Dr. Sketchy - Drawing Dior's New Look

I took a break from myself to indulge in an evening of drinking and drawing at Dr Sketchy. The theme of the day was Dior's New Look. You could call it an art club. You can check out previous sessions of mine. These days, the meetups are hosted by champagne lounge Flute Midtown.

Themes often involve all manner of geekery like comic-book characters, Green fairies and sci-fi perversions performed by saucy burlesque dancers. Sunday was a tribute to post WW2 fashion. A big fashion history fan Mademoiselle Quaintrelle posed in her cherished collection of vintage Christian Dior suits, full skirted dresses and retro-styled skivvies. (Great tip from Ms Quaintrelle, you can buy vintage styles spiral stitched, bullet bras from the website What Katie Did).

Dior's New Look was a celebration of the end of fabric rationing and restraint. The signature silhouette was an exaggerated hourglass shape. Tiny waists from starving through the war were highlighted in the sculpted jackets. Big skirts with yards and yards of fabric defined much of late 1940's and 1950's fashion trends.

With a two-drink minimum, you give into Flute Midtown's menu of champagne, cocktails and nibbles to accompany them. I can't say my arm was twisted too hard. Even more fortunate that the gentleman sitting on the next couch over, ordered a bottle of bubbly for himself and found he could not finish it. I was the lucky person he shared it with. Thank you, Dude.

My goal when I attend a Dr Sketchy session is to try to win back my admission fee in the form of liquor or prizes in one of their contests. Sometimes they are sexy and silly, but this time it was to make your drawing into a tribute Vogue Magazine cover. As you can see above, I loved the old-school covers when they used a script font. My mutual fashion history nerdiness with the model won me that round so I can return to future sessions for free. I drew the iconic Dior Bar Suit, a look Ms Quaintrelle was obsessed with and also owns.

Anyone who loves style should try fashion sketching. If you can't commit to a class, Dr Sketchy is the perfect antidote. How can you resist champagne, DJ curated playlist and sexy models in various states of undress? It is the perfect outing!

Photos and sketches by Mariana Leung

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Norisol Ferrari Spring 2013

Norisol Ferrari's first full runway show was a stunner.  She debuted at Mercedes-Benz Fashion week with a presentation last February with dramatic darker looks. The theme this season was classic Hollywood glamour. Legendary models like Carol Alt, Carmen Dell’Orifice and Alva Chinn swept down the catwalk to show all the ingenues how real women and real models work the runway...

 Carmen Dell’Orifice, at 81 is proud to be one of the oldest working models in the industry. She landed her first Vogue cover as a teenager in 1947.  Carol Alt was the reigning campaign queen in the 1980's as the face of everything from Cover Girl to General Motors.  A savvy business women, she was one of the first models to really merchandise herself as a model brand.  Alva Chinn was the groundbreaking African-American model who represented Halson in the 1970's.

The looks themselves have the expertly tailored silhouettes of the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's. Striking hats and cat's eye makeup with deep red lipstick help evoke iconic fashion eras like Dior's New Look and film noir femme fatales.

I had a chance to speak to the designer backstage. I love that she is bluntly honest about her philosophy and how working this hard leading up to the show isn't the most enjoyable experience. She was very adamant of how proud she was of her team and being amazed at the capabilities of producing a collection in New York city.  She designed this collection as a show of women being strong and feminine, that sexy didn't equal showing skin.  I believe the runway more than proved her point...

 

Watch Mdivani Monroe get the inside scoop with our backstage access:

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Christian Dior Fall 2012 Haute Couture

 Blooming Haute Couture! The Christian Dior show in Paris today was one of the most anticipated presentations in recent years.  It was the debut of Raf Simons as creative director, following the scandal of John Galliano last year. 

The Belgian designer cocooned his guests (which included Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Lawrence, Sharon Stone) in thousands upon thousands of fresh flowers.  The show was spread out over five rooms, each room a different color.  The blooms were said to be a tribute to Mr. Dior’s love of flowers in his day.

Any designer hired to take the helm of an iconic brand, then, on top of that, follow a very charismatic creative (if troubled) genius is not in an enviable position.  You have to remember to stay “on-brand” and be consistent to the label and image.  You also want to make your statement and show that you are not in the shadow of your predecessor or the runner-up…

Mr. Simons handled his first collection by paying homage to some of Dior’s signature silhouettes from the 1950’s.  Flared skirts with nipped in waists were a nod to the famous “New Look”, while embroidered, mini dress/tops were worn over slim black trousers, a trend taken from today’s city streets. 

While I found the collection very pretty and wearable, I also found it safe.  The silhouettes were universally flattering, bright solid colors could not offend anyone.  The embroidered floral patterns were elegant and feminine enough to appease the most conservative of customers. There were many looks of demure, basic black.

As a designer, one yearns for the chance to show the world your vision.  While being the creative director of Dior is a dream job, one wonders if Simon’s wings were clipped just from the pressure.  The world was waiting with baited breath no matter what came down the runway.  He could have showed any fashion statement he wanted. 

Haute Couture is not about restraint.  The House of Dior did not become the iconic fashion brand it has been by avoiding risks.  Couture is about excess and not worrying about the price tag.  Am I asking too much when I want to see a show that reflects that?

Photos by Giovanni Giannoni

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