ALL WASHED UP!

HERE WE HAVE THE FABULOUS CHRISTIAN DIOR "VENUS" GOWN FROM F/W 1949 . . . IN AN OLD METAL WASH TUB. 

I SAW A PICTURE OF THIS DRESS THE OTHER DAY AND WANTED TO MAKE A COMPANION PIECE TO MY EARLIER DIOR 'FARM GIRL'. I SHORTENED THE FLOOR LENGTH GOWN SO WE CAN SEE OUR FANCY LADY STANDING IN HER BATHIN' TUB. HAIR AND MAKE-UP INSPIRATION WAS TAKEN FROM DIOR'S SPRING 2011 COUTURE SHOW FEATURING DESIGNS AND STYLING INSPIRED BY THE GREAT FASHION ILLUSTRATOR, RENE GRUAU 

(if you don't know who he is, go look him up now! you won't be sorry!)

I'VE ALSO INCLUDED MY ORIGINAL SKETCH. I TWEAKED IT A BIT IN PHOTOSHOP TO GET THE PROPORTIONS I WANTED. 

PARIS JE T'AIME!!!

AND SO WE FINALLY COME TO THE END OF MY FASHION WEEK COVERAGE. DID U EVER THINK I'D FINISH? 'CAUSE I SURE AS HELL DIDN'T! WHO HAS TIME TO LOOK AT ALLLLL THOSE SHOWS??? (besides every fashion editor, blogger, fashionista, teen queen, unemployed people, well, u get the drift)

OVERALL I'D SAY THE PARIS SHOWS WERE PRETTY GOOD THIS YEAR. I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO DRAW LOOKS FROM EVERY SHOW I LOVED, BUT THOSE WILL PROBABLY TURN UP ON THIS BLOG IN THEIR OWN ART PIECES AT SOME POINT ANYWAY. PERFECT EXAMPLE: I LOVED THE JC de CASTELBAJAC SHOW, WITH THOSE WEIRD/AWESOME FELTED WOOL SKULL SHAPED COWBOY HATS! AVANT-REALNESS!

I WAS ALSO PLEASANTLY SURPRISED WITH THE GUY LAROCHE SHOW. YET ANOTHER BRAND I HAVEN'T TAKEN NOTICE OF IN YEARS, AND THEY TURNED OUT ONE OF MY FAV PARIS SHOWS! RICK OWENS' MOD SHAPES WERE FAB AND THE WESTWOOD GLAM ZOMBIES REALLY WORKED FOR ME. I'M NOT ALWAYS A FAN OF MODERN WESTWOOD COLLECTIONS BUT I APPLAUD THIS YEAR'S SHOW.

IN CLOSING, I'M SO GLAD I TOOK TIME TO LOOK AT, REVIEW AND ILLUSTRATE FASHION WEEK THIS YEAR. IT'S SOMETHING I'LL MOST LIKELY DO AGAIN NEXT FASHION WEEK!!! ALWAYS NICE TO REACH A GOAL YOU SET FOR YOURSELF.

P.S. - THE STELLA McCARTNEY SHOW WAS SOOOOO BLAH! I MEAN, IT LOOKED LIKE A BAD 80'S JAPANESE FASHION SHOW. GO BACK TO DESIGNING SWIM SUITS W/ PINEAPPLE'S ON THE COOTCH STELLA DARLING! M'KAY!!!

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE FARM . . .

I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW LONG I'VE BEEN MESSIN' AROUND WITH THIS ONE! I HAD THE IDEA TO USE THE DIOR 'JUNON' GOWN FROM 1949, THIS BEAUTIFUL HAND BEADED ICE BLUE STUNNER, WITH A DIRTY FARM GIRL HOLDING PIGS AND CHICKENS AND OTHER NASTY BARN-YARD STUFF. THE BEAUTY OF THE DRESS IMMEDIATELY MADE ME FEEL IT HAD TO BE PAIRED WITH SOMETHING BLAH!

I DID AN ORIGINAL PASS OF IT (WHICH YOU CAN SEE BELOW) MAYBE THREE YEARS AGO, BUT I NEVER WAS TOO HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS. THEN ABOUT A YEAR AGO I DID A NEW DRAWING OF IT, AND ONLY YESTERDAY DID I FINALLY SCAN OT AND PHOTOSHOP IT INTO ALL IT'S GLORY!!! I THINK IT TURNED OUT REALLY CUTE AND WAY BETTER THEN IT'S ORIGINAL VERSION.

AND LADIES, IF YOU HAVE TO BE OUT IN THE BARN SHOVELIN' HAY AND SLOPPIN' THE PIGS, WHY NOT WEAR A COUTURE GOWN!!?

GIMMIE DIOR!!!

THIS IMAGE SEEMS TO BE PICKED AS THE FAVORITE OF THIS SERIES BY MOST PEOPLE. I HAD PLANNED FOR IT TO LOOK VERY DIFFERENT AT FIRST AND COULDN'T MAKE IT WORK OUT THE WAY I WANTED IT TO. I ALMOST SCRAPPED IT UNTIL I FOUND A NEW WAY TO RE-WORK IT AT THE END. I LIKE THE WAY THE LETRA-TONE LOOKS AS COFFEE IN THE AMERICAN-DINER-STYLE COFFEE POT.

PEN AND INK W/ LETRATONE ON BRISTOL BOARD

SOMETHING ELECTRIC IN THE AIR

I HAVE NEVER SEEN THE FILM "THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN" BUT I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED THE IMAGE OF HER. THAT ICONIC HAIR-DO! THAT RAGGEY WHITE SHIFT DRESS! THE BANDAGES WRAPPED ALL UP HER ARMS! GREAT STUFF. HER LOOK IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD COSTUMING. SIMPLE, TO THE POINT, AND, IN MANY WAYS, ELEGANT. EVEN WHEN THEY WERE DESIGNING THIS FEMALE MONSTER, THEY PUT HER IN AN OUTFIT THAT WAS BOTH FLATTERING AND FASHION-FORWARD. WE REALLY NEVER SEE TRULY ICONIC FILM COSTUMING NOW-A-DAYS.

I GOT THE IDEA FOR THIS PIECE WHILE I WAS ON THE SUBWAY AND I WENT RIGHT HOME AND DREW IT UP. I CHOSE A DIOR BY GALLIANO DRESS TO STAND IN FOR HER STANDARD RAGS. I USUALLY LIKE TO SKETCH AND DOODLE IDEAS FIRST, WAIT A DAY OR SO, AND THEN DO THE FINAL. THAT WAY I CAN REVIEW MY PRELIMINARY WORK WITH FRESH EYES AND MAYBE SEE OR ADD SOMETHING NEW THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE THOUGHT OF ORIGINALLY.

DIOR, SHOES, BLAH BLAH BLAH . . .

I DID A QUICK DOODLE OF THESE DIOR SHOES THE OTHER DAY WHILE WATCHING 'LOST'. I USUALLY NEVER DRAW WITH A PEN RIGHT ONTO THE PAPER. I DRAW WITH PENCIL FIRST, THEN INK IT TO BE SURE IT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED IT TO LOOK LIKE. SOOOOO, HERE'S A LIL' EXAMPLE OF PURE PEN TO PAPER.
I JUST THINK IT'S A SIMPLE, CUTE DRAWING.

MARKER ON BRISTOL BOARD

DIOR T.V.

I WAS READING A BOOK ABOUT BRITISH DESIGN IN THE 40'S, 50'S AND 60'S AND RAN ACROSS A PHOTO OF A POSH WOMAN CARRYING A PORTABLE T.V. DOWN THE ROAD. IT WAS VERY INSPIRING TO ME, AS I ALWAYS LOVE THE MIX OF OLD AND NEW. THE JUXTAPOSING OF SOMETHING CONSIDERED MODERN ( THE PORTABLE T.V.) WITH SOMETHING CLASSIC (THE WOMAN'S 50'S STYLE SHIRT DRESS).

WHENEVER I DRAW A CLASSIC DIOR LOOK I ALWAYS WIND UP PUTTING WITH SOME PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY, A TV, A SPACE SHIP, AN ELECTRIC GUITAR. I LIKE THE INTERPLAY OF IDEAS, THAT THIS WOMAN WHO WOULD DRESS SO REFINED IS REALLY INTO ADVENTURE AND PUNK MUSIC OR SPACE TRAVEL OR WHATEVER.

AT THE LAST MINUTE I GAVE HER A LITTLE DOGGY FRIEND TOO. THERE IS A DOG JUST LIKE THAT THAT I ALWAYS SEE WANDERING MY NEIGHBORHOOD. HE'S LIKE THE BLOCK MAYOR, ALWAYS CHECKING OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING ON HIS STREET.

PEN AND INK ON BRISTOL BOARD W/ PHOTOSHOP