Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/384868
The death knell of fashion illustration has ostensibly been ringing for more than half a century. Photography has clearly become the main avenue via which designers, fashion magazines and advertisers choose to convey their brand message or a particular collection to the world. But to paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of the death of this singular style of illustration are greatly exaggerated. Not unlike haute couture, which is also the victim of countless "the end is near" editorials, fashion illustration has become something of an elegant niche market within the industry. It is a form of expression that gives a unique and personal perspective to clothing. Instantly transforming the garments and elevating the pieces, an illustrator has chosen to immortalize to a new artistic plane. According to the legendary fashion illustrator David Downton, his works "utilize the eye, the hand and the heart." He believes that "as long as there are designers designing, we will need artists to interpret their workâone art form describing another." It is true that fashion illustration has been around for hundreds of years. But its domination as the main method for documenting the changing moods of fashion began to wane with the arrival of fashion photography in the 1930s. It was then that the work of photographers such as Edward Steichen, Horst P 182 BAL HARBOUR DRAWN TO FASHION The elegant niche of FASHION ILLUSTRATION is gradually expanding, elevating a season's trend to FINE ART. BY JESSICA MICHAULT An illustration by David Downton for Asos magazine, 2010