Books #3. Jeune Fille en Dior ....

In Jeune Fille en Dior, released in French bookstores in October, the illustrator Annie Goetzinger invites us to follow her heroine behind the scenes at 30 Avenue Montaigne, during the era of Monsieur Dior. 

A visual novel in which fiction mixes with the house's history with poetic freshness.

On February 1947, just before Christian Dior's debut fashion show, the level of excitement and anticipation was at fever pitch. It's here that the story of the house of Dior starts, and with it the story of Clara, a young reporter from a modest background for the magazine Jardin des Modes, the creation of the illustrator Annie Goetzinger. Through her awestruck eyes we rediscover the tony atmosphere of the house's historic heart and the rich clients coming to see the collection, the behind-the-scenes buzz, the attentiveness of Monsieur Dior to his "cheries" - the women who inspired him  - and his "jeunes filles" - the house models. And not forgetting the enthusiastic reaction of the journalists who, like Carmel Snow of Harper's Bazaar, sang the praises of the "New Look". As the fates of the couturier and Clara converge, with her also becoming a "jeune fille", the book retraces Dior's global success, the rituals preceding the showing of each collection, transporting us from Paris to Dallas, passing by Granville, until Christian Dior's death in 1957. 

For Annie Goetzinger, the author and illustrator of Jeune Fille en Dior, after having worked with the biggest names in comic book publishing, the idea of an illustrated novel about the house at 30 Avenue Montaigne arose quite naturally. "I wanted to recount how Dior built his house. There was a real before and after that famous fashion show of 1947." explained this woman who had grown up in a family of dressmakers before starting her career as a fashion illustrator. With equal priority given to the details of her drawings as to the facts they relate, Annie Goetzinger brings to life the creative yeats that shaped the house's foundation: a colourful story, as captivating to read as it is beautiful to look at.

Buy the book at Dargaud

Source: Dior Magazine

XOXO

Snapshots. Bring on the Fairy Tales...

Fairy Tales might be sugary, traditional, sexist, pink and fluffy and girly in every sense but after seeing Red Valentino's S/S Collection, I don't really care. I am all about the fluff. Mini " bar silhouette" dresses in every print, colour and texture, from eyelet to raffia, seemed to have just come out of Alice in Wonderland.

 The soft pastel colours suggest romanticism and youth and make a nice contrast with pieces in cobalt blue, green and chocolate brown. Prints go from idylic flower landscapes to beige checks to blue denim and pink stripes, all influenced by trips to Saint Tropez, Hawaii and the Caribbean.

 The accessories shouldn't be overlooked either. Starting with daisies in neutral and creme coloured dresses, we dive into prints and colours with rainbow flowers made into necklaces and earrings. Shoes go from printed pumps (always matching the dress) to flat sandals that suggest days at the beach and morning walks in spring time. 

As Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli said: " It is always about this girl- like in a children's book, she goes on different adventures" 

XOXO

P.D I have been trying to find out who is the artist/illustrator who design the beautiful backgrounds for this Collections and also the past two Red Valentino but I can't seem to find out. They are a lovely mix of ink and watercolour with so much detail! The birds, flowers, plants...

Fashion in Paper...

After writing the previous post about Chanel's Haute Couture show, I had a look at Chanel News, the brand's official blog and found this cute watercolours, painted by Clemence Poesy, the lovely actress (and apparently also painter) Who didn't  love her in Birdsong, Gossip Girl and In Bruges.  She has a fresh, uncomplicated, classic style mixed with that casual, I-didn't-look-at-myself-in-the-mirror-today French chic.

Paperfashion is another illustration blog I asiduously folow. Katie Rodgers is the artist behind it. Commissioned by companies such as Kate Spade and Coach, Rodgers  turned her  love for watercolours into a full.time career. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in Industrial Design, she worked in apparel design at Reebok and illustrated on the side until she was able to do it exclusively. Her company is called Paperfashion too. 

Samantha Hahn is also a pretty cool illustrator. She usually covers NY Fashion week but also does freelance stuff and collaborates with The Cut, Refinery 29, Tiffany's, Victoria Secret... AND also paints mouth-watering food. She has a blog called Maquette.

Here are some beautiful and inspiring books about fashion illustration

100 Years of Fashion Illustration

Masters of Fashion Illustration

New Icons of Fashion Illustration

XOXO