on fashion illustrations

Fashion illustrations are something I don't really understand. At school they teach us all these techniques to make the drawings look as realistic as possible... draw out the stitches, put some shadow here, some creases there, it's all about being meticulous...but I think the drawings turn out tacky that way.

I have no idea if this is true but I remember reading somewhere that Rei Kawakubo would gather her patterners together, and then drop a creased handkerchief on the floor, point to it and say, "that--that's what I want!" And somehow that makes a lot more sense to me than drawing these bland detailed drawings of clothes that haven't even been made yet.

Whether or not the story is true, one of the most appealing things about CdG, to me, is the sense of freedom you get from the clothes. You can totally picture Kawakubo dropping the handkerchief and her patterners going "hmmm.... yeah, I think we could do that". They don't let themselves get all tied down by the general rules or clothesmaking. And I think that sort of freedom is only possible if you're completely open and free of petty expectations at the outset. You start with a feeling. Not with the number of buttons or the type of cuff you want to use. Becuase if you start with that, that's all you're going to get.

I was looking at a Rene Gruau book the other day, not all of his work is my cup of tea but he is the perfect example of the sort of illustrator who gives you the freedom to imagine, and I like that

rainbow unicorn attack

Since September I've been listening non-stop to Soutaiseiriron's Synchroniciteen album. It's cute and sweet in the best way with just the tiniest bit of irony (but not too much cuz that would be annoying). Try listening! I think you'll like them



Cinderella
Miss Parallel World
Love is a Hundered Years War
Moonlight Galaxy

This kind of music makes you want to paint your room pink and eat candy and wear matching pajamas no????
In my mind Yoshikawa Hinano is the archetype of this sort of off-beat "cute girl"....

I found some old magazine scans from when she was 13 (which means these photos are from the mid 90s) and she looks adorable











I read somewhere that as a kid she loved the color pink and strawberries and teddybears, and wanted to wear frilly dresses all the time. So it saddened her whenever stylists dressed her in boyish clothes, or told her she looked better in simple outfits like a shirt and pants.
But today she's 30 (she doesn't look a day older than 19) and she looks like this
so I doubt she's complaining....

I think she's done 6 or 7 photobooks so far, here are some pages from 3 books photographed by Kishin Shinoyama, two from her teens and one from her early 20s. (via A Japanese book)

Hinano ga Pyon Pyon (1996)










Accidents Series 8 (1999)











Hinano ga Chu (2001)










And this is the Isetan poster that made her famous


I LOVE HER

End of hinano fan post.