• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
The Cut
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
Style
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Parties & Red Carpet
  • Fashion Shows
  • Cathy Horyn
  • The Cut Shop
Self
  • Health & Wellness
  • The State of the Uterus
  • Parenting
  • Advice
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Horoscopes
Culture
  • Books
  • Television
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Celebrity
Power
  • Politics
  • Work
  • Money
  • Rebecca Traister
More
  • Latest Stories
  • Video
  • About Us
  • nymag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
gallery
September 6, 2015

See Beautiful Illustrations of Supermodels

By Stephanie Eckardt

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Laurence King.

David Downton’s sketches of models and celebrities are hyperrealistic and wildly popular: His study of Cate Blanchett for Vogue Australia’s 50th-anniversary cover was the fastest-selling issue in the magazine’s history. Iman, Karlie Kloss, Sofia Coppola, and Diane von Furstenberg have all done sittings with Downton, who’s one of the leading fashion artists of the last decade. He’s drawn for brands like Chanel, Lancôme, and Tiffany’s, and his pencil sketches and watercolors have appeared in magazines like Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, and V. 

Sixteen years’ worth of Downton’s portraits — “the result of courtship and coercion,” he says, and plenty of commissions — are now amassed in David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women, out September 15 from publisher Laurence King. The book begins with a beautifully handwritten letter of praise from Christian Lacroix, and many of the illustrations that follow are accompanied by behind-the-scenes photos and backstories.

Downton details how he followed Stella Tennant to New York after meeting her in London in 1998, and how Iman hobbled into her sitting on a sweltering July afternoon on crutches and in plaster from a broken foot. Illustration requires time, and he conjures up the conversations he’s had while sketching. Carolina Herrera told him how a broken nose had her dripping blood onto her shoes at a chic dinner in Spain, and Dita Von Teese dished on her plans to wear nothing but a transparent robe to her wedding celebration in a Gothic castle with Marilyn Manson. His attention to detail is just as precise on his subject’s key features: There’s Daphne Guinness’s “startled skunk hair,” Tennant’s “arrow-straight brow,” and Linda Evangelista’s nostrils. That keen eye is what lets him turn a preliminary sketch into a study so detailed, it can seem Photoshopped.

Click through the slideshow to see Downton’s renderings of some of fashion’s most famous faces, including Joan Smalls, Coco Rocha, Catherine Deneuve, and the late style icon Anna Piaggi.

View
1 / 13 Photos
Diane von Furstenberg Claridge's, London, June 2012.  Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Laure... Diane von Furstenberg Claridge's, London, June 2012.  Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Laurence King.
Stella Tennant New York, 1998. Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Laurence King.
Sarah Jessica Parker Claridge's, London, September 2011. Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Laurenc... Sarah Jessica Parker Claridge's, London, September 2011. Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Laurence King.
Coco Rocha Claridge's, London, February 2014. Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Laurence King.
Iman New York, July 2012. Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Laurence King.
Michelle Dockery Claridge's, London, October 2012. Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Laurence King... Michelle Dockery Claridge's, London, October 2012. Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Laurence King.
Linda Evangelista Hotel George V, Paris, April 2004. Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Laurence King.
Carolina Herrera New York, July 2012.  Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Laurence King.
Joan Smalls NoMad Hotel, New York, June 2013. Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Laurence King.
Catherine Deneuve Hotel Lutetia, Paris, April 1999.  Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Lauren... Catherine Deneuve Hotel Lutetia, Paris, April 1999.  Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Laurence King.
Daphne Guinness Claridge's, London, June 2012.   Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Laurence King.
Jerry Hall London, 2000.  Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Laurence King.
Anna Piaggi Left: Versailles, 2002. Right: Paris, 1998. Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Laurence... Anna Piaggi Left: Versailles, 2002. Right: Paris, 1998. Photo: David Downton: Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish Women published by Laurence King.
1 / 13

Tags:

  • gallery
  • david downton
  • models
  • designers
  • carolina herrera
  • linda evangelista
  • joan smalls
  • stella tennant
  • michelle dockery
  • sarah jessica parker
  • daphne guinness
  • diane von furstenberg
  • anna piaggi
  • iman
  • coco rocha
  • More

More Galleries

met gala 2023 May 2, 2023
Met Gala 2023: All the Looks  See all the dresses, some on-theme and some, well, not so much — honoring Karl Lagerfeld at the Met Gala. 
By Brooke LaMantia
oscars 2023 Mar. 12, 2023
Oscars Red Carpet 2023: Every Look  Rihanna! Florence Pugh! Michelle Yeoh! They’re all here. 
celebrity Feb. 19, 2023
All the Best Looks From the 2023 BAFTAs Red Carpet  Florence Pugh, Barry Keoghan, and Angela Bassett brought color to the red carpet. 
grammys 2023 Feb. 5, 2023
Every Look From the 2023 Grammys Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Lizzo, Bad Bunny, Adele, Doja Cat, Jack Harlow, Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith, and more.
By Brooke LaMantia
Jan. 10, 2023
All the Looks From the 2023 Golden Globes  Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jenna Ortega, Jessica Chastain, Julia Garner, Jeremy Allen White, Angela Bassett, and more. 
parties! Sept. 23, 2022
Katie Holmes, Chloë Sevigny, and More of the Bestest Party Pics This Week  Chanel, Mejuri, and more celebrate. 
parties! Sept. 16, 2022
Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, and More of the Bestest Party Pics This Week  Fendi, Frame, and Coach all celebrated NYFW. 
emmys 2022 Sept. 12, 2022
Emmys 2022: All the Red Carpet Looks  Updating: What Hollywood is wearing to the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards. 
By Olivia Luppino
nyfw spring 2023 Sept. 9, 2022
Gigi Hadid, Chlöe Bailey, and More of the Bestest Party Pics of the Week  Saks Fifth Avenue, Longchamp, and more celebrate the beginning of NYFW. 
rip Sept. 9, 2022
The Queen Sure Did Love to Color-Coordinate  Monochrome for decades. 
red carpet Sept. 6, 2022
The Venice Film Festival Is a Major Fashion Event  Valentino and Gucci and Armani, oh my. 
red carpet June 5, 2022
All the Best Looks at the 2022 MTV Movie and TV Awards  Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Hudgens, Jay Ellis, and more! 
parties! May 20, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Harry Styles > everyone! 
parties! May 13, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Bury me in Dove Cameron’s Saint Sintra skirt. 
parties! May 6, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Cue the Met Gala after-party FOMO. 
met gala 2022 May 2, 2022
Met Gala 2022: All the Looks [Photos]  Billie Eilish, Kim Kardashian, Michelle Yeoh, Hailey Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Blake Lively, and more. 
parties! Apr. 29, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  This one goes to Olivia Rodrigo and her sweater vest. 
parties! Apr. 22, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  “Fuck those Zoom tops.” 
celebrity style Apr. 18, 2022
The Best Looks From Coachella 2022  From Harry Styles’s sparkling Gucci set to Megan Thee Stallion’s metallic bodysuit. 
style Apr. 13, 2022
A Look Inside the New Museum’s Spring Gala  Featuring all the best looks. 
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
  • About The Cut
  • About New York Magazine
  • Newsletters
  • Help
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • We’re Hiring
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Accessibility
The Cut is a Vox Media Network. © 2023 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.