Dictionary of 20th Century World Fashion Illustrations - What was the American clothing style in the 1950s (pictures)?

Fashion Illustration: The "Devil of Fashion" with a 500-year history

Fashion illustration has existed for nearly 500 years. Since the emergence of clothes, it has been necessary to design clothes. Ideas or images transformed into fashion illustrations. This visual form originated in illustration, drawing and painting, and is also known as "fashion sketching". Fashion designers mainly use "fashion sketching" to brainstorm ideas on paper or digitally. Its main role in design is to preview and visualize the final result before sewing the actual clothes.

Next, we will take a look at the historical development process of fashion illustration, the "devil of fashion" with a history of 500 years, in stages.

1. The Beginning of Fashion Illustration

Fashion illustration began in the 16th century, when global exploration and discovery led to people's fascination with the clothes of people in various countries around the world. Books illustrating appropriate clothing for different social classes and cultures were printed to help combat the fear of change and the social unrest caused by these discoveries.

Between 1520 and 1610, more than 200 such engravings, etchings or woodcuts were published, containing panels of figures dressed as a particular nationality or caste. These are the earliest illustrations of clothing and the prototype of modern fashion illustrations. These illustrations are likely to be used by dress designers, dressmakers, and their clients to inspire new designs.

Seventeenth-century artists Jacques Callot and Abraham Bosse both used modern engraving techniques to create realistic details of period costumes and costumes.

These periodicals began in France and England in the 1670s and are considered the first fashion magazines, and include Le Mecure Gallant, The Lady's Magazine, La Gallerie des Modes, Le Cabinet des Modes and Le Journal des Dameset des Modes. During this period, the number of published periodicals increased, in response to the market's growing female readership hungry for the latest fashion news. It was not until the late 18th and early 19th century that male-style illustrations became as important as female illustrations.

2. The fashion plate in the 19th century

The fashion plate came to the forefront in the late 18th century and became popular in Paris. During this period, publications such as Horace Venet's "Incroyable set Merveilleuses" etc. objects, as well as a series of watercolor fashion drawings engraved by Georges-Jacques Gatine during the Napoleon I period.

France’s position as the arbiter of fashion ensures a constant demand for fashion illustrations at home and abroad. This interest in, and increasingly widespread access to, fashionable clothing resulted in more than 150 fashion periodicals in the 19th century. These highly detailed fashion illustrations capture information on fashion trends and provide general dressmaking guidance.

Haute couture customization also appeared at this stage (appeared in the 1860s). Fashion companies hired illustrators, who would work directly with women's clothing designers. When the designers hung the fabrics on the live models, the illustrations The designer will sketch out the new design. They also create illustrations of each design in the finished collection, which can then be sent to clients.

By the end of the 19th century, hand color printing was replaced by full color printing. Fashion patterns began using two figures, one of which could be seen from the back or side, so that the garment could be seen from more angles, making copying easier. The focus of 19th century illustrators was accuracy and detail. They adhere to static image conventions in order to provide comprehensive information and guidance to the viewer.

3. Fashion magazines and illustrations in the twentieth century

In the early decades of the twentieth century, fashion illustrations in the modern sense blossomed for the first time. As the distribution of the latest fashion styles became increasingly profitable, the job of fashion illustrator became a profession. Fashion, formerly the work of individual artists, is now becoming an industry, producing new merchandise in unprecedented quantities to fill department store shelves. These stores invented a new pastime in full name - shopping culture.

Gazettedubonton, a French luxury magazine published from 1912 to 1925, brought together a group of young artists who were given unprecedented freedom in interpreting fashion. Iribe was the leading figure among these fashion illustrators, contributing to prestigious publications that also included Charles Martin, Eduardo Garcia Benito, George · George Barbier, Georges Lepape and Umberto Brunelleschi.

The plates they produced for the Gazette showed the influence of Japanese woodblock prints, as well as new changes in Art Deco style.

In the United States, mass-market fashion magazines Vogue and Harper's Bazaar cover social occasions as well as contemporary clothing trends. Harper's Bazaar magazine signed an exclusive contract with the genius Erte, which lasted from 1915 to 1938 and was one of the longest contracts in publishing history.

From 1910 to the outbreak of World War II, "Vogue" magazine always featured illustrations on its covers. Early covers of Vogue featured illustrations by American illustrators Helen Dryden, George Wolf Plank, Georges Lepape, and F.X. Leyendecker of artwork.

After World War I, they were joined by European artists, including Eduardo Benito, Charles Martin, Pierre Brissaud ) and AndreMarty.

4. The Golden Age of Fashion Illustration

The 1920s to 1930s represented the "golden age" of fashion illustration. Every commercial artist is considered a fashion artist and is a consummate draftsman. Many people can represent the texture, sheen and even weight of a fabric with authority and conviction.

New technological developments in photography and printing began to place reproductions of photographs directly on the pages of magazines, meaning that fashion graphics were no longer representative of modern life. By the early 1930s, photographs began to become the magazine's first choice, with Vogue reporting in 1936 that photographic covers were selling better and illustrations were beginning to be incorporated into the inside pages.

With the economic recession following the 1929 stock market crash, the American fashion industry became less dependent on Parisian fashion. During the interwar period, clothing manufacturing in the United States made great strides, improving mass production methods and standardizing sizing. Middle-class women relied on skilled seamstresses to purchase the latest fashion designs at affordable prices, while magazines such as Vogue and Women's Journal published patterns that were invaluable to home dressmakers.

The main purpose of Vogue magazine is to show fashion to readers as much as possible. Photography frees illustrators from the need to accurately record clothing and is more inclined to interpret fashionable clothing. According to the magazine's publisher, "The artists, who are primarily interested in obtaining interesting pictorial and decorative effects, are burdened and therefore bored with faithfully reporting anything in the spirit of contemporary fashion."

Dior's "New Look" of the late 1940s provided inspiration for the postwar fashion revival. In many ways it's a throwback style, reaching back into the past rather than looking forward to the future, but it also symbolizes a return to more cheerful, optimistic times.

5. The Destruction and Revival of Fashion Illustration

By the 1950s, fashion editors had allocated more budgets to the editorial communication of photography. The subsequent elevation of fashion photographers to celebrity status meant that illustrators had to be content with producing articles on lingerie and accessories, or working on advertising campaigns.

During the 1960s, fashion illustration continued to lose its place in magazine publishing, a trend that was reflected in the new category of teen magazines aimed at young people, many of which were published in the 1960s, all of which Illustrations all focus on illustration as a cheap alternative to photography.

Antonio Lopez (Antonio Lopez) was the only artist to appear regularly in Vogue magazine during this period. His career began in "Women's Wear Daily".

In the second half of the 20th century, fashion illustration struggled to survive, and it was not until the 1980s that it began to revive. The new generation of artists was featured in magazines such as La Modeenpeinture (1982), Conde Nast’s Vanity (1981) and Visionaire (1991). This resurgence was attributed to advertising campaigns, specifically Barney's New York advertising campaign from 1993-1996.

6. Fashion Illustration Today

Between fine art and commercial art, fashion illustration has recently been re-evaluated as an important genre. Since beauty and elegance have become passé in both fashion and art, fashion illustration sometimes seems like a throwback to an earlier era.

Photography is very good at recording the details of a garment, so the illustrator's focus is no longer on an exact representation of the garment, but on explaining the garment and its possible wearer. In the late 20th and early 20th centuries, it developed a range of unique artistic styles, enabled by digital tools and social media platforms. In the 1990s, pioneer illustrators Ed Tsuwaki, Graham Rounthwaite, Jason Brooks and Kristian Russell began to emerge in the field of computer graphics.

This period witnessed the emergence of computer design programs Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, and also witnessed the revival of traditional art-based forms of fashion illustration. New York's Parsons School of Design and FIT School began offering illustration as a dedicated element of their fashion courses. Hand-crafted "traditional" illustration has been enjoying a renaissance, with fashion illustrators often looking back to the masters of the past for style inspiration. Fashion illustrations based on classic methods have successfully complemented those created by more modern processes.

Recently, illustration has become popular through collaborations between fashion designers and illustrators. With the use of social media, fashion illustrators have begun to attract people's attention. Stylish illustrations are full of vibrant colors, intricate patterns and endless personality to make a lasting impression.

Welcome to visit the public account "Painting Practice", you can receive a gift package of illustrators' painting secrets for free, and learn about the world's commercial illustration price trends. What was the American clothing style in the 1950s (pictures)?

The specific clothing styles of the United States in the 1950s are as follows:

1. New look

On February 17, 1947, Christian Dior ) launched a series of fashionable clothes named "Corolla" in Paris. This design can be said to have shocked the whole world! Almost all the media in the world made headlines about it. Some people even exclaimed: Dior's "NewLook" truly ended the Second World War

, allowing people's hearts that were severely damaged by the war to return to beauty and tranquility.

The new style has the noble and elegant clothing style of upper-class women in the 19th century, but it uses new technologies and new design techniques to reinterpret it to show the femininity and masculinity of the war period. Strong contrast.

The length of the sleeves usually reaches the center of the forearm, the so-called 3/4 sleeves, and are lined with long gloves. Rounded and smooth natural shoulder lines, high breasts adjusted with a bra,

enlarged breasts

, connected to a slender waist, and a long skirt with a wide hem held up by a bustle, Longer than the calf, 20cm off the ground, paired with stiletto heels, the overall appearance is very elegant and full of femininity.

2. Cocktail wear

This is a new style launched by Christian Dior in 1948. The key point of its design is that the front chest open collar is relatively low.

The sling

is placed on the shoulder close to the arm, leaving the chest and shoulders more exposed.

The neckline is V-shaped or heart-shaped, and the skirt is

A-line skirt

or straight. The skirt is calf-length and slightly shorter than a formal

evening dress

. It is very suitable for wearing in early social events and is between casual and formal evening wear. A kind of clothing.

3. Windbreaker jacket

Loose and knee-length long coats are also this season’s iconic clothing, but leather or other crisp fabrics are often chosen to create tough lines and match the The belt highlights the femininity and echoes the sleeveless waist-cinching dress inside.

4. Skirts

There are two types of skirts, one is tightly wrapped, and the other is a slightly loose pleated and flared skirt. The pleated flared skirt was very expensive, so it was initially difficult to promote it in Europe, which was facing famine. As a result, it first became popular in the wealthy United States.

5. Jeans

Cheap and durable

Denim

In the past, it was the clothing of workers and cowboys who did rough work. It became very popular in the 1950s and was worn by people of all ages and classes.

Marlon Brando

, James Dean’s sexy combination of jeans and leather jacket, and gangster image were copied by millions of rebellious youth at that time.

Extended information

After the end of World War II, Western clothing no longer resembled the pre-war "men's

Military uniform

, women's A single outfit of "work clothes". Thanks to social changes and the efforts of a group of designers, the glory of Western high fashion in the 1950s was created, becoming an eternal classic and recorded in the history of fashion. It also brought the development of the high fashion industry to an epoch-making peak.

The 1950s was an era when the fashion industry embraced new positioning, new colors, and new tailoring of clothing. During this iconic period, people gradually abandoned the gaudy retro styles such as pin-up girls and rockabilly clothing.

The 1950s was a shining era where the elegant and luxurious "Gossip Girl" was popular. It further highlights the characteristics of women: exquisiteness, elegance, luxury, sweetness and romance, and lingers in our memories to this day.

Reference source:

-New Style

Reference source:

ifeng.com - the most elegant 1950s in Western history How beautiful are the costumes of the era? The most popular contemporary fashion illustrator! How is it made?

He is the most popular illustrator

He is also the best spokesperson for fashion

David Downton,

Born in 1959 in London.

Since childhood,

the best treat for him is a large blank page.

However,

What David did not expect was that

he would be able to make a living from painting a long time later.

▲David Downton was painting when he was young

▲The studio is a painting of its own, no less beautiful than Picasso's studio.

▲You can create stunning works on the "interesting and informative" workbench.

David initially studied graphic design,

his first work was in the early 1980s,

a cover design for WhichComputer magazine .

▲ Fashion illustrations drawn by David Downton in New York in 1998. Made of ink and acetate paper.

▲A fashion illustration drawn by David Downton for Christine Lacroix in 1998. The material is ink and color box paper.

For 15 years,

David has been a freelance illustrator.

No matter what happens,

He enjoys the life of a freelance illustrator.

▲Illustrations drawn by David Downton for the fashion design designed by Jean Paul Gaultier in 1999. A black long dress paired with black sunglasses is even more stunning. David takes Kate Moss as his prototype and uses pop style to express the classic charm of fashion. This work is quite famous in the fashion industry and is one of the most representative works in the fashion illustration industry in recent years.

▲A fashion illustration drawn by David Downton for Valentino in 1999. Similar to the painting style of Lacroix, Eric and others, the colors he uses are full of modernity.

▲ Paloma Picasso, a fashion illustration created by David Downton in London in 1999. The material is gouache, ink cartridge paper, and acetate paper coating.

▲The paper-cut bottle stickers completed by David Downton in London in 1999, with Iman as the model. Drawn with ink on Pantone paper covered with acetate paper.

The lines of David's works are simple and smooth,

very textured, and the style is not pretentious.

It can well show the graceful posture of the human body.

Because of this unique painting style,

Some people began to invite him to create fashion illustrations.

Among them,

the 85-year-old immortal legend Carmen Dell'Orefice,

she is also one of David's muses.

▲ Fashion illustrations drawn by David Downton in New York in 2000. The model is Carmen Dale Orpheus and the costumes are designed by Thierry Mugler. This work was first drawn with oil pastels on Pantone paper, which was then coated with acetate paper and then painted with ink.

▲David Downton painted a portrait of Anna Page, the editor-in-chief of the famous European fashion magazine, in 2001. He very successfully captured the soul of this "fashion godmother". Exaggerated color matching, playful expressions, uninhibited attitude combined with seemingly wild but very skillful brushstrokes~perfect!

▲David Downton served as Chanel's design director Amanda in 2002. Portrait by Harleezy.

He has always admired artists such as Lacroix, Antonio, and Eric.

Therefore,

There are also similarities in colors and lines in early painting styles.

In 1996, he produced illustrations for high fashion shows for magazines.

In 1997, he became active in Paris haute couture shows.

At first he was dazzled and completely unprepared,

but,

the Paris fashion show was real,

inspired an artist inspiration.

Paris has the most beautiful women and the best design works.

And everything here is fascinating.

David never painted when the models were on the catwalk.

Because he found that it was impossible to do it at all,

He just took pictures or watched from the sidelines,

and truly felt every touching moment. .

He seized every other opportunity to paint.

No moment when the model was still could escape his eyes.

For example: when trying on clothes,

Sometimes even when the model is taking a break at a press conference...

▲Cosmetics are also his tools , it touches the heart between the time you start writing and the time you finish writing, suitable for both light and dark colors.

David said: "When I first started drawing, I thought it was my responsibility to restore the appearance of the clothes themselves according to the catwalk on the stage. However, the first time I attended a fashion conference was at the Versace show Above, I only drew Kate Moss’s arms before she disappeared! So it’s best to enjoy whatever details the model shows now.”

▲The draft is also moving

David believes that the most important thing is the feeling of the body beneath the surface of the clothes,

and then the proportions, colors and other details.

However, this is More difficult to do.

▲The drafts are also moving

David drew countless design drafts,

and then selected the best ones,

When the paintings were almost complete, he began to eliminate them,

"decompose and reconstruct" them.

He kept painting,

until they looked natural.

He has written for well-known media around the world,

such as "The Times", "The Independent",

and Harper's Bazaar (a Australian version), etc.

Write fashion-related reports.

He has held three solo exhibitions in London and one solo exhibition in New York.

In recent years,

he has also designed visual images for shopping malls in Hong Kong,

and illustrated the Vogue women's fashion series.

▲The cover drawn by David Downton for the "Saturday Evening Post" in 2004. This work was created in Paris and is made of gouache, watercolor and paper.

▲The advertising poster designed by David Downton for TopShop’s fashion conference in September 2004. This brand is the work of young designers.

▲David Downton’s illustration Valentin Fitting commissioned by Vogue (China Edition) in 2005. The materials are ink, gouache and paper, acetate paper.

▲ Fashion illustrations drawn by David Downton for YSL in 2006. Materials are ink, watercolor and paper.

▲A fashion painting drawn by David Downton for YSL in 2006, using ink, gouache, charcoal and paper.

▲David Downton’s fashion illustration commissioned by Madame magazine (German edition) in 2007. This work was first drawn on paper with oil pastels, then coated on acetate paper, and then painted with ink and gouache.

▲Illustrations commissioned by David Downton from The Times of London in 2007. The materials are ink, gouache and paper.

▲Illustrations drawn by David Downton for his magazine PourquoiPas in 2008. The model is Dita Vontes. The clothes are designed by Lacroix. The materials are ink, gouache and paper, acetate fiber. Paper lamination.

Did David draw the sexy dancer vividly~

If you want to grind an iron pestle into a needle~

If you want to have the ability to surpass others ,

We must cultivate our abilities to the extreme!