Articulating Ames
A lot of fashion illustration these days tends to be fluid and freehand or aiming to appeal to the feminine sensibilities - i.e. cutesy, girly or nostalgic. These are not bad qualities but when I came across Alexis Zamlich's illustration work whose work is so beautifully precise, it seemed to me that her drawing style exactly suits the sort of avant garde fashion that she professes to love. Zamlich graduated from Parsons and is currently interning at Surface Mag as well as assisting at the New Yorker. Though a great deal of meticulous line work goes into her drawings, she also says that there is tension between 'control and chaos', as if those intricate lines will suddenly overflow from the sillhouettes that she draws.
Her depictions of pieces from the Matthew Ames SS08 collection add depth and complexity to the wonderful shapes that Ames has created... would love to see how Ames feels about his work being depicted in such a way.
Speaking of Matthew Ames SS08, I unfortunately had an invite to his presentation last season in Paris but couldn't make it in the end, and after looking at the pictures of the presentation below, I think I could have done with the serene ambiance, not just of the venue but also where the clothes. There was a certain strict harshness to his previous collection and it has loosened up for SS08 but it still retains Ames' strength in strong silhouette/shape. I also love the way colour is used sparingly and wisely...
I like those illustrations, there's nothing wishy-washy about them at all...
Posted by: Drusilla | 23 February 2008 at 11:36
wow. these illustrations are so inspiring!
Posted by: Annah Legg | 23 February 2008 at 11:41
these drawings are really powerful.
about that kimmy business going on in the comments - she's really weird. you have a very good figure, and who CARES if you've lost or gained weight? isn't it possible that she's not a real person at all? maybe you should put some spam controlling thingy here, like the word verification on blogger or an addition of two integers or something.
Posted by: cate | 23 February 2008 at 12:17
i really like those illustrations. im so bored of the cutesy, deliberate amature-ish, girly illustrations that is in vogue right now. that kind of stronger and more sophisticated "simple" drawing style is very my style too.
if you are bored, always welcome to check out my myspace for some recent works. i got alot of old stuff on there mostly...
www.myspace.com/muxu
Posted by: clover | 23 February 2008 at 14:23
So many cool things done with line in all those images—drawings, photos, designs.
Posted by: enc | 23 February 2008 at 17:36
OH MY GOD THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS POST! I'm in advanced art at school, and our next project is going to be an abstract... and I was planning on doing a girl in a dress, but I wasn't sure how to go about it! Now I am very inspired.
Posted by: Robin Claire | 23 February 2008 at 18:47
The drawings are cool looking, but I'm really not all that impressed with someone who traces over an image, changes it up a little, and calls it her own illustration... not so creative in my opinion.
Posted by: Erika | 23 February 2008 at 20:21
Hello Susie,
I am from Brazil and i just read your interview for independente fashion bloggers. So great the fashion work you´ ve been doing here...
I have a fashion blog too, so, if you can, let´s change links, i am already adding you to mine friend´s favourites links too.
Where are you from?
A kiss and a hug,
Kira
Posted by: Kira | 23 February 2008 at 21:18
...I have been a quiet fan of his work but have only seen the photos. I would have loved to hear your impressions of Ames show...hopefully one day, his clothes will be available in stores!
Posted by: lee | 24 February 2008 at 03:46
Wow, those illustrations are outstanding. I'm inspired to draw again. Thanks Suzie, you always sniff out the best...
Posted by: Claire | 24 February 2008 at 11:30
I mean, thanks SuSie!
Posted by: Claire | 24 February 2008 at 11:31
i really like the play between angular and soft silhouettes here...
Posted by: riz | 24 February 2008 at 13:44
Erika: If you click on one of the links, it takes you through to Alexis' other work in her portfolio... it isn't just tracing over stuff!
Kira: Linked!
Posted by: susie_bubble | 25 February 2008 at 14:37
Good (Saturday) Morning, Susie! Bumped into La Coquette at the vernissage of a show of Warhol pix at chic Paris department store Le Bon Marché... We tatled about how you were The Best and how amazing it was that you manage to keep bloggin'n'workin... Guess you're fortunate to work for a marketing wizz, wise enough to realize it keeps you on the cusp of rising talents like Alexis. Luv her work!
Posted by: Scaree Gee-Oh! | 08 March 2008 at 07:55
Hey,
First time poster, long time lurker... Finally got around to registering and thought I'd say hi.
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