Have any of you been keeping up with Project Runway? I don’t know what happened but I have missed every episode this season so far for one reason or another. I will have to do one of those marathons. One of my favorite parts of the show is seeing them have all of one hour to sketch their ideas for their next outfit. I am always amazed how these loose quick sketches become clothes. I really wish we could see more of what those sketches actually look like. I think that’s why I like this book- Fashion Illustration by Fashion Designers. The drawings are all really different and unique to each designer. I love the different versions of the tallest skinniest people clad in what seems to be insane costume- and imagining how it could be possibly turned into wearable looks. You can really see the taste of each designer through the models they draw- playful to sophisticated, very detailed to large loose brush strokes. Some of the more familiar designers who have contributed drawings are Betsy Johnson, Karl Langerfeld, Yves Saint Laurent, Isaac Mizrahi and Christian Lacroix. But there are a ton more amazing works by 45 other designers. Get a copy of this book here.

© Julia Rothman 2007