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gallery
September 16, 2016

See Vintage Fashion Illustrations in a New London Exhibit

By Hattie Crisell

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“A lot of people think that fashion illustration is something that died circa 1930, when photography came in — but that’s absolutely not true,” says Connie Gray, curator of “Drawing on Style,” an exhibition running during this London Fashion Week. “They ran very much hand-in-hand up until the 1960s and 1970s, and they really complemented each other on the page. Very often there would be a mixture of photography and illustration within the same fashion story.”

Gray’s gallery, Gray M.C.A., specializes in fashion illustration, and her exhibitions have become an annual event (now in their third year). The new show is a broad retrospective of around 60 drawings, taking in everything from a 1927 pencil sketch by Bernard Boutet de Monvel to contemporary work by New York’s Blair Breitenstein and Barcelona’s Conrad Roset.

Gray is particularly proud of the postwar offering: “We have what I consider to be the very masters of the period, which is René Gruau, René Bouché, and Carl ‘Eric’ Erickson — they were continuously commissioned for Harper’s Bazaar, for Vogue, for Elle, for Women’s Wear Daily, for the New York Times,” she says. “Then we move through to the 1960s, where the revolutionary new style came in, with Antonio Lopez and Kenneth Paul Block — both American illustrators. The American illustrators, without doubt, were absolutely crucial.”

Though this kind of artwork doesn’t take center stage in fashion reporting anymore, the medium, Gray says, can sometimes be more effective than photography. “The photography of the 20th century was wonderful, but it was often quite static,” she says. “With illustration, there was a lot more feeling, movement, and expression.” Click through the slideshow for a peek at the new show.

“Drawing on Style,” presented by Gray MCA in collaboration with SHOWstudio, is on display at Gallery 8 in London from September 15–20.

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1 / 42 Photos
René Bouché (1905–1963), Red Suit, Condé Nast, January 1950, watercolor and gouache on paper, signed verso, 58 x 35.5 cm.
René Bouché (1905_1963), Saks Fifth Avenue New York for Condé Nast, watercolor and gouache, signed, 65 x 50.5 cm.
Adrian Bailey (1928–), Fashion Queen Magazine, watercolor on board, 28 x 24 cm.
René Bouché (1905–1963), Red Dress New York, watercolor and india ink on paper, signed, 63.5 x 48.5 cm.
Kenneth Paul Block (1924–2009), Cardin Runway, black felt tip on paper, 34.5 x 25.5 cm.
Jack Potter (1927–2002).
Caroline Smith (1943–), Hers Range The Observer, February, 25, 1968, mixed media on board, 37 x 51 cm.
Bernard Blossac (1917–2002), Yellow Tailleur, Actualite Couture, 1955, ink and gouche on paper, signed, 57.5 x 43 cm.
Blair Breitenstein, Gucci.
René Bouché (1905–1963), Woman in Pink Suit, watercolor on paper, 63 x 48 cm.
Carl Erickson (1891–1958), Paris 1948, watercolor and charcoal on paper, signed, 65.5 x 45.5 cm.
Adrian Bailey (1928–), advertising for Thomas Cook, circa 1962, watercolor on board, signed, 35 x 43.5 cm.
Fiona Gourlay, Giorgio Armani.
Conrad Roset, Nasir Mazhar.
Jane Bixby Weller, Hat, india ink on paper, signed, 62.5 x 48 cm.
Bil Donovan, Fushia.
Henry Koehler (1927–), Lady Ormsby-Gore, wife of British Ambassador, Washington, for Town & Country, 1962, watercolor and charcoal, signed, 76.5 x... Henry Koehler (1927–), Lady Ormsby-Gore, wife of British Ambassador, Washington, for Town & Country, 1962, watercolor and charcoal, signed, 76.5 x 56cm.
Bil Donovan, Sciaparelli, Luxure Magazine.
Bil Donovan, Gowns.
Conrad Roset, Sister By Sibling.
Bil Donovan, Heather Huey Couture USA.
Kenneth Paul Block (1924–2009), Dior Runway, black felt tip on paper, 35 x 25 cm.
Pierre Simon (1907–1999), Coiffure Paris, 1970, watercolor on paper, signed, 49 x 37.5 cm.
Tobie Giddio, Hervé Leger.
Gill Button, Vivienne Westwood.
René Bouché (1905–1963), Saks Fifth Avenue New York for Condé Nast, 1950s, watercolor and gouache on paper, 63.5 x 47 cm.
Bil Donovan, Jean Paul Gaultier.
Pierre Louchel (1906–1988), Fleurs Des Champs by Janette Colombier, 1943, ink and gouache on paper, signed, 31 x 27 cm.
Fiona Gourlay, Giorgio Armani.
Carl Erickson (1891–1958), Model With Broach & Grey Tailleur, ink and gouache on paper, signed, 60.5 x 47 cm.
Carl Erickson (1891–1958), Silhouette, charcoal on paper, signed 48 x 38.5 cm.
Cecilia Carlstedt, Versace.
Tobie Giddio, Diane von Furstenberg.
Kenneth Paul Block (1924–2009), Study for Fashion Savages John Fairchild, 1965, india ink on paper, 48 x 63.5 cm.
Christian Bérard (1902–1949), Model in Evening Dress, ink and wash on paper, signed, 38 x 27 cm.
Kenneth Paul Block (1924–2009), Givenchy Runway, black felt tip on paper, 34.5 x 24.5 cm.
Kenneth Paul Block (1924–2009), Nan Kempner, September 1, 1961, charcoal on paper, 43 x 34.5 cm.
Kenneth Paul Block (1924–2009), Yves Saint Laurent Runway, black felt tip on paper, 43.5 x 34.5 cm.
Pierre Simon (1907–1999), Balenciaga, 1955, pencil and wash on paper, signed and dated, 49.5 x 23 cm.
Pierre Simon (1907–1999), Balmain, pen and wash on paper, signed, 48.5 x 25 cm.
Pierre Simon (1907–1999), Day Wear With Fur Trim, pen and ink and wash on paper, signed, 38 x 14 cm.
René Gruau (1909–2004), Model With Black Glove, circa 1950, pencil on paper, signed, 28 x 40.5 cm.
1 / 42

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