Why the Expert? The Reigning King of Fashion Illustration

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David Downtown, the reigning King of fashion illustration, is Screen shot 2014-09-07 at 11.33.08 AMfeatured in this month’s issue of Vanity Fair. Faced with drawing this year’s selection of best-dressed muses, Graydon Carter (the Canadian editor of VF), brought in the expert with Downtown. A smart  choice in the world of illustration, his portraiture lends a classical sophistication to his (already) iconic subject matter.

With a commercial client list that includes all of the big greats such as Chanel, Dior and Harrods, Downtown’s work has also appeared editorially in Vogue and the New York Times, to name a few. We love that Claridge’s Hotel in London appointed him ‘Fashion Artist in Residence’ with the exciting task to illustrate its glamorous guests in the world of fashion and design.

As a fan of fashion illustration, a must-have for your coffee table is Masters of Fashion Illustration ($33.49 USD in Hardcover on Amazon). Curated by Downtown himself, the book features a visual history of the best fashion illustrators since it was considered an art form. The only issue? We wish it came with a set of prints ready for framing… Perfect for you or your FFF (Favourite Fashion Friend).

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About the Author: Dwaina

I am devoted to making people love living in their homes. I have done that with absolute joy for most of my life and as a career for the past 20 years or so... I am a homebody – I do not actively seek adventure but I have had adventures. I believe home is the most sacred and important place in the world. I say I grew up on a farm – but I doubt technically it would qualify as a farm. Five acres – one milk cow – one calf - we ate them when they grew up, lots of chickens and a few pigs – we ate them too… I was that kid who dragged rugs and furniture out to the orchard and set up outdoor rooms. It mixed my two favourite things – outside and comfortable furniture. My friends and I would sleep outside in my “rooms”. It was magical because my ceiling was full of stars. I have lived in small houses, big houses, basement suites, cottages, condos and apartments. I have built and I have renovated houses. For a short time in my young life I was without a home – this changed me. I have lived with pets, wanted and unwanted – rodents are unwanted… I have lived in a house richly full with the raising of my four children. I have had the tremendous joy of my children carrying my grandchildren into my home. I have had my home become an “empty nest” and my life shrunken and shattered with the loss of my beloved husband. Home and my people there have always been my comfort. It does not matter where home is, it only matters that you are in it and that you find comfort there and that is why I do what I do.