Masters of Fashion Illustration Paperback – September 19, 2012

This book is a bundle of inspiration. For any artists experiencing art block, this is a necessary book.

Masters of Fashion Illustration is not a book I was looking for; it found me, by way of a "you might like" email from Amazon. Normally such an email gets dispatched to the trash in no short order. But I'm delighted--absolutely delighted--that I happened to see this suggestion, took a chance, and bought it.The book encompasses a 100-year arc in fashion illustration, from one turn-of-the-century to another (the 1900's to the early 2000's). In addition to the plentiful full-color illustrations, each chapter contains introductory--yet substantial--text that situates the movement and/or the particular artist within the context of the time. There are five major sections: The Age of Opulence; An Emergine Line (which are illustrations from the 1930's); The New Graphisme (1940's and 1950's); From the Salon to the Street (1960's through 1980's); and a section on author David Downton's work, spanning from the late 1990's through 2009. As for the actual illustrations, gorgeous watercolors and pen-and-ink washes abound. Gouache is also a popular medium for the illustrations selected, but oil pastel, acrylic, charcoal, marker, and even collage are also represented. The illustrations are most often in full-page or half-page format; occasionally they will actually take up a 2-page spread. Very rarely are the illustrations less than 1/4 page.It's a nice size book--the 8-1/2" x 11" size is reminiscent of an artist's notebook, which suits the subject. The production values are very high, with lovely thick paper that is nice to the touch. The illustrations appear to have an eggshell finish and the colors--from the most subtle pastels to super-saturated brights--are all beautifully reproduced.Downton's passion for both illustration and fashion serves him well as the author of this book. Perhaps shamefully, I admit I had my doubts when I saw that the author was an illustrator. Downton's writing, however, is smooth and readable; he is knowledgeable and thorough without being academic or a bore.Previous fashion illustration books I've bought have all been how-to; this one, alas, doesn't provide step-by-step instruction, nor does it pretend to. What it does provide is inspiration and plenty of eye candy. And for the alert student, there is an education to be had here; these masters show us how it's done.

The book I purchased is in like-new condition, as the seller described. And it was priced very fairly. Thank you.

This book is FABULOUS!! It's in a whole other category. Downton's own illustrations are a joy to look at and the others included are wonderful as well. I began my career as a fashion illustrator myself, so I am always on the lookout for other illustrators whose work I admire. Another one to adore is Antonio's Girls featuring the illustrations of the incomparable Antonio Lopez. I would love to see another collection of his illustrations. I used to have the double page spreads he did for "W" on my walls.Another reason I love this particular book is that the cover is RED!! my favorite color!

Hey Amazon,These were actually a gift for my sister, I saw her putting them into my father's Amazon account as a way of dropping hints as to what she wants for Christmas (it's a regular thing here). So I decided I'd get them for her, and they sure made her eyes light up when she saw them so for me that's 5 Stars.RegardsJonathan

An excellent review of the best (in the author's opinion and mine) practicioners of a nearly extinct profession. I was not aware of several of the artists but glad to know them now. When I compare the elegance and style of that bygone age of fashion illustration to the stiff mechanical photos of vacuous malnourished hermaphrodites that populate the pages of style magazines today... too sad.

The illustrations are stunning. If you're an illustrator, artist, fashionista, you'll love it. Promise. I bought it for my mister, a professional artist and so hard to buy gifts for, and he loved it - sat there in awe as he turned the pages.

I decided to buy this book because Downton has made a selection of his own favourite or influential illustrators/artists, and you can see certain elements in the brush work or lines that lead up nicely to the last section of the book focusing on his own work (about 25% of the book). He gives 1-2 pages of history of each artist and a sampling of their works. I would say that this is a good introduction to fashion illustration from the point of view of one of today's talented artists, and is a good stepping stone into further research on your own. The pages are large and heavy paper with large images so you can see the linework clearly.

Given as a gift to my daughter who is very interested.We looked at it together. Visually well done and informative.Excellent place to look for ideas.

This gorgeous book gives you entree into a rarified world of style & beauty. Packed with stunning images from some of the most original & inspirational fashion illustrators of the last 100 years; Erte, Erickson, Blossac - every page fires your imagination & leaves you breathless, torn between admiration & envy at the brilliance of these masters. The illustrations have been well-chosen by David Downton, (himself an illustrator) whose notes are excellent - fascinating, illuminating, informative; written with the knowledge of a real connoisseur, & the enthusiasm of a true fan.The design & layout is faultless, the quality superb, from the colour reproduction to the paper. You might expect you could take this for granted with a £30 book, but my shelves are packed with art books costing the same sort of price, where the paper's cheap, the images insipid... this is well worth the money (though I managed to find in perfect condition for £7 [thanks, BooksForLife!]A rare treat, a rare treasure.

オメガのオーナー向け季刊誌に、「世界で最も美しい本」と紹介されていたのを見てとても興味がわきました。イラスト関係の仕事を今後頑張っていこうとちょうど思っていた時だったので、自分のバイブルにしようと思い、めちゃめちゃかっこいいカバーに魅かれて購入しました。中はすべて英語なので（洋書なので当たり前ですが）、イラストを見た感想のみですが、確かに美しいです。ただ、ファッションイラストの歴史的な要素も含んだ本なので、表紙のように洗練されたしびれるような素敵なイラストばかりではないです。表紙のような素敵なイラストが全ページにちりばめられていると期待して買った私には若干ガッカリ感がありました。でも、本自体は素敵ですし、英語が読めたらなおいっそう興味深いと思います。私自身はDavid Downton（表紙のイラストの作者）の作品集を買うべきだったなと思いました。

Fantastic book. Nice generous size, good quality imagery and an interesting range of other artists covered. A few I hadn't heard of too, so though this book covers a little, it provides good incentive to research further. You can see the passion in this book, and I'd highly recommend to anyone interested in a little fashion illustration history lesson or general illustration inspiration. If you want to see Downton's work, there's a 'gallery' of select imagery at the end of the book.

Good