NYFW Preview - Fashion Designer Sketches

Welcome to another season of NYFW! Spring 2018 launched this NY Fashion Week. Here are a few fashion designer sketches to give you a taste of what the shows have in store for you.

Designer Taoray Wang's collection has the theme of Baroque in Shanghai. Her muses were musicians Purcell and Handel. Irina Vitjaz looks to have designed lots of body curve-hugging sleek silhouettes based on the sketches I have seen.

The design team behind Cushnie et Ochs were inspired by the painted flowers of Frida Kahlo. Also inspired by painted flowers was the designer Mijia Zhang who looked to the art of Marc Quinn. Both Pamella Roland and Adeam were inspired by recent travels. Roland with Monaco and Adeam with Hong Kong.

Bibhu Mohapatra and Han Chong both incorporated graphic stripes into their looks. Ji Oh took simple tailoring to redefine the woven shirt.

As you can see, there is something for everyone this NY Fashion Week for the Spring 2018 season. There were many changes this time around as far as format and location. I myself am only attending a few presentations as they are all over the city. Many designers opted not to show a full runway, preferring intimate presentations or appointments. Luckily, for every designer taking it easy, many up-and-coming designers will take their place.

Sketches provided by the designers.

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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

Also on Ms FABulous:

Fashion and Food Diary of 1994

Spring 2017 Fashion Designer Sketches 

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How Chris Benz Relaunched Bill Blass for the Digital Age

Bringing back the color! Designer Chris Benz had the tough task of relaunching the Bill Blass brand for the digital age. Working with e-commerce company Orchard Mile, they set a commendable example of how to update a heritage brand for a new generation.

Many name designers who have been brought on board to revamp an established label have fled their employers in the last few years. It is tremendously difficult to find the balance between paying tribute to the brand's history, yet figure what percentage of your own design esthetic to infuse. Also, you're often facing a board of non-creative who have very different ideas.

Orchard Mile founder Georgia says her company wants designers to be designers. Their direct-to-customer model allows them to be that. Designer Benz said that allowed him to create a better edited collection. When designing for wholesale, you're often pressured to create "filler" styles like the "classic black sweater" just to please a buyer who doesn't have the ability to visualize.

Benz described the new Bill Blass as the "cherry on top". The label is repositioning as a contemporary brand rather than designer. The contemporary customer is a jeans gal. The Bill Blass pieces are to be that special statement that piece or accent to the basics. This is the reason that you won't see a black purse or sweater or basic black dress here. 

So what DID Chris Benz pull from the legacy of Bill Blass? It's more in spirit than literal. The 1970s were a great time for the brand (and on trend now). He designed with some of the color palettes from the era. There were lots of fully sequined looks from the archives, so a few pieces have lighter sequin embroidery. I saw a heavy tiered feather jacket in the library. The new Bill Blass had a delicate tiered tulle topper in a similar silhouette.

The big treat was to explore the historic Bill Blass archives. He meticulously filed EVERYTHING. Here are a few of his fashion sketches that date back to World War 2 when he was enlisted as a member of the famous ghost army.

There were leather bound volumes of Vogue magazines dating back to the 1940s. File boxes of correspondence, like letters from Diana Vreeland or even old fabric purchase orders. Of course there were the clothes themselves. I spotted the famous beaded brown suit worn by Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.

Orchard Mile's online platform allows designera to upload their entire collection since they dont carry inventory, rather than a limited offering a typical e-tailed would have. The showroom though, is a brightly lit space where people like myself can see the goods in person, see the inspiration board and instantly share my favorites on social media. Smart right?

I love seeing the Bill Blass being revived with  such a hot young upgrade. Let other heritage brands take a their cue.

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Burlesque & Bubbles - Dr. Sketchy Does Commedia Dell'Arte

I love the trend of drinking and drawing. Dr. Sketchys has been a New York, now International institution of combining fine art, raunchy burlesque and music set in a bar. I haven't been to a session since 2010 .

Founder Molly Crabapple has since gone on to publish multiple books, become a highly sought-after artist and star journalist for Vice. She passed the reins to very capable personalities to host yesterday's event at Midtown's Flute Champagne bar. The two-drink minimum of creative champagne cocktails can surely get you in a baudy mood.

Falana Fox & Viktor Devonne

The Commedia Dell'Arte theme of last night refers to the classic Italian theater style that heavily relies on common tropes. Pierrot is the traditional lovelorn male constantly wooing Columbina. He is a romantic figure, though often portrayed as a fool. From theater group to theater group, the plays may be different, but the characters stay the same.

While there is no actual instruction in the "class", the timed poses are similar in structure as many life drawing classes. You start with 1-minute gestures, then 2-minute poses, increasing to 5-minute drawings with one 20-minute pose. There are contests to win prizes from sponsors. Tonight they included sketchbooks and designer bow-ties. In the past they could include spa products, sex toys or shots of liquor.

The models were female and male burlesque performers Falana Fox and Viktor Devonne. Both of them were game for any pose or state of deshabillement for the sake of good art. 

I love getting my sketching practice at Dr. Sketchy from a fashion lens because the models are sexy, but come in all shapes and sizes (rather than the same tall/thin models of fashion sketch classes). As Hubby pointed out, burlesque is all about the accessories. When you're down to the pasties, it's all about the bling and feathers. The performers sell those tiny little fashion accessories that much harder. The sassy expressions are much more fun to draw than a bored "model" look. 

Without the competition of a class, or grades, you can just hang out and have fun. A strong drink next to you with a DJ and models in lingerie or less, it can be a wild night out. At the end of Dr. Sketchy's, you have a book full of sexy drawings. Doesn't that sound fun? Whatever city you live in, there is probably a Dr. Sketchy's near you. Check out the website for their schedules. 
Sketches by Mariana Leung

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#NYFW Spring 2016 Designer Inspiration

What are we in store for this NY Fashion Week? I will inevitably have shoulder and foot pain from rushing between the new venues with my camera equipment, but you don't need to hear that. The fashion designers created their collection around a wide range of inspirations this season.Some designers showed their fashion illustrations to express their direction. Other designers put together mood boards of their muses. A few designers let a very specific detail guide them in their season.

Daniel Silverstain cited the Exposition of 1967 in Montreal, Canada as his inspiration for spring. It seems ultra-specific or baffling. Based on the sketches, it looks like it the Expo67 inspiration was in the color palette of sporty colors.

Nicholas K. cited "free fall" as his direction, shown in the downward drape of his look. Son Jung Wan had an aquarian theme, specifically the Jeju Island of her home country of Korea. Mathieu Mirano's ombre sketch was a part of his "mega-morpher" muse. Tome's muse is Fiona Hall. The fabrics and colors reflect the ecological issues the activist was passionate about.

A Moi has textured fabric and retro glamour photos on the mood board. Zac Posen's collection looks like it will be very constructed based on the corset photograph. His theme was "Maximal Minimialism" which indicates a study in contrasts. Sandhya Garge put together richly colored and patterned mood board about the city of Jaipur. Think spices, palaces, prints and colors. Tanya Taylor loved the textures of cultures. Rita Vinieris studied the effect of light travelling through darkness for spring 2016. Zimmerman put together their mood board around vintage fashions of the 1800s inspired by the book "7 Little Australians".

Idan Cohen is promoting sunsets and seashells in his collection. Reem Acra is working her magic with Arabian Nights. Creatures of theWind focused on beaded appliques in nature motifs for their "Eclipse" theme. Zang Toi, who often designs his collection around a beautiful location has chosen the island of Santorini this season.

Hundreds of designers are showing around the city for NY Fashion Week. Based on everyone's different muses, it's clear that no two collections could ever be alike. Fashion is as diverse as the people who make it.

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New York Fashion Week Fall 2015 - Designer Inspiration

Are we ready for New York Fashion Week? The fashion designers certainly are. They have worked long and hard to put together the best collection yet for fall 2015. Here is a fashion week preview for the collections soon to be featured on Ms. Fabulous based on their lovely fashion sketches.

That moody yellow dress sketch comes from Angel Sanchez. For his show, he is “revisiting eveningwear, offering a fresh approach for today’s women.” 

One of my favorites  every season at Mercedes-Benz Fashion week is  the Desigual show. Christian Lacroix is working his signature color and silhouettes. For fall, the designer was inspired by everything from a travel photograph from Africa, fields of flowers and turning it all into an abstract work of fashion art. I can't wait! 

Vivienne Tam is the queen of contemporary Chinoiserie on the runway. For her upcoming collection though, she is interpreting it from the eye of when Europeans were first inspired by early Asian art and culture. I think I see some early century silhouettes in that black dress with Victorian fusion embroidery? You'll see soon enough.

Fashion sketches show a season of rich texture and color:

Cool chick Rebecca Minkoff is spotlighting rocker Patti Smith has her muse for fall 2015. I guess this means we are in store for a lot of 70s inspired bohemian looks on the runway. Project Runway all-star Christian Siriano is set to make more dreamy ballgowns. He's going for primal sexy with a collection filled with animal prints, python texture with inspiration from the Congo jungle. 

Based on this detailed purple dress sketch from Monique Lhuillier, there will be lots of gorgeous embroidery for fall 2015. She designed her collection juxtaposing strong masculine tailored shapes with fluid feminine silhouettes. Dennis Basso is offering another rich evening wear collection. This one looks romantic with the oversized red roses and intricately beaded bodice in his sketch.

I am very excited at what looks like a full season of richly textured fabrics and strong colors based on this group of designer fashion sketches. 

Leave me a comment below on which designer you are most excited to see and you might win an invitation to the show!
sketches provided by the designers

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#NYFW Preview: Designer Sketchbook for Spring 2015

Are you ready for New York Fashion Week?  I peeked at the designer sketchbooks at their fashion sketches to preview what they will be showing in the days to come…

Don O’Neill of THEIA took his muse from Brazilian architect Oscar Neimeyer, specifically the curvilinear lines of his buildings.  Christian Lacroix once again graces Desigual with his bold, graphic colors with the inspiration of "bloom".

Korean designer Son Jung Wan’s spring collection was all about “tangible dualities: rough-textured fabrics like hemp cross soft, sinuous silhouettes.”  Her collection always has a beautiful mix of colors and textures. Colleague Ji Oh simply stated that playing it safe was dangerous. I expect some edgy shapes and attitude from these models.

Angel Sanchez claims to have found a new woman as muse.  His spring collection will be playing on the effects of light.  Based on his sketch, it looks like bright white peeking through sheer fabrics will be on the runway. 

Zang Toi celebrates his silver anniversary this season.  That’s 25 years of aristocratic glamour.  Based on his sketch wall, sweeping, dramatic gown are in store… I saw one sketch with style details that included merino wool and 13 hand-beaded emblems.  I think everyone is in for a treat at this catwalk.

The team at Custo Barcelona described their muse as "skin".  From their colorful patchwork of sketches, I am guessing their spring collection will be about organic textures inspired by nature, but executed in their signature bright palettes.  Christian Siriano's sketch represents transparency.  I think we can look forward to more layers of sheer fabrics.   Dennis Basso described his spring collection as "sumptuous" with the Mediterranean as his inspiration.  I think we're in for rich embellishments and lush silhouettes.

Which designer are you most looking forward to seeing at New York Fashion Week?  
(Sketches provided by designer's representatives)

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Fashion Sketch Workshop with Renaldo Barnette

How relevant is fashion illustration in today’s design industry?  Fans and media love to see a fashion designer’s sketch, but is it really used in the process of putting together a collection?  Renaldo Barnette is the answer to that question.

Renaldo has been a professional fashion illustrator hired by brands like Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Nicole Miller.  While some designers sketch for themselves, others rely on more experienced artists like Renaldo Barnette to specifically express their collection ideas in detail. 

Take a look at his illustrations above.  Do you see the difference between these and the fanciful images you see in the media?  Fashion sketching for the purpose of clothing design is much more detailed.  If you ever studied fashion design at a reputable school, these principles are drilled into you for your entire portfolio development.  

Your proportions need to be accurate.  Even if the typical fashion figure is not realistic to the average human being, your rendering of the clothing needs to be correct to the proportions of the figure you have drawn.  An advertising illustration can have a 10” waist with a gigantic ballgown skirt that defies gravity made of mystery space fabric.   In the process of design, the drawing of the fabric texture needs to be clear.  The movement and weight of the fabrics intended must be accurate.   Could a technical designer, draper or pattern maker recreate your look from viewing the sketch? 

Almost every “designer” job posting I come across asks for Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator or InDesign experience.  Tech packs to factories at most major companies require detailed technical flat sketches drawn with mathematical precision (and no personality).  Even when I first graduated Parsons School of Design, being a full-time fashion artist was not a career path many could hope to aspire to as the industry made it clear that CAD would be standard.  The artistic prints that once were hand-painted in gouache are now completely cut from patterns with “brushstroke” functions in a computer program.

I am so happy to know that classic artistic talent can still result in a successful fashion career in the form of people like RenaldoBarnette.  While this may not be a priority in modern fashion programs anymore, the artist is teaching three workshops in fashion drawing starting with the upcoming Saturday.  Learn to sketch a collection like a professional.

So are you ready to draw with Renaldo Barnette? Register for his workshop today!

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NY FASHION WEEK: Fall 2014 Sketchbook Preview

So what is in store for us in the next 10 days for New York Fashion Week?  A quick survey of my designer colleagues shows that everyone is working their butts off to put together an amazing collection in time for the show.

I love looking at fashion sketches as they show more of a designer's creative process than just how pretty the garment will look on the model.

Desigual's Manel Jadraque found his muse in the magic and curiosities that are hidden within a city.  Son Jung Wan wanted to express emotions in colors like abstract artist Mark Rothko.

Byron Lars is all about seaming and shape in his mad dash party of sketches in the top left.

Angel Sanchez is exploring the duality, quoting Oscar Wilde,  "Every Saint has a past, and every sinner has a future."

Zang Toi was masterfully organizing his lineup this week.  The theme promises to be a glamorous interpretation of 1930's glamour mixing the Orient in Paris.

Don O'Neill of Theia showed some elegant ladies showing their wild side with a pretty leopard print in pre-fall.  The sneak peeks he has allowed us to see for fall 2014 proper are some ritzy gold  deco sequin embroidery and fabulous frocks to come.

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NY Fashion Week Preview: Spring 2014 Sketchbook

 New York's style set is taking over the city later this week.  What do the New York Fashion Week runways have in store for us?  Check out the fashion sketches from your favorite #NYFW designers to see where there inspiration comes from.

Tracy Reese is making a bold, graphic color statement for Spring 2014.  She has an Afro-Cuban vibe going for this collection.  Look for raffia and tribal embroideries and bonded knits.

Ann Yee's muse is more abstract.  She was moved by the destruction, then resurgence of the city of Detroit.  What that means in the practical sense is that the metallic elements of the collection will represent the auto industry and the constructed angles represent the crumbling architecture.

Son Jung Wan's watercolor sketch shows the sunny Saharan Dessert and the inspiration of Moroccan cities.

 There is a lot of design diversity for Spring 2014.  Desigual will have plenty of mixed graphic prints as they are known for.  Pamella Roland looked to the glamour of Cannes in the 1960's for her polished beach look.  Mara Hoffman has bright, jungle tribal prints in store for us on her runway.

Herve Leger looks like there will be some seriously sexy silhouettes in their spring collection.  Body curve framing lines mixed with revealing slits are bringing the heat!

 Cool color palettes are in for Tadashi Shoji's collection.  It looks like cocktail frocks with layered embroideries will be chic for the red carpet.  Sachin & Babi only listed "Magnolia" as their muse.  I'm not sure if that's merely the flower, or the artsy movie starring Tom Cruise from 1999.

Daisy Fuentes is bringing California chic to her NY catwalk.  She wants to show how luxury can be effortless.  Rebecca Minkoff looked to fierce Latin-American women as her muse for spring 2014.  Think Bianca Jagger pre-Studio 54 days.

Which designer are you most looking forward to for NY Fashion Week?

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NY Fashion Week Fall 2013 Preview

What do the designers of NY Fashion Week have in store for us next week? Check out some preview fashion sketches below...

 Pamella Roland's sketches show some sexy, dramatic evening looks.  The designs says she was "I was inspired by the ornate interior of the winter palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia."

Designer Son Jung Wan was also inspired by former Soviet Union, “This season I was inspired by two great Russian works of art: Kandinsky’s balance of color and the ornate lines seen throughout Catherine Palace.”

Monika Chiang however, took a more stark route,  “I’m fascinated by mechanics, the bold geometry and graphic shapes created through flight. It is that raw power and beauty that is at the heart of my Fall 2013 collection.”

Custo Barcelona looks like it has some cozy knits and textures in store for us for fall...

Misha Nonoo is taking a romantic take inspired by "War and Peace".  For Fall 2013, the designer says to “Think Edie Campbell takes a weekend trip to Russia to visit descendants of the Russian Romanov’s for a carefree weekend filled with Fabergé egg hunts and caviar. ”

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