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