ArtDictionSeptOct2017

Volume 8 September/October 2017 www.artdictionmagazine.com

25 From Lens

to Life

16 More Than Doodle 9 Fashion and Textile

www.togetherwemade.com painttogetherinfo@gmail.com

ArtDiction Habitual. Art.

ArtDiction is a platform for artists to display their work and a resource for the habitual art lover.

Staff

Devika A. Strother, Editor-in-Chief devika@artdictionmagazine.com Phillip Utterback, Creative Director phillip@artdictionmagazine.com Isabella Chow, Associate Editor bella@artdictionmagazine.com DeShanta Strother, Director of Editorial Partnerships deshanta@artdictionmagazine.com Doug Peets, Senior Account Executive doug@artdictionmagazine.com

Contributing Writers Rose Writting Elizabeth Onah

Devika Akeise Publishing assumes no responsibility for the opinions expressed by authors in this publication. Š2017 of Devika Akeise Publishing. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.

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FEATURES

9 Fashion and Textiles

Designer Lizzie Montgomery discusses her art and how she became an award-winning designer.

17 More Than Doodles Fashion illustrator Georgie Ravesnscroft switched her focus after attending London Fashion Week.

Check out some of her sketches of fashion’s “it” girls.

25 From Lens to Life Danny Baldwin is a fashion photographer that uses his imagination as his ultimate escapism.

See some of his work.

Photo courtesy of Danny Baldwin.

33 New York Fashion Week Wrap-up We highlight some of our favorite looks from the September 2017 NYFW.

In Each Issue 2 small talk 3 news 4 books 5 music 6 exhibits 35 artist index 3D printed skeleton dress, collaboration between Iris Van Herpen & Isaie Bloch.

©2017 by Devika Akeise Publishing

ArtDiction | 1 |September/October 2017

small talk

Subbotina Anna

In putting together this issue, I rediscovered the mounds of reasons to love fashion. The obvious being that it’s art, of course. But the art that is involved in fashion begins well before that finished garment that’s draped on a model coming down the runway or hanging on the rack. It is born from someone’s idea and vision, which turns into a sketch, fabric design, pattern making, sewing, stitching, styling, etc. With fashion, there is art within the art, and art behind the art.

It is so encompassing with a breadth that extends beyond boundaries, we knew that we couldn’t fit it all into one issue. Isabella Chow, associate editor

of ArtDiction, and I discussed the idea of a standalone fashion magazine, just to give it due credit. (Stay tuned!)

For our annual Fashion issue, we are presenting a designer who loves prints, fashion, and textiles (page 9); a fashion illustrator who began doodling at a young age (page 17); and a fashion photographer who explored other art mediums before discovering the one that unleashed his imagination (page 25).

Get lost in the art.

ArtDiction | 2 | September/October 2017

news Brooklyn Museum Hires Jennifer Y. Chi as Deputy Director and Chief Curator Jennifer Y. Chi, a classicist and curator, has been named deputy director and chief curator of the Brooklyn Museum in New York. She replaces Nancy Spector, who returned to the Guggenheim Museum in February 2017.

and help shape the museum’s strategy and curatorial program.

Additionally, she will participate in the on-going renovations of the museum’s collection galleries, which have been underway since Pasternak took the helm in May 2015.

Chi holds a PhD from New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts and spent the past decade as exhibitions director and chief curator for NYU’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World.

“I am excited to partner with Jennifer,” said Pasternak. “She is not only a renowned scholar and curator, but also a creative thinker, whose drive and entrepreneurial skills will be a great boon to our efforts in expanding our curatorial activities.”

In her new role, Chi will oversee the work of 18 curators Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Artwork Appreciates

This past May, a Japanese businessman paid $110.5 million for a Basquiat painting, one of the highest prices ever fetched for an American artist’s work. “He was very prescient in being able to sample from lots of different channels,” says Eleanor Nairne, curator of the first major Basquiat show in Britain, opening this month at the Barbican Art Gallery in London. In Glenn (1984), Basquiat layered a screaming face over color photocopies of his previous imagery —“a profusion of information spilling out of this head,” Nairne says.

It’s a mental state that, three decades on, many of us find familiar.

“I am thrilled by the opportunity to work with the Brooklyn Museum’s incredible staff . . . and to expand the scope of the Museum’s exhibitions program,” Chi stated.

The 2017 Art Basel Miami Beach Exhibitors List Revealed Although the citizens of Miami Beach are recovering from hurricane season, they are looking forward to December 6 when Art Basel Miami Beach will open to VIPs at the newly refurbished Miami Beach Convention Center.

The fair has revealed its exhibitor list, boasting 268 galleries from 32 countries. The roster of Art Basel Miami Beach 2017 has a few newcomers, including, from New York, David Lewis Gallery and Chapter NY. Additionally, outfits such as 47 Canal, Bureau, Peres Projects, Galeria Plan B and Jessica Silverman Gallery are showing with the Galleries sector for the first time, having been included in other sectors in years past.

In Positions, JTT will be showing sculptures by Dan Herschlein, and at the Real Fine Arts booth, Nicolas Ceccaldi will examine “religion as a contemporary social phenomenon through new paintings and take-away brochures.”

In Nova, Dépendance will display work by Ed Atkins, Gillian Carnegie, and Peter Wächtler, and local Miami outfit David Castillo will have photographs by Lyle Ashton Harris and Xaviera Simmons, as well as a Kalup Linzy performance.

For the full exhibitor list, visit www.artdictionmagazine.com.

ArtDiction | 3 | September/October 2017

bella’s books

The Genius Plague David Walton Pyr, 2017

I

t is easy nowadays to think that world events are happening in some vague “over there,” and that they have no relevance to us. Even though, with the advent of the internet, hardly anything happens that isn’t live streamed on Facebook or Instagram almost immediately,

most of the world turns a blind eye to things not happening directly in their backyards. It felt appropriate, then, that the first word that came to mind when I finished David Walton’s new novel, The Genius Plague, was “interconnectedness.” What you think may only be happening on your screens may very quickly be happening to in your town—if it isn’t already—and it’s nice to read a book that acknowledges that.

The Genius Plague focuses on the Johns’ brothers: Paul, a mycologist studying in South America, and Neil, a new analyst with the NSA. A terrorist attack in the Amazon involving Paul kicks off a chain of events that escalate dramatically, leading to consequences both personal and global, and focuses on something that we encounter every day and, for the most

part, never think about: fungus. Yes, you read that right; the lead character in this story is the fuzz over your leftovers, the mushrooms in your salad (and the blue cheese on top of it), the spots in your bathroom grout, and the bane of your perfect lawn. What’s crazier still is, while the story takes a somewhat imaginative detour during the last few chapters, the majority of the story is entirely plausible—a thought that will definitely give you pause when placing your lunch order for a long time afterwards.

I’ll be honest: if you’re not someone who’s interested in science, this book probably won’t be for you. The novel falls into the same company as novels from the likes of Michael Crichton and Robin Cook—a science-based fiction novel, not really “science fiction,” without a lot of complex character development. The premise is intriguing and the pacing is breakneck, though; two things that make me pretty sure that, like Crichton and Cook, this is going to be developed into a movie of some sort down the line. In the right hands, it could even be a good one, with themes we really need to think more about . . . even if it makes you swear off the portabella for life.

Not Quite a Genius

Nate Dern Simon & Schuster, 2017

I

t’s rare that you get a book title that describes not only the author, but also the book itself, but with Not Quite a Genius, Nate Dern has accomplished this uncommon feat. This is not as mean as it sounds; Dern describes himself as “not quite a genius” for reasons explained in the chapter of the same name. As for the second part of my statement, let me put it like this: you

ArtDiction | 4 | September/October 2017

get the feeling, very early in, that this collection of essays and short stories isn’t going to be quite as good as the others from comedy writers you’ve read in the past few years. It’s okay—not everyone can be Tina Fey or Amy Poehler. But about the time you get to “Personal Wi-Fi Terms and Conditions” is when you realize that what you are reading is most likely a compilation of failed or imagined Funny or Die skits (the website for which Dern is a senior writer), a few personal stories that make you feel sorry for a white, middle-aged, upwardly-mobile guy that probably makes more money than you (my least favorite feeling ever, got to say), and several serious pieces that feel completely out of place.

I am pretty positive that I am not the target audience for this novel, but honestly I’m not sure who the target audience actually would be. The book is so random, reading it feels like flipping through TV channels late at night. Want a skit making fun of hipsters? There’s a story for that! Feeling like a serious parable about death with the word “fart” in the title? We’ve got that, too! Interested in knowing what acting parts Nate Dern has auditioned for? It’s in here! (Seriously.) They’re not all misses, but frankly, when you swing as many times as this book does, you’ve got to hit something eventually.

You don’t have to be a genius to write a good book, but you’ve got to do better than this.

Isabella Chow

music Carnival III Wyclef Jean

features 13 unique tracks, placing them way above the rest. A good track to listen to is “Consumed the Vision”, which will remind one of music played by Green Day. The vocal delivery and lyrics are angry and relatable. The melodic elements combined with fine hardcore spices up the tempo of the songs, making Comeback Kid different from the stale and repetitive bands of this genre.

album for anyone with a taste for good music.

All the Light Above it Too Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson is known for creating soft

Broken Machine Nothing But Thieves

Despite impressive production by Mike Crossey (from Arctic Monkeys fame), Nothing But Thieves has very little to offer in their second album Broken Machine.

Every track delivers an intense emotional punch, but somehow the interference of other genres in the songs cannot be appreAfter a gap of 8 long years, Wycleaf Jean has come back to the music world with his third and final Carnival series installment, Carnival III: The Fall and Rise of a Refugee, completing the trilogy that started 2 decades ago. The sonic tone of Carnival III is something to look forward to as the reggae-funk upbeat of “Fela Kuti” gets sandwiched between the introspective lyrics of “Warrior” and “Borrowed Time”.

Each track (12 in total) in this album is worth listening to as Wycleaf has made solid collaborations with Lunch Money and Emeli Sandé to create a statement of his own that encourages emotional response and musical diversity. . ciated by many. The tempo in “I’m Not Made By Design” and “Amsterdam” is good as the band uses heavy rock muscle; how ever it is “Sorry” that creates the deepest impact with its impeccable musical effect.

Always Never Home Syd

Outsider Comeback Kid

If you are a fan of hardcore music, then Outsider by Comeback Kid is worth your time. This is the 6th album of this Canada-based melodic hardcore outfit that

This is Syd’s debut album that consists of 3 tracks. The lyrics are wonderfully indicative of Syd’s exploration of topics including maintaining a relationship while on the road. Syd’s melodious voice on “Moving Mountains” is beautiful. The moody beat and sensual lyrics of “No Looking Back/ Bad Dreams” offers a seamless smooth musical experience to the listener. The faster tempo and electronic beat of the third and final track keeps the listener engaged through the verses. This is a great

ArtDiction | 5 | September/October 2017

music, and his 7th studio album is no exception. All the Light Above it Too makes you feel like drifting away with the breeze.

The production is simple yet highly professional, as is expected of any major label. The lyrics are as good-spirited and light-hearted. The “Big Sur” track offers effervescent rhythms that remind you of Vampire Weekend and Paul Simon, adding an impressive accent to Jack’s Pacific Breezes. Another song that you will surely enjoy is “Sunsets for Somebody Else”, which has a charming effect on you.

Comfort and a relaxed time is what this album has to offer, and what every human looks for! .

exhibits Expedition: Fashion from the Extreme Travel to extreme environments somewhat of a modern phenom-

mountain exploration will also be included. The Museum at FIT will be hosting this exhibit from September 15, 2017 to January 6, 2018.

Sonic Arcade: Shaping Space with Sound

John Cowan for Vogue, November 1964.

enon. Excursions to the North and South poles, the highest mountain peaks, the depths of the ocean, and outer space have been widely covered in the press for more than a century. But it was not until the 1960s that these expeditions began to influence fashion. Expedition: Fashion from the Extreme is the first major exhibition to examine this fascinating subject. Fashion form the Extreme examines high fashion inspired by clothing made for survival in environments that are less than ideal. Today’s parkas go back to the “heroic era” of polar navigation (1890 to 1922), while downfilled “puffer” coats were originally perfected for extreme mountain climbing in the mid-twentieth century. Experimental, high tech materials made for exploration to otherworldly realms — such as neoprene (deep sea) and Mylar (outer space) — made their way onto the runway.

On view at the Expedition will be a Siberian fur garment and adaptations of indigenous Arctic clothing by the pioneering American explorer, Matthew Henson. The earliest down-filled jackets, dating to the 1930s, and other technologically experimental objects engineered for polar and

Sonic Arcade: Shaping Space with Sound is a multi-component exhibition that features interactive installations, immersive environments, and performing objects that explore how abstract nature of sound is made material. Comprised of linked solo and curated projects, Sonic Arcade explores sound as substance and frames it as interdependent mate-

Swartz, Naama Tsabar, and Studio PSK, whose project incorporates on-site residency and activation

by New York–based choreographers. Also, Sonic Arcade includes two nested exhibitions: the first, curated by Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, features commissions by Emily Counts and Make Noise; the second, curated by Radius, comprises off-site, site-specific commissions by Deborah Stratman and Anna Friz.

This exhibition will be taking place at MAD in New York City from September 14, 2017 until February 25, 2018.

Scraps: Fashion, Textiles, and Creative Reuse

Scraps presents the work of three designers who have pioneered creative approaches to recycling textiles: Luisa Cevese of Riedizioni in Milan; Christina Kim of Dosa in Los Angeles; and Reiko Sudo of Nuno in Tokyo. Organized Noordeman and Wright: Audiowear

by Cooper Hewitt, Part of Sonic Arcade: Shaping Space with Sound.

Smithsonian Design Museum.

Featured Designers include: Luisa rial that is crafted and transmitted Cevese—a self-taught designer through electronic circuits and who began creating textiles for signals, radio waves, and resofashion and interiors in 1984, nant bodies that create encounproviding work for companies such ters that are not only heard, as Dolce & Gabbana and Chanel; but felt. The exhibition features Christina Kim’s who is widely reccontemporary artists, designers, ognized for her global and sustainand performers who respond to able design practices and named sound’s potential as a material

by Time magazine as one of its that influences how people expeInnovators of the Year in 2003 rience space, their environment, and received the “Innovation in and time, drawing out the ability Craft” Award by Aid to Artisans in of the auditory to provide a fresh 2006; and Reiko Sudo co-founder perspective on how surroundings, of Nuno, a textile design firm at and the body, are perceived and the forefront of innovation that engaged. combines the Japanese handcraft tradition with advanced technolSonic Arcade features solo projogies. The George Washington ects by Arjen Noordeman and University Museum will host Christie Wright, Louise Foo and Scraps until January 7, 2018.

Martha Skou, MSHR, Julianne ArtDiction | 6 | September/October 2017

Fashion Week’s Big 4: New York, London, Milan and Paris Thе fоur mаjоr Fаѕhiоn Wееkѕ аrе hеld ѕеmi-аnnuаllу аnd intеrnаtiоnаllу. Eасh оnе оf thе Fаѕhiоn Wееkѕ hаѕ itѕ unique ѕtуlе, аnd сеrtаin rеnоwnеd dеѕignеrѕ whо hаvе had thе tор jоb include Rаf Simоnѕ оf Cаlvin Klеin, Sаrаh Burtоn оf Alеxаndеr MсQuееn аnd Chriѕtорhеr Bаilеу оf Burbеrrу.

In 1943, Nеw Yоrk hеld thе firѕt Fаѕhiоn Wееk, аnd hаѕ bееn thе quintessential standard оf fаѕhiоn wееk еvеr ѕinсе. Nоw knоwn аѕ thе Mеrсеdеѕ-Bеnz Fаѕhiоn Wееk, it dоеѕ ѕееm tо bе thе mоѕt соmmеrсiаlizеd оf thе big fаѕhiоn ѕhоwѕ, in thаt thе сlоthеѕ аrе сrеаtеd rеаdу-fоrmаrkеt. Itѕ ѕtуlеѕ аnd dеѕignѕ аrе аrguаblу a lоt ‘ѕаfеr’ thаn thе оthеr thrее lосаtiоnѕ. One of the most talked about NYFW was the 2015 Opening Ceremony. In collaboration with the New York City Ballet, organizers of NYFW put on a lively, choreographed show. During the show, a dancer fell while walking down the concrete runway. The performer quickly got back up and kept strutting. When other models began tripping across the curved runway path, the audience began questioning the performance. During the last walk, the dancers simultaneously broke out into a dance set, confirming that the falls were staged.

In 1984, Lоndоn jumреd оn thе fаѕhiоn trаin аnd rесеntlу hаѕ bееn mаking a ѕрlаѕh with itѕ high-еnd соuturе.

Couture by Giles Deacon.

Lоndоn Fаѕhiоn Wееk hаѕ nоt уеt rеасhеd thе соmmеrсiаl lеvеl оf Nеw Yоrk аnd iѕ lеѕѕ likеlу tо fоllоw fаѕhiоn trеndѕ.

Rаthеr, еасh Lоndоn fаѕhiоn hоuѕе ѕhоwсаѕеѕ itѕ unique tаkе оn fаѕhiоn-fоrwаrd соnсерtѕ, аnd thеir соllесtiоnѕ аrе ѕtill mаrkеt rеаdу. Thе hеаvу hittеrѕ in Lоndоn, like Riсhаrd Niсhоll, Chriѕtорhеr Kаnе аnd Gilеѕ Dеасоn, аrе аll аmаzing dеѕignеrѕ whо рrоduсе соmmеrсiаllу viаblе соllесtiоnѕ thаt wоuld ѕtаnd оut аt аnу оf thе fаѕhiоn ѕhоwѕ аrоund thе wоrld.

Giovanni Battista Giorgini and models at the presentation of High Fashion Italian in London, 1956

Milаn’ѕ vеrѕiоn оf thе wееk wаѕ еѕtаbliѕhеd in 1958 аnd iѕ раrt оf thе Big Fоur intеrnаtiоnаllу.

It iѕ оwnеd bу a nоnрrоfit аѕѕосiаtiоn whiсh diѕсiрlinеѕ, сооrdinаtеѕ, and рrоmоtеѕ thе dеvеlорmеnt оf Itаliаn fashion аnd iѕ rеѕроnѕiblе fоr hоѕting thе fаѕhiоn еvеntѕ аnd ѕhоwѕ оf Milаn саllеd Cаmеrа Nаziоnаlе dеllа Mоdа Itаliаnа. Thе оriginаl Itаliаn

ArtDiction |7 | September/October 2017

Fаѕhiоn Wееk wаѕ nоt hеld in Milаn; inѕtеаd it wаѕ hеld in Flоrеnсе аt thе direction оf Giоvаn Bаttiѕtа Giоrgini.

Hе hеld thе firѕt “fаѕhiоn раrаdе” in thе living rооm оf hiѕ hоuѕе Villа Tоrrigiаni.

Thе Itаliаn wееk lаtеr mоvеd tо Rоmе and thеn Milаn whеrе it iѕ сurrеntlу hеld in hаutе ѕtуlе tоdау.

A memorable 2016 Milan Fashion Week concluded with Dolce and Gabbana applying the princess principle and turning up the glitter factor.

The fairytale-themed collection included models in Chanel at Paris Couture Week Spring 2014. mini-dresses that sparkled like a Disney character’s most adorned leading star.

Pаriѕ iѕ knоwn аѕ thе fаѕhiоn сарitаl оf thе wоrld, аnd hоldѕ thе finаlе роѕitiоn in thе fаѕhiоn ѕhоw tоur.

Pаriѕ Fаѕhiоn Wееk bringѕ еасh ѕеаѕоn’ѕ сhаоtiс ѕсhеdulе оf intеrnаtiоnаl fаѕhiоn wееkѕ tо аn еnd.

High-еnd Frеnсh dеѕignеrѕ inсludе Chriѕtiаn Diоr, Cосо Chаnеl, аnd Lоuiѕ Vuittоn, along with mаnу mоrе ѕtunninglу tаlеntеd dеѕignеrѕ. Tурiсаllу, Pаriѕ hаѕ ѕоmе оf thе mоѕt еxtrаvаgаnt ѕhоwѕ, еѕресiаllу with Pаriѕ Cоuturе Wееk.

Nо mаttеr whiсh оf thе Big Fоur iѕ уоur fаvоritе, еасh wееk iѕ ѕurе tо dаzzlе itѕ аudiеnсе with nеw hаutе соuturе dеѕignѕ уеаr аftеr уеаr. In аdditiоn tо hаutе соuturе trеndѕ, innоvаtivе fаѕhiоn dеѕignѕ hаvе аlѕо bееn mаking a big imрасt, еѕресiаllу in Nеw Yоrk, thе оnlу lосаtiоn thаt аllоwѕ a fаѕhiоn ѕсhооl tо fеаturе itѕ ѕtudеntѕ’ dеѕignѕ, whiсh аrе оftеn vеrу frеѕh аnd inѕрirаtiоnаl.

Thеrе аrе ѕоmе еxресtеd trеndѕ frоm еасh оf thе Big Four fаѕhiоn wееk frоm thе likеѕ оf Nеw Yоrk’ѕ Rаlрh Lаurеn, Cаlvin Klеin, and Tоmmу Hilfigеr; London’s Emiliа Wiсkѕtеаd, Erdеm аnd Rоkѕаndа; Milаn’ѕ Prаdа, Vеrѕасе, and Dоlсе & Gаbbаnа; аnd Paris’ Dior and Louis Vuitton. There is additionally a рlеthоrа оf uр аnd соming dеѕignеrѕ, like British designer Mоllу Gоddаrd, whо wоn Emеrging Britiѕh Tаlеnt in 2016.

It iѕ dеfinitеlу imроrtаnt tо kеер uр with thе lаtеѕt runwау ѕtуlеѕ frоm аll fоur wееkѕ tо ѕtау оn tор оf uрсоming trеndѕ fоr thе nеxt ѕеаѕоn.

ArtDiction |8| September/October 2017

Kaia Gerber walks in the Calvin Klein spring 2018 show on September 7th Getty Images North America.

Fashion and Textiles

Lizzie Montgomery spent her school years at a Rudolf Steiner School in Sydney, where she illustrated everything she learned up to the age of 12. Lizzie’s illustration skills were honed, and, at the age of 20, she was commissioned to illustrate an Arthurian legend.

Lizzie designed a “Women and Culture” collection of printed fabrics for which she won the Bronze A’ Design Award in the Fashion, Apparel and Garment Design category in 2014 for the Wollstonecraft Capsule Collection. “I took inspiration from women as depicted through the decades in advertising and illustration, and their roles in domestic life and in society,” she explains. “I designed the garments around the fabric print placements, as the prints inform the garment shape. My intention was to place women’s high-end fashion in a meaningful cultural and historical context.”

Lizzie was exhibiting at Scoop London when the Victoria and Albert Museum’s head buyer found her and asked for an exclusive collaboration, celebrating the wealth of the V&A’s collections in a new silk scarf design. The Arcadia Scarf design combines furniture, jewelry, ceramics, paintings, textile, and architecture from the 18th century. “To create the scarf, I spent time in the V&A’s libraries researching the collections, then selecting and collaging images together. The V&A has always been my favorite place in London so this was one project I was not going to turn down!”

One of Lizzie’s most notable projects is the bespoke car painting. “The custom car designs definitely turn heads,” Lizzie says. “First, I create a design theme, then for each car panel I make a paper template so I can make a customized design for each panel. Then I have the designs printed on thin stretchy vinyl which is applied expertly onto the car. I’ve so far done two different bespoke cars, and orders are welcome!”

Follow Lizzie on Instagram (@lizziemontgomerydesign) where she promotes other designers and craftspeople. “Every Tuesday I do a ‘Designer Spotlight’ and the Instagram community really seems to appreciate exposure to new makers they would never otherwise have found.”

ArtDiction |9 | September/October 2017

Lizzie Montgomery

Lizzie Montgomery

Lizzie Montgomery

Call for Artists!

Become a featured artist in ArtDiction by submitting artwork to submission@artdictionmagazine. To request additional details, send an email to info@artdictionmagazine.com.

Retailing in High-End Fashion

High-end retail boutiques are known to include fashionable clothes produced by leading fashion houses and contemporary fashion designs based on trending fashion.

Sales specialists of these boutiques do not aimlessly roam the floors or stand idly in the corner, or checking their smartphone behind a rack of marked down sales items. Proper training helps to ensure that a sales specialist is interactive, informative, and helpful to shoppers and browsers alike.

“I received a week-long, very detailed training which included being well-versed in all categories of the brand,

recalls Kat Wiles,” luxury specialist. “From craftsmanship, different types of leather and exotics, to fabrics and silhouettes in RTW (ready to wear), to inspirations behind certain codes of the brand, all were thoroughly presented to fully understand an entire collection.”

Knowing your products is also imperative to the role of a high-end retail specialist.

“You absolutely must know the product. How can you sell it if you don’t know it’s qualities?” notes Wiles. “I think the reason most people invest in luxury goods is because of great craftsmanship. They are reassured the ArtDiction | 16 | September/October 2017

product will last for years.”

Wiles explains that her extensive training equipped her to sell luxury products with confidence because she knew every detail of the products she presented.

A survey conducted by the National Retail Federation revealed that 77 percent of shoppers took advantage of holiday discounts to buy items for themselves.

Wiles sees customers that buy for themselves and as gifts. “For high-priced items such as handbags and RTW, customers are buying for themselves. But accessories make for great gifting products,” she says.

More Than Doodles Georgie Ravenscroft has been sketching and doodling all her life. Her interest in art continued to develop throughout childhood and beyond. “I took Fine Art at GCSE level and then decided to put all my eggs in one basket by doing an extended diploma in Art and Design at college, followed by a BA in Illustration at Brighton University,” she explains.

Georgie has always been passionate about fashion, but it wasn’t until a friend approached her about covering London Fashion Week that her illustrations went from animals and nature to etching out the new “it” girl. “My friend saw the art work I was creating and asked if I wanted to come to London Fashion Week and be an illustrator for the Digital Team,” she recalls. “I’d never really drawn people before, but I gave it a go [because] I had always loved fashion and the creative sphere around it.”

At LFW, Georgie followed a schedule of the show and was given the task of creating about 6-7 illustrations a day based on the looks coming down the catwalk. “I would attend the shows, take pictures of the looks, take them back into the office and draw from them. From there the images were posted across Fashion Scouts social media accounts.”

Today, Georgie has a plethora of illustrations featuring ladies wearing a range of styles and exhibiting current trends in the fashion world. “The models and fashion photography that usually captures my eye is new contemporary styling, clothing that has patterns or graphic components and models that aren’t posing,” she says. “I definitely prefer a more natural, more relaxed look to my work, and that starts with the inspiration.”

ArtDiction |17 | September/October 2017

Georgie Ravenscroft

Georgie Ravenscroft

Georgie Ravenscroft

Georgie Ravenscroft

Georgie Ravenscroft

Georgie Ravenscroft

Japaris is a new idea of stylish wear. The classic line of clothes brings a tailored, classy, ready-to-wear feel to the world. Japaris clothing’s objective is to explore unfamiliar territories with clothing. Creating a signature design across the chest adds flare to the brand and makes a fashion statement. The classy design attracts the young, mature generation with the message that is our slogan: BE YOU, BE VERSATILE. Japaris is a culture that changes the way young men and woman approach style. www.shopjaparisclothing.com japarisclothing@gmail.com

From Lens to Life

Danny Baldwin

London-based fashion photographer Danny Baldwin explored a range of art mediums including drama, drawing, and modeling before discovering his talent as a photographer. While he was modelling, Danny discovered he could best channel his creativity if he placed himself on the other side of the camera. Danny is Influenced by fashion and counter-culture, and his photography effortlessly mixes his dramatic style of colors, tones, and textures with the power of beauty and shapes.

Danny sees the world of fashion photography as another realm where art, design and music are combined to create something innovative, where the only restrictions on your craft are the limits of your imagination— the ultimate in escapism. His striking style and technical skill reveals an emotional presence with focus on line, shape, and expression to create clean, bold, flawless images with a surrealist twist. The transformation of real life to final image through Danny Baldwin’s lens is an art in itself, and his talent is matched only by his drive to be the best he can be.

ArtDiction |25 | September/October 2017

Danny Baldwin

Danny Baldwin

Danny Baldwin

Danny Baldwin

Danny Baldwin

Danny Baldwin

Danny Baldwin

New York Fashion Week 2017: The Wrap-up Although many designer’s chose to show in Paris this season, the September 2017 New York Fashion Week had its standout moments. Here are a some of ArtDicton’s favorites.

Christian Siriano Backstage at his show at Pier 59, Christian Sirano stated that his show was about celebrating beauty, as could be seen by who sat in his front row: Leslie Jones draped in a fuchsia Siriano cape; Vanessa Williams in a copper cocktail dress; and Patricia Clarkson in a burgundy dress with pleated sleeves and a high slit. Supermodel Coco Rocha opened and closed the show. “We have all shapes, sizes, boys, trans; I want to celebrate everyone,” said Siriano. As Adam Glassman, Oprah Magazine’s creative director, stated, “Christian Siriano is the most democratic designer there is.”

Kate Spade Kate Spade took over the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station in celebration of the brand’s 25th anniversary. Serving beignets and oysters, CCO Deborah Lloyd based the party on New Orleans flavor. The entertainment held true to the New Orleans theme, as the N.O. Christian Siriano backstage with Vaness Williams, jazz band Preservation Brass opened the show marching Gina Gershon, and Patricia Clarkson. through the space ahead of the models. We cannot forget about the fashion—vintage lacy pieces, tailored jackets with ruffled peplums, high-necked blouses with graphic embroidery, and the reintroduction of Sam, the Kate Spade original handbag from 1993 re-imagined; in one case, with flowers.

Sachin & Babi Sachin and Babi Ahluwalia’s latest spring/summer 2018 collection embraced femininity with dramatic evening wear silhouettes. They created looks based around the ideas of tapestries, textiles, sequins, rich textures, and spices. The collection was a marriage of East meets West with inspiration taken from both the Middle Eastern market’s captivating energy, as well as French fashion muse Loulou de la Falaise’s bohemian spirit. The lineup featured pops of color in billowy and streamlined ArtDiction |33 | September/October 2017

Kate Spade.

silhouettes. Graphic Ottoman textiles, sequins and lip-shaped appliqués added interest to the joyous mix.

Vaquera As a younger brand made up of a four-person team, Vaquera has made strides to find its way into the spotlight. A year ago, the team struggled to produce their collection, but they were recently nominated for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, granting interviews to The New York Sachin & Babi.

Times and Vogue. “We feel like we’re in the middle of an identity crisis,” said Vaquera co-founder Claire Sully. “We want to communicate our work through our crazy shows but also through selling things and trying to figure out how to do that.”

Their enviable look included a hand-drawn Abraham Lincoln T-shirt dress and an oversize bathrobe-gown. Whoopi Goldberg reviewed the show for Interview magazine and stated, “If I were hosting another Oscars show I would wear the terry cloth. Absolutely. I just think it’s beautiful.”

Carolina Herrera

Vaquera.

Most designers hosted their shows at spaces in and about New York City. Others, however, thought outside the box and chose the most unpredictable venues. And it worked! The Row’s Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen presented their show with a side of scones and coffee at the Carlyle; Derek Lam and Gabriela Hearst set up shop at the Pool, the new restaurant in the former Four Seasons’ space in the Seagram Building.

Most noteworthy though was Carolina Herrera, with a show staged at the garden of the MoMA (the first show to ever be held there).

Off to Paris Fashion Week!

Carolina Herrera’s show at the MoMA garden.

ArtDiction |34| September/October 2017

artist index

Page 25

Danny Baldwin

www.dannybaldwin.com

Page 9

Lizzie Montgomery

www.lizziemontgomery.com

Page 17

Georgie Ravenscroft

www.etsy.com/people/georgieraves

ArtDiction | 35 | September/October 2017

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