JUMP TO RED

jumping for joy is good exercise

BLACK OR WHITE, YOU DECIDE

I have been working on a series of new fashion illustrations lately, this is the first one, let me know which is your favorite one, the black or the white one ?

THE POWDERED SLOPE

Turn right, turn left, repeat as necessary.

PUT ON YOUR CHRISTMAS COAT

Christmas, that time of the year when we become more humble and think, or try to, of our loved ones,  friends, relatives, vague acquaintances, long lost lovers, business partners etc. who in the daily rat race of our wild and exotic lives get stored away in the back of the closet of our minds and now all of a sudden gain a tad more importance, if only for a short while.

Charity is indeed a coat you wear twice a year, so who gets the first card and who gets the last?

Baby, it's cold outside, heartwarming illustrations from top left clockwise; father christmas wishing joyeux noel by Ralph Hulett, christmas cover  by Sempe for the New Yorker, illustration by Robert Wagt of a fashion model dressed as a christmas tree, illustration by Tom Schamp of  Jacques Tati dressed up as a christmas tree, christmas illustration by the late great  Leonard Weisgard,  French illustrator Annette Marnat's buche de noel, little boy decorating a christmas tree by  Fiep Westendorp and a modern christmas tree illustration by Ellen Giggenbach.

CURLED UP WITH A BOOK

When I open a book these days, somewhere in between the first chapter and the introduction, there's the quote. What's this thing with quotes? Is it the idea of giving the reader some insight in the deeper meaning of the literary work  he's about to begin? Or is it merely to raise the author to a higher level by quoting someone, preferably from the past, obscure and in another language (Latin works great), who has earned his stripes in the printed world ?

     

                    

To read like the flame reads the wood, from top left corner clockwise; Illustration by Norman Rockwell for the Saturday Evening Post, Italian illustrator Lorenzo Matteoti, dutch graphic artist Kees Kelfkens wonderful book promotion ad, book week illustration by Jan Balet, illustration of woman reading by Japanese artist Uemura Shoen, a painting by polish born painter Balthus , famous fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez illustration for ELLE magazine, Peter Newell's bad potato book illustration and finally Robert Wagt's girl reading on a Suzani couch.

The knitting craze

Now that knitting has become the new yoga and just about everybody from Brooklyn hipsters to soccer moms have taken up the needles, we've almost forgotten about the days of yore when knitting was forever associated with grannies and ill-fitting and/or scratchy pullovers with weird patterns or images that by definition were uncool.

            

              

                               

       

                



Ripping yarns, clockwise from top left; Giles Deacon's knitted orange scarf, a Savignac wool ad, Belgian designer Walter van Beirendonck's knitted men's wear sweater, Happy Valentine illustration by  Robert Wagt, Dior headdress by Paolo Roversi for Italian Vogue, Orly Genger's knitted red wall in NY 's Madison Square park, Irving Penn's photograph of a Balenciaga dress and a Japanese wool ad.

ROYAL BLUE

According to Vincent Gregoire of Nelly Rodi trend forecasting agency in Paris, Royal Blue will be the trend color for the year 2014, however Karl Lagerfeld tells us that "trend" is the last stage before the "has-been".

 

Royal blue, clockwise by; Miles Davis' "kind of blue" album cover, pantone color chart No 18-3949, french artist Georges Rousse optical illusion in blue, Henri Matisse blue nude paper cut out 1952, the blue city of Jodhpur in India, Valentino 2013-2014 fall/winter collection of delft blue dresses, Robert Wagt fashion illustration of an Yves St.Laurent dress and make up artist Pat Mc Grath's eyeshade for Anna Sui.

Serkan Cura, dreaming in feathers

In 2010 Serkan Cura gathered all his savings, to buy most of the stock of feathers of Maison Fevrier, a Parisian plumassier or feather specialist which was closing down.

Lots of these feathers are of exotic birds and they are no longer available as the birds are now protected.

Cura does haute couture creating fur-like garments, he studies old techniques and assembles dresses in a painstakingly and long process.

Born in Antwerp, Belgium, he studied fashion design at the Royal Academy of Antwerp and graduated in 2007.

He then worked for four years in the atelier of Jean Paul Gaultier.

Corsetry is at the heart of many of his looks, "I like corsets because it refines the waist and I love tiny waists that make the hips look rounder" he explains.

Robert Wagt feather head dress illustration

Anthropologie rhymes with creativity

Anthropologie is known to have some of the most creative and elaborate decor showcased in their windows and throughout their stores.

The store which opened in 1992, has currently over 147 stores in the US and two stores in the UK, most of their home good items are hand made by various craftsmen around the globe.

Check out the amazing video of the time and effort gone into these displays here.

They recently launched their new beauty products line called "Grown under Glass".

Corset, a tight fit

Decisively more comfortable than some centuries ago, corsets remain a timeless classic item of seduction.

 Banned by Paul Poiret around 1910 and revived by Christian Dior with his New Look
the corset is the subject of a number of exhibitions at the moment at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris and the Los Angeles County Museum, whereas the Victoria and Albert Museum has organized a traveling show, "Undressed; 350 years of Underwear in fashion."

 Sure to attract the crowds, interested in erotic. Or as Karen Augusta, a couture historian and auction house owner stated," people are fascinated by body shaping , by what goes on under the garment."

                                               Irving Penn - Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel

Ellen von Unwerth

Helmut Newton - Thierry Mugler

Robert Wagt for DS magazine

The Parisian

Just finished this illustration of a woman in a Parisian cafe, the nice side of Paris as we all know it.

For the downside of living in Paris, check out these wonderful ad's for the Parisian newspaper she's reading, le Parisien. "The Parisian, better to have it as a newspaper"

Harajuku Fashion Walk, Japanese street style

Harajuku Fashion Walk is a really fun and colorful Japanese street fashion event in Tokyo. 

Every two months, 50 to 100 people come dressed in Harajuku street fashion, 

and walk around designated streets, chat and take lots of pictures.

 Photographer Shoichi Aoki published two great street style books at Phaidon, 

"fruits" and "fresh fruits".