Illustration AnnualSpring 2012

Tribute to Rene GruauIllustrator of Dior

Blognifique Vintage or Veto? Roots of Style

Illustration AnnualSpring 2012

Contents

28 35

10DoréGarance

19Roots of Style

46

Contents

1239

Full Figure Fashion

Sustainable Style

Fur: Friend or Faux?

Silver Season

Blognifique!

3Illustratorof Dior

RenéGruau

Departments

2A - l i ne / Spr ing 2012

Love Ugly

9

10

GruauRené

GruauT here was grand style and hyper opulent

chic on display at Christian Dior Couture

Monday afternoon, Jan. 24, in rainy Paris,

when the house’s couturier John Galliano

sought inspiration from Monsieur Dior’s

most fruitful collaborator, illustrator Rene Gruau. Staged over

a massively elongated runway in the garden of Paris’ Rodin

Museum, the show opened with a voluminous blood orange

red silk coat wrapped over a half dozen layers of tulle. The

ensemble floated by on model Karlie Kloss, on whose

head sprouted a stiff Stephen Jones hat, mimicking the

signature flourish of one of Gruau’s sketches. Gruau,

an Italian who was born Renato Zavagli Ricciardelli

in Rome, adopted his divorced mother’s maiden

name, moved to Paris, lived to be 95. He

went on to become the single most

influential illustrator ever in

fashion history.

Illustrator of Diorby Godfrey Deeny

4A - l i ne / Spr ing 2012

TRené

A - l i ne / Spr ing 2012

Much of this spring 2011 collection riffed on the extended volumes of Dior’s epoch-making New Look show, which Gruau himself

played a key role in making so famous through his brilliant sketches. “Rene Gruau’s crayons, his pencil marks and his paint strokes, all inspired us. I hope something of the results looked effortlessly chic,” Galliano said backstage. And it did. Gruau’s squiggles and brush strokes were reproduced in three dimensions on a series of remarkable looks, pencil lines imitated by strips of sequins, paint strokes by dashes of stiff chiffon. “And the play of light and darkness and the chiaroscuro was evident in Karlie’s first look,” added the couturier, explaining that the only question was why he had taken so long to base a collection on Gruau, given his fundamental role in the house’s history. Gruau’s advertising sketches for Miss Dior perfume and his drawings of the legendary New Look collection of 1947 remain the most easily recognizable drawings in fashion history. Throughout, elements of chiaroscuro were used artfully, eliciting a huge roar of applause from the understanding audience, which included Marisa Berenson, Pedro Almodovar, Elena Anaya, Lou Doillon, Michelle Hicks and Japanese opera singer Seia Lee. It was as if Gruau’s images had come alive on this 200-foot-long catwalk via embroidered and degrade fauve silk coats, asymmetrical tulle fantasy dresses and a dramatic series of marvelously decayed crinolines that ended this show. Now that’s what we call a neat New Look for Dior’s 21st century

5

“le-ka-jbf”

“Rene

Gruau’s crayons, his pencil

marks and his paint strokes, all

inspired us.

René Gruau’s“

Gruau had a passion for animal prints. He set the trend for men

to wear leopard print pants!

6

“I love the playfulness of the

American woman.”

French fashion blogger Garance Doré, 36, makes up one half of what could be called the most sartorially-savvy couple in Manhattan. While on her own, Doré certainly is a force in the fashion blogosphere, having Scott Schuman, 44, whose site The Sartorialist is one of the earliest and most well-known fashion photo blogs, solidifies their status as the power couple of street-style. The beginnings of Doré’s site stemmed from her boredom and frustration with her job as an illustrator in Paris, and because of the site’s unambitious start, Doré was shocked by her overnight success. She started the blog in 2006 and began posting her drawings. “I had just discovered blogs and decided it could be a great way to get feedback about my work. I opened my blog and published a few of my drawings, and soon after started adding text to them. I found joy in sharing snippets of my life – what got me thinking, inspired me, or just made me laugh.” Doré was surprised by the positive feedback she was receiving, and after coming across her future boyfriend’s site, she was inspired to pick up a camera and begin taking street-style shots. Doré’s site grew and became somewhat of a Parisian version of New York’s The Sartorialist, and before long, the two bloggers were introduced at Paris Fashion Week. Schuman had already been looking at Doré’s blog before they met, and he felt that if she had a better camera, she could be a great photographer, so he gave her his backup camera. In an interview with the New York Times, Doré spoke of the gesture: “It’s either the most beautiful moment of my life,” she recalled, “or it’s just stupid, and he’s really trying to seduce me.”

Blognifique!By Georgia Bobley

A - l i ne / Spr ing 2012

7

Doré’s site has evolved since her arrival in New York in early 2011, but she began an English version back in 2008, far before she became a New Yorker. She uses twitter as another way to reach her fans (she has over 128,000 followers), most recently posting photos from some of the coolest Fashion Week events in Paris, Milan and

New York. Doré has used her New York experiences as material for her blog, too. She has opinions on all things American, from weight gain and a phenomenon she calls “New York Skinny” to the “playfulness” of American style, which she described to Vogue: “It manages to be very chic and discreetly sexy without seeming boring,” she says. “French style is amazing, but sometimes can be a little repetitive or safe, and I love the playfulness of the American woman.” Though Doré has made a career out of capturing the interesting styles of other people, she too has become a street-style star in her own right. Even the reigning Queen of street-style, Anna Dello Russo, has paid compliments

to Doré’s look: “...she’s beautiful. She maybe takes less pictures, but she dresses very feminine, very elegant.” In September 2011, Elle & the Coveteur took a peek inside Doré’s closet, sharing the French fashionista’s favorite shoes, bags, and mementos. Doré spoke about the thing she can’t live without: “...my iPad, my yoga, and my wonderful friends.” She also shared a photo of some of her favorite bags, explaining: “Bags are like little sculptures! And, of course, I always have so much stuff that I could never go without one. It’s a necessity, but I try to have fun wearing them.” Doré’s blog continues to grow, and in her most recent endeavor, along with producer Timothee Verrecchia, she launched a video series called

Pardon My French, and her videos prove that she is every bit as charming as her written blog posts suggest.

“I love the playfulness of the

American woman.”

9A - l i ne / Spr ing 2012

Pop like the fresh flowers in spring with bold patterns, metallic, and for the timid, pretty pastels. What have been showing up on the runways are fresh bright and eye-catching looks.

Gentle Fawn is a contemporary and imaginative line of clothing that speaks for people who follow their own paths in life. Their style is clean and modern, with details that give each piece of clothing distinctiveness. Overall aesthetic reflects a strong sense of fashionable edge, but never neglects the bit of charm that sets us apart from the rest.

Gentle Fawn

Flirt without saying a word in this season’s peplum skirts, dresses and tops, defined by a short flared ruffle that sits at the natural waist (that’s the tiny part!). High heels and your steadiest eyeliner flick will seal the deal on your spring glam plan.

With so many pixilated prints and swirling graphics, it’s clear someone’s been having fun with Photoshop. If you’re feeling tired of classic patterns like plaids, stripes and polka dots, then spring 2012’s futuristic-print trend is for you. To keep things in this day and age, pair a techno-print piece with something simple like a won’t-go-out-of-style-for-light-years t-shirt.

Just before New York Fashion Week kicked off, Pantone Institute shared its prediction for the most popular colors of spring 2012, and it was spot-on: The pick for spring’s numero uno shade, Tangerine Tango, was all over the runways. And if tangerine isn’t your citrus of choice, there are plenty more orange hues to choose from. Wear one color and look chic? How easy is that!

The floral print is such a fun and feminine print and is the absolute perfect way to bring in the warm weather. It’s also a great alternative for those who don’t want a print as bold as the tribal print trend that’s also prominent this season.

If wild, look-at-me hues aren’t your thing, worry not: New York Fashion Week’s most esteemed designers have got your back.(And your front. And your legs. You get the picture). Spring’s sweet sorbet shades and pastel hues give off a low-key, ladylike vibe.

Pairing fashion and fragrance since 2012.

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