EZINE
When visiting an exhibition on
illustration the last thing you expect to welcome you is a montage of films
exhibiting vintage fashion catwalks. Yet don’t let the stunningly glamorous
models draped in the likes of Dior and Chanel fool you, ‘Drawing Fashion’ is
more than clothes, it’s about how those designs have been displayed for the
past century and encompasses excitement for all. Ideal for those interested in
numerous subjects such as illustration, graphic design, fashion design, history,
and fine art. Yet by the time you have viewed half of the gallery, you question
whether the misleading archive footage that welcomed you was really necessary.
Much like a garment, there are no
straight edges to the ‘Drawing Fashion’ show space, perhaps that was the plan
or the curator, Colin McDowell. After ascending a bold white staircase your
first introduction to the exhibit is a dazzlingly bright welcome from two
concaved white walls exhibiting a solitary silver introduction. This inauguration
into the gallery elucidates the beginnings and growth of fashion illustration
from the original formulaic and minutely detailed drawings in journals to the
growth of demand for elegant pieces to exhibit in new publications such as
French Vogue and La Gazette du Bon Ton in the 1920s.
As you move through the futuristic
layout the series of drawings unravel, the vivid white walls frame the images in
a crisp and well-dressed manner. The show launches with the historic transition
from gold to silver age at the beginning of the twentieth century. Here, we
concentrate on the post world war society, from which any Edwardian privilege
and aristocratic supremacy of the early century had been swept away. The effects
on the fashion world are elucidated with the introduction of the Little Black
Dress from Coco Chanel, formalising a way of dress that was already in
existence. A silver font imprinted onto
the wall reflects the growth of titanium and stainless steel, which had great
influence over the population, and therefore fashion. Like many items at this
time fashion was not affordable for everybody .
A recurrent name in this section is that of
Georges Lepape, the French illustrator was of great significance during the
beginning of the century working for Paul Poiret and periodicals such as Femina
and Vogue. Lepape established the use of movement into fashion illustration
displaying garments on models that faced away from spectators, allowing the
clothes to be the fundamental aspect to his pieces. The artist took influence
from the Ballet Russes; his bright colours and use of line drawings took place
as a key feature to the post war re-introduction of La Gazette du Bon Ton.
Lepape’s designs remained in high demand until the year of his death in 1971
and he had great influence, not only in fashion, but also in catalogue and
industrial illustration.
The framed works that append the
sides of the walkways throughout the exhibit appear periodically throughout the
exhibit accompanied by silver commentaries and magazine layouts. It’s a shame
that the rare magazine covers displayed sporadically throughout the display do
not have more involvement with the illustrations as they sit in cases below.
When strolling through to the
‘Change and Decay’ section of the display I became fixated by the works of
Bernard Blossac. Like Lepape, in many of his illustrations, Blossac uses models
that face away from the audience and is keen to concentrate on the portrayal of
the garment. Yet he was also eager to express cultural and political issues in
his work. For example in the first edition of Vogue since World War Two in 1945
Blossac caused a stir when setting fashion illustrations against drawings of
Paris during the occupation. His use of crayon, charcoal and pencil in
illustrations of designs by the likes of Jacques Fath, depicted the tremendous
sophistication and elegance of Parisian high society. His use of structured
line drawings encompassing a mix of erratic colours created incredibly
beautiful portrayals of striking garments.
In this and the subsequent part of
the show, war and depression are exposed as controlling the fashion capital of
Paris and you feel rather deflated by the explanation of the South of France
being opened by Americans as a ‘playground for the rich’. By the time Christian
Dior hits back with the ‘Joie de vivre’ of haute couture all seems well as the
eye falls back to Paris. What was dubbed as the ‘New Look’ by Americans, I
think, is better described visually, by the works of René Gruau, that captured
the embellished elegance of Dior’s romantic vision. What better example is
there than the Miss Dior advertisement? Gruau’s pen and brushes created beauty
and charm with his use of minimal lines and confident colours.
What ‘Fashion Now’ seems to be
missing is a comforting melody; instead the thoughts and conversations of those
around you fill the room along with the cries of excited school children.
Granted, perhaps this could be avoided if attending the exhibit at a less peak
time, yet there is a feeling that perhaps some soothing music would be a nice
accompaniment to the surrounding drawings.
By the 1950s youth sub culture
groups became a big influence on the post war world on both sides of the
Atlantic. From this advanced the Beatnik’s black turtle necks and the drape
jackets and ‘drainpipe’ trousers of the teddy boy, along with Mods and Rockers.
The teenager was born, and in rejecting their parents’ old school style of
dress they had a great influence over the fashion world. The more libertarian
and permissive society of the 60s and 70s pushed Kathmandu and San Francisco to
the top of the list of dream destinations, and the hippy crowd began to have a
more peaceful influence. The fashion world became mystified and illustrations
were no longer in significant demand due to photographers becoming the
superstars of fashion editorials and advertising.
During these capricious times there
was one man that stood out as a true artist in the fashion world. Described as
a ‘brilliant, witty and perceptive recorder of the scene’ Antonio Lopez takes
pride of place in the penultimate section of the show that focuses on the 60s
to 90s. Lopez stood out as the need for fashion illustration fell and his image
of New York can be considered innovative in the fashion globe. Lopez was given
free reign to capture the eccentric styles of the 1980s for Vanity Italy and
encapsulated fashions worn by celebrities such as Joan Collins to the everyday
woman that ruled the high street. Fashion was becoming an international
business as flagship stores for designers such as Calvin Klein and Gucci began
to expand throughout the key cities.
The end of the exhibit presents the
fading profession more as artists than as illustrators. Individuals like Mats Gustafson
and François Berthoud hit back against the popular technology with more
expressive pieces. As photography eclipsed illustration Gustafson explored
watercolour and began creating advertising art for the likes of Tiffany &
Co and Comme des Garçons. Yet as work became more representational the details
of garments became lost in the beauty of the creation. Although the pieces are
stunning, you can’t help but think that clothes, for the more everyday reader
of fashion magazines, are better depicted through detailed photography and more
formulaic layouts.
Although some may consider the
exhibition slightly didactic due to the running commentary of fashion history,
for someone who came for the illustration, it is all very fascinating. Who said
you had to read everything anyway? Drawing Fashion is a truly stunning
exhibition, full to the brim with the names of illustrators that made their
mark in fashion over the last century. It is sincerely enthralling to witness
the growth and decay of fashion illustration before your eyes and I have a
newfound appreciation for the art. Upon leaving, you have acquired a sunken
feeling in the pit of the stomach, and are rather saddened that fashion
illustration, which was once such a nascent art, is to impact on us less and less
in the years to come; and that is something that McDowell should be really
proud of achieving.
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