At the couture, fashion’s ultimate—and most expensive—expression, haute is usually synonymous with perfection, and for the most part that remained true this season. On offer were a multitude of perfectly pretty gowns and seriously sexy embellished pieces destined to dazzle. These reflected a world cushioned from care and chaos, though other designers like Glenn Martens at Maison Margiela and Viktor Hosting and Rolf Snoeren didn’t shy away from, while still striving for beauty. Personality is often to be found in imperfection and in gesture. The latter defines the work of fashion illustrators Jacky Marshall and Blue Farrier, who drew the couture, in ink, pastel, and pen for Vogue Runway. Both deeply embedded in the fashion system, they share their informed view on the season below.
For starters, what do you make of this designer round-robin—what does it say about the state of things?
Blue Farrier: The musical chairs of creative directors, all hugely talented, doesn’t seem to be that surprising to me, and reflective of the markets…. Talking from a woman’s perspective, I would have liked to have seen more of a championing of women creative directors, more diversity, as well seeing more move up from younger designers. I hope in the future years this will be more the case.
Jacky Marshall: I find it hard to keep track of who is moving where. A fashion merry-go-round of creative directors. I’m very interested to see the new collections coming up.
What debuts are you most excited about and why?
BF: I’m genuinely excited about the new hiring of Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, and what universe he will create.
JM: Demna for Gucci. What will it look like? I can’t wait to see what he does.
When you are drawing the collections, how do you choose what to draw?
BF: I gravitate towards a strong silhouette and something that would suit my love of painting with ink. It’s usually a look of something strong yet simple. Occasionally I feel inspired to paint a closeup portrait of the model too.
JM: When I look at a collection I am usually drawn to a strong silhouette and color. I draw fast, so if I can’t get a drawing to work, I move on quickly to another look until I am happy.