For decades, fashion illustrations were regarded simply as “commercial works,” but now these striking drawings and paintings that were produced by artists over the past 100 years for fashion designers, department stores and leading magazines are becoming rediscovered and redefined as collectible works of fine art by museums, galleries and savvy art collectors.
What is fashion illustration?
From the late 18th century until the middle of the 20th century, fashion illustration was one of the key means of circulating and identifying new styles and fashion trends.
The greatest illustrators of each generations were commissioned to illustrate the couture and ready-to-wear collections for each season in Paris, New York and later Los Angeles; and their work graced, among others, the front covers and pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, The New York Times, L’Officiel, Jardin Des Modes, Elle, W Magazine and Women’s Wear Daily.
Illustrators became an integral part of a fashion designer’s success. The greatest fashion houses like Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent would hire illustrators to render their couture designs for each season; and the best illustrators captured more than the garments themselves, they were able to capture the romance, allure and lifestyle that ultimately sold the general public on wanting each new fashion trend. Similarly the great department stores like Saks 5th Avenue in New York, Harrods in London and Bullocks Wilshire in Beverly Hills wanted to have the best illustrators working for their company as they were wanting to create a unique look and identity that would set them apart, making their department store “the” destination for the season. Magazine editors understood the power of a great illustrative piece and how a striking cover image could mean a dramatic difference in readership and sales.
In the second half of the 20th century, illustration gave way to the power and efficiency of fashion photography. Magazines, department stores and newspapers moved away from illustrators; and where many of those illustrators found themselves transitioning into the entertainment world of TV and Film work, their great fashion illustration art would sit quietly waiting for a new century and a new audience to rediscover the golden age of fashion illustration.
LEARNING ABOUT Fashion Illustration
The market for fashion illustration is growing fast and, for those with an interest for this underrated artform, so are the resources for information and education. Books, films, articles and exhibitions are becoming more prominent and fashionable!
Books written by art historians, museum directors and even fashion illustrators themselves, provide a base knowledge showing exquisite images, the names of key players and even the techniques that the masters of fashion illustration would use.
Films like Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco, Lagerfeld Confidential and The Drawings of Yves Saint Laurent have been a testament to the resurgence of interest in fashion illustration over the past decade.
Exhibitions like The Drawing Fashion exhibition at London’s Design Museum, Antonio: The Fine Art of Fashion Illustration at the Phoenix Art Museum and Fashion Illustration: The Visionaries at the Society of Illustrators in New York City are giving the public a chance to see original fashion illustrations in person for the first time. No longer relegated to glossy magazine covers or half-tone newspaper print ads, seeing the fluid line work, color and rendered fabric textures up close and personal is giving a renewed life and appreciation for these original works of fine art.
Collecting Fashion Illustration
As the popularity and exposure of fashion illustrations has grown through museum exhibitions, books and films; original fashion illustration is now finding its place in the art world as a beautiful, historically-important genre of art that brings emotion and pleasure to anyone who is lucky enough to own an original piece. Buyers from around the world have been trying to resource original works to add to their own homes and collections, and this uptake in interest is drawing a lot of attention; such that The Times recently declared fashion illustration as leading the trend in affordable 20th-century art with tremendous growth and opportunity for collectors.
Auction houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s have begun to set world record prices. At Sotheby’s New York an archive of Kenneth Paul Block fashion illustrations, estimated to fetch $3,000-$5,000, sold for $16,250. In 2011, René Gruau works sold at Christie’s for three times their estimate, achieving £10,000 each.
Resourcing authentic pieces from top fashion illustrators can be difficult for a buyer and there are only a few fine art galleries that have had a long tradition of showcasing and selling premiere original fashion illustrations like Gray M.C.A and Fashion Illustration Gallery both in London, as well as our own gallery, Just Looking Gallery, in San Luis Obispo California.
Savvy buyers are developing key relationships with dealers and galleries that specialize in the world of fashion illustration as they look to acquire key works from the maestros of each generation. Original works from the likes of René Gruau, Antonio Lopez, Gregory Weir-Quiton and Bil Donovan are among the most desirable fashion illustrators to collect; but experienced collectors want more than just a big name, they want provenance. To discover a paramount illustration that graced a magazine cover like Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar or Women’s Wear Daily, or was used in an advertisement for Bloomingdales or Bullocks Wilshire, that featured a designer name like YSL or Chanel … those are the Holy Grails of collecting Fashion Illustration.
View Our Showcase of Available Original
Fashion Illustrations by Gregory Weir-Quiton
