Is Fashion Illustration the future of Fashion Week in a post covid world?

July 13, 2020

“In our digital age of photographic overload, illustration stands as a refreshing oasis in the midst of the continuous scroll”. - Laird Borrelli-Persson ,Vogue.com

This past season the fashion industry has seen a lot of changes all at once. Manufacturing slowed down, design offices closed indefinitely, and all live events were canceled.

When most of the world shut down, Fashion Houses who had been preparing for their July Paris Couture presentations were faced with extra challenges. While some designers were forced to back out of the event, others adapted to the times and took their collections digital.

Balmain F20 Couture look re-imagined by Illustrator Deanna Kei

Some Labels turned to Fashion Illustration to bridge the distance between their collection and their audience, and to create an exclusive storytelling experience. This was also a glamorous solution to manufacturing, sample creation, and photo shoot difficulties brought on by global social distancing. These illustrations brought something fresh and new, and much more personal to each presentation.

For his couture week showing, Schiaparelli debuted an entirely Illustrated collection, precluded by a live streamed presentation which included footage of the designer hand sketching the line in New York City’s Washington Square Park. After the live stream a series of Illustrations took the place usually reserved for collection photos on Vogue’s website.

While couture sample making was near impossible at the time, especially in New York as most things are just now beginning to reopen, Schiaparelli's resourceful Illustrated delivery got the job done exceptionally well. *View the presentation on Vogue.com

“The resulting sketches were so well-received in Paris that it was determined that they would be presented, and the items they display will be offered on a made-to-order basis.” - Nicole Phelps, Vogue.com

Ralph and Russo was another design house who enlisted Fashion Illustration to help tell their FW 20/21 story this season. They incorporated Fashion Illustration, Photography, and 3D rendering into a truly innovative, one of a kind presentation. While some of their designs were available to be shown through photography, the rest of the collection was brought to life by 3d digital renderings and eye catching Illustrations. Both the detail-centric renderings and the couture Illustrations are featured side by side on the collection page of Vogue.com.

Alexandre Vautheir F20 Couture look re-imagined by Illustrator Deanna Kei

--But Fashion Illustration for marketing isn’t a new concept. It’s been up-trending steadily for the past decade.

Vogue Italia Editor In Chief Emanuele Farneti makes a strong case for it. Earlier this year Vogue Italia released their first ever Illustrated Fashion cover for their January Issue. All of the features inside the issue are also Illustrated. With a focus on sustainability, the money saved on the issue was donated to charity. *Source: https://www.vogue.com/article/why-fashion-illustration-matters-in-the-digital-age

“No photo shoot production was required in the making of this issue.” - Emanuele Farneti, on his Instagram

In another Instagram post by Farneti, he delves into the high costs and negative environmental impacts of large scale photo shoots (including the costs and resources used flying models, staff, photographers, equipment, and samples to a shoot location) and how Illustrations can eliminate those costs. *Source: https://www.creativereview.co.uk/vogue-italia-illustrated-issue/

Vogue Italia also included Illustrations (this time drawn by children) in their recent June Issue.

During the pandemic, designer Christian Siriano has been selling Fashion Illustrations on his website to supplement costs as he’s shifted from creating gowns to manufacturing masks to be donated. The illustrations have been met with excitement and he even released a limited set for pride month.

Viktor & Rolf F20 Couture look re-imagined by Illustrator Deanna Kei

More and more industry names are finding Fashion Illustration to be a well suited replacement for live runway shows, as well as printed digital media content and e-commerce.

Fashion Illustration has become a powerful and cost-effective tool for digital and creative marketing in this ever changing industry. Art has always been a way to invoke strong emotions and elicit a response. Fashion Illustration draws the viewer in, allowing them to feel more connected with the brand and encouraging conversation, while also showcasing a design or product.

As brand storytelling and relationship fostering continues to be ever important in our socially distanced world, Fashion Illustration is helping to bridge the gap between brands and consumers and creating truly immersive experiences that can’t be achieved by any other means.

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Deanna Kei is a NY based Fashion and Beauty Illustrator. She works with brands to create unique and engaging content featuring their products and collections. To commission illustrations for your brand please write to deannakei@gmail.com

Alice in Fashion Land: Wonderland Worthy Looks from the AW 2020 Runway

May 26, 2020

The story of Alice in Wonderland has been inspiring designers for many decades. The vibrant world and quirky characters have been brought to life through various interpretations over the years and countless Runway collections have cited it as the underlying inspiration.

Instead of examining some of the looks inspired by Alice’s tale, I pulled 5 designer looks from the recent AW2020 Fashion Shows that would be perfect for the Wonderland characters if they stepped out in New York City today. Think ‘Wonderland’ but with a high fashion, city sensibility. Each of these gorgeous outfits comes from the Designer collections presented at the Fall 20 shows. [*For a complete list of the Fall trends, see my FW20 Trend Report]

Ready to check out these looks?! —On to the first one!

1. The Playing Card Soldier

Wearing: Alexander McQueen AW2020

This is quite possibly my favorite look of the set. The thick ribbed sweater dress, cinched at the waist by a bold black belt is the perfect Fall silhouette. The bias rib side panels make for an extremely flattering drape. Its monochrome pallet is enhanced by the red highlight stitching and matching red thigh-high boots. This look is simple, elegant, chic, and extremely wearable.

Why it’s perfect for the Playing Card Soldier:

Beyond the obvious color similarities, the red threading makes a diamond shape, reminiscent of the diamond suit of cards. The fitted silhouette looks like the updated version of the white playing card design in the old Disney movie version.

Click here to view the rest of the McQueen AW2020 runway show on Vogue.

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2. The Mad Hatter

Wearing: JW Anderson AW2020

This gorgeous long dress coat has a shaped waist with princess seams, a notched collar and a single breasted button front closure. The window pane plaid is nod to menswear inspired suiting. (*A key AW20 trend.) The shoulder embellishment details add a touch of controlled chaos to the pristine look.

Why it’s perfect for the Mad Hatter:

In most adaptions, the Mad Hatter is seen wearing a suit jacket and tailored pants. The Hatter is well due for an upgrade and this suit set is perfect. The white ringlet shoulder trim brings a bit off madness to this otherwise tailored look.

Click here to view the rest of the JW Anderson collection on Vogue

3. The Red Queen

Wearing: Marine Serre AW2020

This dress is a masterful merger of many different details. There’s a sheer lizard motif overlay at the neckline, and varied floral patterns over the rest of the dress. Panels of velvet, silk, and print alternate and switch between the bias and the grain line of the fabric to create a beautiful contoured shape. The brushed gloves and scooped ruffle neckline elevate the look further. (*Key Trend: Piecing - See other pieced looks in my FW20 report.)

Why it’s perfect for the Red Queen:

The look may be a little more Fuchsia than the Red queen is used to, but it’s time for a refresh! The rich fabrics and delicate construction make it fit for a modern queen. The contrasting lizard overlay adds an element of edge.

Click here to view the rest of the Marine Serre Collection on Vogue

4. The White Rabbit

Wearing: Tom Ford AW2020

This menswear outfit is the perfect neutral: an all white casual layered look topped with a beautiful brushed grey shearling coat. The all white drop front track pants, hoodie, and V neck tee act as a clean slate to showcase the statement jacket.

Why it’s perfect for the White Rabbit: The neutral pallet and dramatic coat elevate this comfortable style. This outfit has an athleisure-esque quality, perfect for someone who’s always in a rush—The shearling coat ties it all together and keeps it from looking too casual.

Click here to view the rest of the Tom Ford Collection on Vogue

5. Alice, herself!

Wearing: Gucci AW2020

This dress has so many beautiful details: Delicate ruffled lace tiers bordered by black lace edging; Soft ruched drapery at the front of the skirt, and a lightly shirred sheer bodice and sleeves. The pastel blue paired with the transparent black lace creates a gothic quality. (*Key Trends: Sleeve Drama; Tiered Ruffles)

Why its perfect for Alice: She’s always liked a bit of ruffle, volume, and a lace. This dress has all that and more. Its a show stopping gown, fit for the hero of the story. Plus, its her iconic blue!

That’s a wrap! Which of these 5 runway looks is your favorite? Share in the comments below!

Deanna Kei is a New York based live event illustrator who turns guests into fun fashion illustrations, highlighting each of their personal styles. She’s available to book for both live and virtual events and is available for travel. She also creates custom fashion illustrations for brands and is open for illustration commissions. Contact her at deannakei@gmail.com

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NYFW: What its really like 5 minutes before show time..

January 13, 2020

NYFW: The True Backstage Experience

Deanna Kei ~ NYFW Runway & Front Row Illustration

An elaborately dressed crowd blocks the entrance, hoping to catch the eye of the stand by photographers. They’re kept at bay by a few suited men, acting as security. Here and there, people dressed in all black have their name’s checked off and pass through the doors. The models, managers, hair and make up teams are already inside and have begun preparing. The side of the room is already lined with racks of garment bags and shoe boxes. The new entries dressed in black are sent back and forth between people with clipboards until they find their assigned place among the racks. Some of the models are already sitting beside them. Others are still in Hair & Makeup. The ones that are finished scroll through their phones or chat casually with friends they recognize from other shows. There’s a bit of chaos in the room, but also an excited nervous energy. So much has been prepared beforehand but so many things must be saved for last minute to ensure perfection.

The people dressed in black are part of the Dressing team. They’re the ones who’ll help the models change outfits fast during the show, and will be ready to stitch up a zipper or two if there’s a last minute mishap. They’re usually volunteers and are fashion students or fashion lovers who want to help out and be a part of the excitement. They’re not there for the glory, dressed in a mandated all black dress code—(no accessories allowed!)—and they’re not there for recognition: taking photos or Insta stories is prohibited. They do get to see the collection up close and touch some of the pieces before the rest of the world sees them come down the runway.

Dressing is definitely a one of a kind experience and working each show is completely different. ‘Dressing’ at a runway show is a little more complicated than dressing yourself at home. Each ‘Look’ for the show is given is number. The looks include not only the clothing, but the accessories, hair, makeup, shoes, and any other props that have been confirmed in advance. All of the pieces are kept together on hangers and in garment bags. They’re grouped together on rolling racks and marked by a giant card/poster listing the Look # (which is the order it will go down the runway) and the model’s full name. There’s also a photo of the model dressed in the entire look. This part is key! The dressers are seeing this look for the very first time so they’ll rely solely on the photo to figure out how to put it on. Sometimes its simple, but usually its not. Many times there is an head piece that wraps around, or a certain button that’s meant to be skipped, or a draped piece that looks like a rectangle on a hanger but must transform magically on the model.

—But the most difficult aspect of all is the time limit! You might think “Why don’t they just get dressed in advance?” but to keep everything, pristine, clean and perfectly pressed, the models aren’t allowed to begin dressing until moments before they go out. Then, all at once, chaos ensues! It’s not uncommon to see a dresser running along side their model and still dressing her as she takes her place in line for the stage. Yes, the first go around is pretty intense but its when the model has a second or third look that things get really crazy. After the model returns from her first walk, there are only minutes to get her out of that outfit and into the next so she can run back out. It’s quite the time challenge.

In the past, as a design student I’ve dressed for Creatures of Comfort, Farah Angsana, and Zadig Et Voltaire and each back stage experience was extremely unique from the others. At one of the shows, all of the teams were allowed to walk around the site freely and enjoy the hors d'oeuvres. The model I was working with preferred to dress herself and I really only had to help her get into her shoes and then make sure everything was on correctly and matched her card.

Another show was at Chelsea Piers. There were multiple shows going on inside the venue. It was amazing inside and there were a lot of random photo ops, like a giant armchair on a platform, and a flower wall. At this particular show the backstage organization was terrible. For this show my model had 1 mid-show outfit change. The second look racks were wedged in a tight corridor beside the runway entrance. The first look went fine, but there were only seconds to completely change the models for their second walk. The back stage space was so tight for 20 models and their dressers, and there was a lot of tripping and accidental elbowing. It was chaotic to say the least!

The third show I worked on was much more organized and there was so much space! I was assigned two models but they only had one outfit each. I helped them both simultaneously and they lined up and went out without a hitch. After the final walk, I helped them change back, packed up the look in the garment bags and that was a wrap! —but the most unique part here was what happened to me even before the show dressing!

One of the models was missing for the pre-show rehearsal. (The last minute pre-show rehearsal is when they line all the models up in numerical order and everyone does their full catwalk to the music to test that everything is ready for the show.) Some one grabbed me by chance and told me to line up as model #26 since she was still stuck in Hair & Makeup. I was praying for #26 to turn up before the line moved but unfortunately she did not. I was a least a foot shorter than the rest of the line and they had all just come from Hair & Makeup and were glowing. I felt really out of place. However, seeing the actual NYFW runway from the models point of view was such a unique and memorable experience that it was worth all the awkwardness! The show hadn’t started but some of the audience had already been seated. I walked out in the line up, to the music and the lights—to a partially filled room— and as much as it was embarrassing, it was actually pretty fun!

NYFW always brings an amazing energy to the city and there’s nothing else like it! While the runway shows are fun, my new favorite events are the Pop Up Shops and Design Installations that many designers are opting to reveal their collections during. I especially love Illustrating at them!

Are you looking forward to any shows this season?

The Fall/Winter 20 Women’s RTW shows kick off on February 7th and run until February 12th. You can check out the official CFDA calendar here.

*Snag this fun Fashion Week notebook here to keep track of all your inspiration and trend notes!

Do you have a fashion week story? Share yours in the comments below or drop a link to your post!