashion Illustration Now," Thames & Hudson Ltd., London. (p 6-175).
• Drake, Nicolas. (1994). "Fashion Illustration Today (Revised Edition)," Thames & Hudson Ltd., London. (p 7).
• kesav articles (2012) fashion illustration today.. new edition,

Gallery [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fashion Illustration

• 

  A fashion illustration, inspired by Chinatown MRT, particularly by Pagoda Street in Singapore

External links [edit]

• Antonio Lopez : Fashion Illustrations at Chicago History Museum Digital Collections

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fashion illustrators

• www.jenniferlilya.com-Fun, Fabulous, Fashion Illustrations!
• www.fashionarium.com - Fashion Illustration resources and interviews with Fashion Illustrators
• mambeeba.com - fashion illustration
• paperfashion.net - where fashion meets paper by katie rodgers
• gruaucollection.com
• www.idrawfashion.com - How to draw Fashion Illustration
• renegruau.com
• fashionillustration.de
• fashionillustrationgallery.com
• jphdelhomme.com
• ladiga.com
• [1]
• [2] - Abstract and Futuristic Fashion Illustrations by Bianca Raffaela