The History of Fashion Illustration

The history of fashion illustration, the art of drawing figures dressed in clothing, is quite long. It was a major component of the fashion industry in its early years. As a form of design communication it helped communicate trends to the world and inspired new styles. But as photography took hold and fashion magazines grew in popularity, the illustrator became more and more of a secondary player to the fashion plate photographer. By the late 1950’s, photography had overtaken illustration completely and we rarely see fashion illustrations on magazine covers anymore.

This is not a criticism of fashion illustration or its great artists; it’s just the reality of how fast technological change can occur and what that means to the business of fashion. Photographs cost less to produce than the hand drawn fashion plates and so they took over. Perhaps with the rise of millennial oriented teen magazines, we’ll see fashion illustration make a come back?

For design communication, the fashion illustrator draws a basic figure, known as a croquis, and then builds a look on top of that. They take special care to represent fabrics and silhouettes correctly and often find fabric swatches to draw from. They use mediums such as gouache, pencil, marker and even pastel to convey the textures of the clothes and the feeling they evoke in the viewer.

Men are challenging to draw because of their angular lines and broad shoulders; it’s hard to get them looking slim and fit without appearing girly. Muscle tone is much more pronounced in men which also influences some of the proportions they are drawn to.

The first fashion illustration of a male was probably produced in the 17th century by artist Jacques Callot. These etchings or woodcuts showed noblemen wearing the latest fashions in their country of origin or rank. They were the precursor to modern fashion design and served as the prototype for the figurative style of clothing illustration that we see today.

In the 1920’s and 1930’s fashion illustration was at its height and all the major commercial artists were considered to be consummate draughtsmen. Their work was featured on the covers of many high-end fashion magazines and they were also hired to create portraits of celebrities for magazines such as Vogue.

During this time, the luxury French magazine Gazette du Bon Ton was published and gave its contributors unprecedented freedom in their interpretation of fashion. Each issue contained up to ten color pochoir plates and several croquis design sketches. Iribe was one of the artists who contributed to this influential publication and his work reflects both the influence of Japanese wood-block prints as well as the sleek geometry of Art Deco styling.

The process of creating a fashion illustration is quite complex and requires some serious skill. The best way to learn is through a class at a local college or by purchasing a book or online tutorials that teach the basics of figurative drawing. It is important to practice frequently and be patient with yourself; you can develop a good foundation of fashion illustration within two weeks of regular practice.