Antonio Lopez

....Illustration and photography have both told the story of fashion, but not in the same way," wrote designer Isaac Mizrahi. "Photography, even at its most ethereal, is a fact. Fashion illustration is a wish."  Ever since clothes have been in existence and there was a need to translate an idea or image into a garment there has been a need for fashion illustration. Not only do fashion illustrations show a representation or design of a garment but also served as a form of art. Fashion illustration shows the presence of hand and is said to be a visual luxury.

More recently, there has been a decline of fashion illustration in the late 1930s when Vogue began to replace its celebrated illustrated covers with photographic images.....

One of the most famous illustrators (definitely my favourite)  was Antonio Lopez, better known in the fashion world as ‘Antonio,’  has been celebrated in such international editorials as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle and Interview. His illustrations are made from many artistic tools including pencil, pen and ink, charcoal, watercolor and polaroid film.

Lopez’s illustrations capture many celebrated individuals and fashion icons who were more often than not his friends: Grace Jones, Mick Jagger, Audrey Hepburn, former fiance Jerry Hall and former Interview Mag coworker Andy Warhol.

Antonio Lopez and his fashion illustrations don’t just chronicle fashion trends of the past in a creative way, but forecast trends for the future and bring back a nostalgia for historic fashions that are surely making their way back into modern wardrobes!