in a world where information is always at our fingertips,
where reaching someone is as instantaneous as an eye blink,
tweeting is as simple as breathing,
and finding an answer to a burning question
is only just a click away–
it is good to slow it down...
and appreciate the wonderful things
that came before technology.
for instance:
the marvelous and oh so glamorous
fashion illustrations of italian artist,
long before there was such thing as fashion photography,
digital photography, graphic design, and touch ups,
there were artists who sat with pen and pad in hand and sketched
and rendered beautiful women in still more beautiful clothing.
rené gruau was one such artist, and his work
known during the 40's and 50's as "the new look"
graced the covers of our favorite glossies:
vogue, elle, marie claire, harper's bazaar (to name a few)
![](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/3031300359_08ff51dde8.jpg)
![](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/213/501277078_4858cac047.jpg)
and captured the enigmatic,ever.evolving elegance of haute couture
in advertisements for christian dior, hubert de givenchy, balenciaga,
lanvin and elsa schiaparelli (to name a few more!)
and perfectly portrayed the flash and electrical heartbeat of
such entertaining venues as the moulin rouge and lido.
with a body of artwork that is as brimming. with. life & glamour
as the fashionable bodies he illustrated–
rené gruau is one artist whose work proves
that fashion is not always frivolous,
and in the right set of hands,
can be timeless.
also a cool tidbit that i read here,
is that his signature was a matter of happenstance
that started out as an ink spot on a finished drawing
and became the star that he kept his entire life.
how. very. illuminating.
Wonderful stuff. There is a new magazine of fashion illustration out that publishes intermittently. "Pourquoi Pas?" You may enjoy it.
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