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| model 1 |
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| model 2 |
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| model 1 |
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| model 2 |
At least one of these models is a guy. Do you think it's model 1 (black hair), model 2 (blonde), or both?
I will reveal the answer in the comments. But, in the meantime, let me tell you that fashion is a very weird and distorted world.
On the first day of my Fashion Illustration class I learned that the fashion croquis is drawn twenty-five percent taller than a real human being (ten heads tall instead of eight heads). I am getting the hang of drawing these alien creatures, and it's pretty fun. Last week we started drawing male croquis' as well (they are actually closer to real proportions). Out of curiosity, just the other day I printed a photo of Cary Grant and measured the height of his head and compared that with the height of the rest of his body.
I will reveal the answer in the comments. But, in the meantime, let me tell you that fashion is a very weird and distorted world.
On the first day of my Fashion Illustration class I learned that the fashion croquis is drawn twenty-five percent taller than a real human being (ten heads tall instead of eight heads). I am getting the hang of drawing these alien creatures, and it's pretty fun. Last week we started drawing male croquis' as well (they are actually closer to real proportions). Out of curiosity, just the other day I printed a photo of Cary Grant and measured the height of his head and compared that with the height of the rest of his body.
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| Mr. Grant is eight heads tall. |
If he is eight heads tall (and he is), then even the eight-head woman of the regular art world (not fashion art) is still pretty tall.
Besides being ridiculously stretched-out and super long-legged, a ten-head croquis is also drawn much thinner than a "regular person." Well, maybe she's as thin as a regular size six woman who's been stretched out to be 25% taller. My illustration teacher explains that this is because a croquis is really just a hanger on which to show off your designs. "Anything will look good on this figure, so it's really fun to design for them," she says.
This is true. It is fun to design for a croquis, because you can make anything look good on them. But when she explained that to us I couldn't help thinking that the idea was totally wrong. If you can make anything look good on a croquis figure, then wouldn't it make more sense to take a little bit of a challenge and design things that would look good on real women? Shouldn't we design, illustrate, and make clothing that the average woman would actually wear—would actually want to wear—and would look and feel great in?
No. That is not how it's done.
It seems to me that, in fashion, you basically have some brilliantly creative people (and, yeah, some who are just strange) who take the easy road of creating designs that will only look fabulous when worn by "stick-figures with poufy lips." (Edna Mode, The Incredibles) And then they have to find the tallest, thinnest women they can get to parade and, hopefully, sell their fashions, creating new ideals of beauty for all women . . . ideals like "heroin-chic."
Well now I've learned that these super-skinny women are still not thin enough, small-hipped enough, or flat-chested enough to satisfy the industry. Nope. For at least a couple years top designers have been turning to skinny young men to model their women's designs. The fashion world loves these models, even calling them "the most beautiful [women] in the world."
Wow. So women aren't even woman enough to wear women's fashions.
I find this rather offensive. Why don't they call it what it is and design evening gowns for boys? Or, better yet, why don't these people design real clothes—beautiful, stylish things—to serve the real woman instead of idolizing their own phony art form?
Besides being ridiculously stretched-out and super long-legged, a ten-head croquis is also drawn much thinner than a "regular person." Well, maybe she's as thin as a regular size six woman who's been stretched out to be 25% taller. My illustration teacher explains that this is because a croquis is really just a hanger on which to show off your designs. "Anything will look good on this figure, so it's really fun to design for them," she says.
This is true. It is fun to design for a croquis, because you can make anything look good on them. But when she explained that to us I couldn't help thinking that the idea was totally wrong. If you can make anything look good on a croquis figure, then wouldn't it make more sense to take a little bit of a challenge and design things that would look good on real women? Shouldn't we design, illustrate, and make clothing that the average woman would actually wear—would actually want to wear—and would look and feel great in?
No. That is not how it's done.
It seems to me that, in fashion, you basically have some brilliantly creative people (and, yeah, some who are just strange) who take the easy road of creating designs that will only look fabulous when worn by "stick-figures with poufy lips." (Edna Mode, The Incredibles) And then they have to find the tallest, thinnest women they can get to parade and, hopefully, sell their fashions, creating new ideals of beauty for all women . . . ideals like "heroin-chic."
Well now I've learned that these super-skinny women are still not thin enough, small-hipped enough, or flat-chested enough to satisfy the industry. Nope. For at least a couple years top designers have been turning to skinny young men to model their women's designs. The fashion world loves these models, even calling them "the most beautiful [women] in the world."
Wow. So women aren't even woman enough to wear women's fashions.
I find this rather offensive. Why don't they call it what it is and design evening gowns for boys? Or, better yet, why don't these people design real clothes—beautiful, stylish things—to serve the real woman instead of idolizing their own phony art form?
5 comments:
The black-haired model 1, Stella Tennant, is indeed a woman. I saw her for the first time in Vogue magazine (Sep. 2012) and was sure she was a man. Nope.
It is the blonde, model 2, who is really a guy: Andre Pejic
When I started writing this post I really didn't feel as angry as it ended up sounding. Mostly I think it's really weird. But as I consider it more, I do find it kind of disgusting. Why do the fashionistas want women that look like boys?
Yes, the fashion world is very weird. I'm just in it because I can sew.
What's even stranger is that "the boy" has a body similar to a girl's...waist and hips.
Fashion is indeed strange.
I think you should break the mold and change it! I'd love to see you on Project Runway (I might actually watch if you were!)
The fashion world seems to me to be about deception and impressions, selling ideas rather than clothes, makeup or accessories. I like your idea of designers taking on the challenge of designing for real women instead of the ten-head croquis (or the better term, alien). My first impression was that model 1 was male and model 2 was female.
Brad, I think it's really just art. Weird art. But art just the same—not really intended for women to wear. Unfortunately women look to it so they know how they "should" look
Kim, I don't think my ideas are creative (read weird) enough to be on Project Runway—I tend toward slight variations on very classic stuff. And the more I'm in it, the less I think fashion design is for me. There are girls in the program who just about fall over and die with delight at having to design a new project. I sweat blood over them, and still wonder if they're all that interesting.
I've been having great fun using my newly-learned illustration skills to draw fun, non-fashion pictures though! :)
OK. Well, I've never actually watched Project Runway either. Maybe it's not all weird. But I understand it is pretty high-stress. Also not for me. ;)
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