As The Kinks once sang, "he's a dedicated follower of fashion". As an international trade negotiator for the textile industry, I like to follow the trends here and there - indeed there's always a copy of The Rake lying around the office, and while I may be more Ugly Betty than Versace, I've attended events like the Vietnam Fashion Week and even been on foreign telly extolling the virtues of British textile mills - so how on Earth am I going to resist an artbook titled Fashion Illustration - Outfit of the Day?
This stylish little artbook features 40 illustrators (who have untranslated profiles in a little inside-the book magazine), and it certainly has something for everyone!
More of Najuca's Shibuya-inspired street fashions
Cover artist Najuco (@co2nakk on Instagram) leads the way with some Shibuya street fashion, full of oversized items and brand logos proudly on display. It's a stark contrast to artists such as Akira Koayama (@deko_pooon), who uses colour to differentiate his styles (going so far as to provide RGB values!), mixing modern and traditional trends with an often Chinese influence.
It would be a very long article were I to take us through each artist in turn, but every featured fashionista has their social media accounts listed within the book, so if any one sartorial look catches your imagination, you are freely encouraged and enabled to enter the digital rabbit hole and find more to enjoy. I've already started following some of the creators on Instagram, and more will follow as I take the time to fully digest everything within.
Artist Konnoita has a striking instinct for colours (@muneganai29)
It's unusual to find a book where the fashion is as important as the art itself; if you're a budding manga-ka, this is the perfect introductory guide to Asian fashion trends with which you can be inspired - there's always been a subtle and distinct difference in taste between East and West, and here you can study looks to suit your characters. Whether you want chic, preppy, loli, punk, simple, sophisticated, sweet or in-your-face, there's a page in here to satisfy you.
There's even a section toward the end of the book that features actual illustrated adverts used by brands, and they're to die for. If only we had such amazing dedication to an artform that Western fashion companies would create such artwork to promote their wares! I dream of flicking through my regular fashion mags and being confronted with such arresting visuals. The closest I can remember is when Vogue Italy produced a limited edition cover drawn by Yoshitaka Amano. (Despite being in Italy at the time I was unable to find one - it now commands between £80-£115 on Ebay...)
Gorgeous colours and a flair for design from TSCR (@puppeteer7777)
So should you imbibe some sartorial flair from Fashion Illustration: Outfit of the Day? If you have a love of art, fashion or culture, then the answer is a resounding yes. PIE International have once again compiled an artbook that delights and sets imaginations racing.
Fashion Illustration: Outfit of the Day is £16.52 on Amazon UK. This blog makes no money from purchases using the link provided.
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