Reina de las Fabricas: May 2016

Fashion illustration is a sacred dimension in the interpretation of fashion, bringing in work and play in perfect matrimony. Free hand sketches, computer enhanced drawings,water colours, charcoal, crayons, whatever the medium of illustration used; fashion in its diversity is definitely going through a metamorphosis that shows no signs of slowing down. Well, Eli sketches [@elistjohn] presents yet another beautiful representation of fashion illustrations, interpreting not only the world famous Disney princesses but also the whole marvel crew (well some of them in very interesting ways i must add). Her strokes are surreal, sustaining the innocence of the typical Disney lady while translating her into a power figure. I dare to call her a feminist for her interpretation of power marvel men to women (just me being a feminist…lol, totally subjective)

Ever wondered how the beautiful art became so revered in the world of fashion? Well time for some history lesson…

During the 1500s and 1600s, two centuries of exploration and discovery, there was a strong desire to know about the costume of other nations. Costume books with engravings, but also painting became important sources of information. By the end of the 1600s it was even in fashion to collect fashion engravings! Around the same period, fashion for the first time became a topic in periodicals and in the 1700s pocket books with small and uncoloured fashion illustrations enjoyed a wide circulation. By the end of the 18th century, the first fashion plates appeared in periodicals dedicated to fashion only.

Jasmine

The 1800s were the heyday of the fashion plate and saw the emergence of a large number of fashion magazines. There were even lower priced black-and-white and more expensive hand-coloured versions of the same magazine. Another development in fashion illustration were plates that not just showed the clothes, but depictions of women wearing them in social contexts, illustrating the appropriate circumstances for the clothes to be worn. The late 1800s saw the beginnings of experimentation with fashion photography, but even then magazines copied photographs through engravings.

In the early 1900s, fashion photography became a more dominant medium. The large circulation of fashion magazines had led to a decline in the artistic quality of fashion plates. It was Paul Poiret who reinvented the fashion plate by commissioning artists to depict his designs. From the 1920s onward, fashion illustrations were often featured on magazine covers. They did not necessarily reflect the content of the magazine, but were seen as work of arts by themselves. Fashion had become art.

Aurora

Merinda

After WWII, the fashion plate still blossomed in fashion magazines, but from the 1960s onward it was replaced by photography as the main conveyer of fashion. Fashion illustration largely disappeared from magazines, although there was a revival in the late 1980s, reminiscent of the style of the 1920s.

Nevertheless, up until today fashion illustration is considered an art form and, thanks to the digital revolution, is experiencing a renaissance. The Internet is an excellent platform for fashion illustration that offers fresh and unique perspectives in a fashion world that is saturated with photography.