rain soaked days

Pen and ink fashion illustration by sandra santa lucia/24/25/11

The classic 'Trench-coat' is a must for the rain-soaked days of spring and summer. The waterproof 'Trench' has been around for years…decades in fact!
In 1879 a young man by the name of Thomas Burberry invented a special type of fabric for a rain resistant coat. The British army were the first of many armies that ordered the 'Burberry Trench-coat'. Earlier versions of the trench-coat were waterproof and usually calf-length.

Movie go-ores and the style conscious public have witnessed many newly created versions of the old classic Trench-coat over the years. Now you will see short, long, mid-length, glamourous or simple 'Trench-coats'… all of which still have that classic look of the first 'Burberry Trench-coat'.

The edgy black leather trench-coat below is rendered from  Blumarine's Fall 2010 Fashion show. Shinny black leather boots and black studded leather cuffs and collar give this classic trench a rock-chic look.

IF's illustration word of the week  is 'soaked' presented by Alecia  Goodman

fashion trends…new beginnings

Pen and ink illustration rendering by Sandra Santa Lucia 5/11

The science of fashion design stems from ones creative ideas, ideas that are constantly changing…a new beginning every time the pen is put to paper.
"What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from" — T. S. Eliot.
A new fashion season will soon be upon us, the latest fashion trends of Fall 2011 will have our full attention. If you track back to any Fashion Week roundups, you'll see that there are plenty of trends to get excited about.
In the illustration above I  choose to illustrate the following fashion icons. All of these four designers have very different and distinctive styles, all creating new designs for the beginning of our next fashion season…fall 2011.  Starting at the far left to right: (a) Jil Sander —minimalist designs…sense of simplicity. (b) Alexander McQueen — sexy and distinctive…dramatic and controversial. (c) Stella McCartney — a play on modern shapes…think graphic. (d) Christian Dior — glamourous and feminine…opulent. They, along with many other well known designers are all featured on Elle's blog.
This week's Illustration Friday's May 6th - 12th topic is "beginner" was suggested by Wendi Chen (http://wendichen.blogspot.com/). "A man ceases to be a beginner in any given science and becomes a master in that science when he has learned that he is going to be a beginner all his life." — Robin G. Collingwood .   Collingwood’s principal contribution to aesthetics was The Principles of Art. He portrayed art as a necessary function of the human mind, and considered it collaborative, a collective and social activity. True art, he believed, created an “imaginary object” which could be shared by the artist with his public. In viewing art or listening to music, the audience imaginatively reconstructed the artist’s creative thought.

paper dolls from the 50's

Elizabeth Taylor, 1950

Above and blow are some cutouts which I found on a web this morning reminding me of my youth.   Did you ever play with paper dolls?
 Not having the money to purchase store bought cutouts, I along with a friend, who also enjoyed drawing costume fashion would often draw a figure of a woman then design and draw the cloths for the paper dolls.  Our imaginations carried us from the 50's back to the days of knights, princesses and damsels in distress.  Later in life when my two little girls took an interest in paper doll cutouts I would make some for them. It wasn't long before they too took an interest in drawing and designing their own paper dolls. 
Now young girls play with Barbies. Interesting how the material things change but the concept of playing with dolls and using our imaginations has stayed the same throughout the passing of time.

Debbie Reynolds, 1953 

 

Betty Grable, 1953