fashion designers…preparing for the Oscars

What would the starlets do without the top designers on Oscar night?…and what would the designers do without historical fashion?  Designers are often influenced by articals of clothing, style, accessory or fabric from the past. For example; although I am not a fashion designer I did have fun designing and illustrating the Tux-Shrug below.  I rather liked the high-waisted bodice which came forth during the Renaissance period. One never knows what inspires one does one.

Pen and ink fashion design and illustration of front and back views of a Tux-Shrug by Sandra SantaLucia, Banff, AB/17/01/2012

You might like to read Ulinka Rublack's artical  "Renaissance Fashion: The Birth of Power Dressing," at Cambridge University. Ulinka Rublack makes a good argument that the concept as we know it got started way back in the 1300s. By the end of the era, "clothes already formed an important part of what we might call people’s ‘psychic landscapes.’ Wardrobes could become repositories of fantasies and insecurities, as well as reflecting expectations of what a person might look like and behave." Particularly interesting is her research on one Matthaus Schwarz, an Augsburg accountant who had watercolor paintings of himself in various outfits bound into a book—making him possibly the world's first fashion blogger.

This week's topic for Illustration Friday week of Jan. 14 - 20, 2012

This week's topic is "Prepare" suggested by Susan Sorrell Hill (http://susansorrellhill.wordpress.com/).

An artist must possess Nature. He must identify himself with her rhythm, by efforts that will prepare the mastery which will later enable him to express himself in his own language. ~ Henri Matisse

"swell*" (cool*)…fashionable aliens

pen and ink fashionable aliens illustration by sandra santa lucia

These "cool"* fashionably clan female aliens illustrated above are dressed in very stylish graphic evening wear. All eyes are sure to be on them while they make their presence known at the annual extra-terrestrial Mars Disco Dance.

"Swell may refer to:

• Swell*, a slang term for "good", "cool*", or "nifty"
• Swell, another word for a fop, dandy, popinjay, or maccaroni (fashion)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swell

This week's Illustration Friday's topic is: swell suggested by ruth blohm-hunter

safari fashion

Ink rendering of the above colonial safari fashion and lioness by sandra santa lucia /19/5/11

 The word 'safari' is derived from the arabic 'safara' and means 'to make a journey'.  Along with crew and models  film companies and fashion photographers alike make that very safari to Africa.  
Africa, entices fashion designers, photographers and film companies from around the world to its tremendous wealth of  amazing scenery and wild animals such as the lionesses below. The lioness is a female member of the species Panthera leo. Lionesses are the core members of, and primary hunters for each pride or primary social group of lions. 
One film in particular comes to mind that exemplifies the beauty and costumes of Africa…that movie being — 'Out of Africa'. The colonial safari fashion; worn by Merle Streep was designed by Milena Canonero who was nominated for an Academy Award for her designs. Why she wasn't chosen is beyond me…her designs were magnificent. 
This week's, May 13  - 19, Illustration Friday's topic is "safari" suggested by Jill .

royal wedding hat fever

ink fashion hats illustration by sandra santa lucia/4/2011

let the Royal Wedding begin…1980s to 2008 hats
The last of my three illustrations are complete…just in time for the Royal Wedding. Expect to see  hats of all shapes and sizes, this wedding will be the main headline for all fashion magazines and outlets throughout the world…let the Royal Wedding begin. Below are hats from the 1980s to 2008.

• 1960s: Left: A  pillbox hat is a small woman's hat with a flat crown and straight, upright sides. Jacqueline Kennedy, First Lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, well-known for her 'signature pillbox hats' in the 1960s, designed by Oleg Cassini. The sixties boosted of a great many glamorous hats.
• 1980s: Top centre: small hat with a slightly shallow crown and a round brim accented with lace vail surfaced during the late 70s and 80
• 2000s: Right: There have been fans of floppy hats for as long as women have wanted to shade themselves from the sun. But over the years the style has grown out from its roots as the hat of choice for not only lounging by the pool and digging in the back yard garden but the floppy is back in the fashion magazines. Hats have taken on a new younger look. Our soon to be Royal Princess, Kate Middleton is setting the pace with very stunning hats. 

hats…a fashionable essential

ink hat parade from 1789 to 1912 illustrated by sandra santa lucia/04/2011 

Hat parade…1789 — 1912 
Through the ages one sees a wide variety of hats. Initially the headwear offered protection from the elements, injury from falling rocks, weapons or masonry. Later head coverings became symbols of status of authority. Soon after hats progressed to become not only a uniform, but also an art form. 
On the day of the Royal Wedding the world will be treated  to an extraordinary range of couture millinery.  Continuing on with a few more hat sketches I choose, researched and sketched three very different hats. The vast numbers of hats between 1789 to 1912 was phenomenal.

• 1789:  Centre: Large brim hat in the shape of a mushroom and made with white muslin, trimmed with large bows of velvet.
• 1808: Left:  Riding hat: A version of the masculine top-hat which replaced the Directoire jockey hat. Fashioned with silk or coloured beaver, often had a gauze veil which floats behind in the breeze.
• 1912: Right: In 1900 the Edwardian period was not as universally wide as is sometimes thought. The new century began with a continuation of art nouveau influence in fashion  and as skirts swirled around the feet of women forming in fans like bell flowers, so did hats swirl and swoop around the head as in the 1912 felt hat illustrated above. This felt hat was ornamented with swirls of fine silk and worn well over the head with the left side higher than the right.  
• Watch for more hats to come from mid-1900 to 2011

Note: reference material from "The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Costume and Fashion" by Jack Casin-Scott          

period hats making a statement…1300 - 1600

hats from 1377—left, 1500 — centre, 1678 right ink illustration by sandra santa lucia/4/2011 

The Royal Wedding, Friday, April 29 will soon be upon us.  The women whom will be in attendance will no doubt be wearing the very latest and most stylist of hats.  A real Hat parade! — designs of which may  have had a link to the millinery delights of the past.

Just for the heck of it I thought I would sketch a few hats from the 1300 —1600 century.  Who knows one just may catch a glimpse of a design which may have inspired a hat designer to one of his/her creations at the wedding.

• 1377 :  Left:  depicts a  Caul, which is a historical headdress worn by women that covered tied-up hair. The drawing below shows the hair completely hidden and covered by a decorative gem and  gold embroidered Caul over which was attached an ornamental padded roll.
• 1500:  Centre: The German/Swiss mercenary soldiers known as Landknecht, also created a mixture of fashion which included a flat (platter hat) felt brimmed hat which was slashed and decorated with feathers. Soon women were adapting the men's Landknecht hat to suit themselves. They covered their hair with a jewelled Caul and attached colourful feathers to the flat felt hat.
• 1678:  Right: Headdress (Hennin) was the 'cornet' — a lawn cap which had a standing frill in front and long lappets falling behind the shoulders, or tied in front under the chin. More hats to come — watch for more sketches from the 1700 to 1900 centuries
• Note: the rendered drawings were from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Costume and Fashion by Jack Cassin-Scott.

women in BIG hats…a cultivated taste?

women in BIG hats…pen and ink illustration by Sandra Santa Lucia, March 21/11

March 18th — 24th Illustration Friday's word of the week is "cultivate".

"Art is not for the cultivated taste. It is to cultivate taste." - Nikki Giovanne 

Big hat designing is an extremely artistic venture; the world famous Philip Treacy comes to mind when I think of original hats. 
The hat below is just one of the many creative hats which Philip Treacy has designed.

Philip Treacy design

classic flowing coat

Pastel fashion illustration by Sandra Santa Lucia

Warm, stylish and classic…a woman's must have! On a day when the cold winds blow, a flowing wool coat will keep you ever so warm.

The fashion illustration above was drawn on a burgundy mat board using coloured pastels to create a loosely drawn sketch depicting the flowing fullness of the coat.

Jacket with style

Bomber Jacket pen and ink illustration by Sandra Santa Lucia

The stylish Leather Bomber jacket above is an all-time classic for all women. Worn with jeans, skirts or dresses this stylish jacket will take you anywhere you wish to go.
Using pen and ink with a wash helped accentuate the softness and details of the leather. The border was created with torn paper from various of magazine headers.

80's sweaters

acrylic, ink, and pencil fashion illustration by sandra santa lucia

This week's Illustration Friday's topic is "sweaters".  The bold graphic sweaters of the 80's could be worn dressed up or down, and they really didn't require accessories to make them 'pop'! 
The cardigan and graphic turtle neck sweater were illustrated with pencil, ink, and acrylic paint. Bright bold round graphics were used in the background accentuating the strong graphic elements of the turtle-neck sweater.  

50's & 60's sweaters

A shortie, skims the upper part of a full skirt illustrated by Sandra Santa Lucia

Women's weaters in the late 50's early 60's were  pretty basic.  If fact cardigans, often part of a sweater set, and v-necks seem to be making a comeback. Another popular sweater was the shortie, often worn over a full skirt showing the waistband. The line drawn fashion illustrations of the sweaters below were drawn with pen and ink and pencil.

These cardigans and v-neck appeared in the Calgary Herald newspaper in the early 60's. Pencil illustration by Sandra Santa Lucia

fashion from the sixties

This week is New York Fashion Week…love fashion illustrating.
Women of the early sixties enjoyed the comfort which many casual shoes offered. 

Pen and ink wash of flat shoes of the sixties illustrated by Sandra Santa Lucia 

Pen and ink wash lingerie drawn by Sandra Santa Lucia

Pen and ink wash of a full slip drawn by Sandra Santa Lucia

Years ago, in the early sixties,  while a rookie layout artist in the graphic department, at The Hudson Bay Company in Calgary, Alberta one of the finishing artists would hand over a few art assignments to me.   The post above highlight a few lingerie illustrations which once appeared in a Hudson Bay Company advertisement in the The Calgary Herald newspaper.