Fashion Jazzed Up

One of the most glorious eras in history was the 1920’s. The jazz, the clubs and everything that was prohibited found a voice during this time. By the end of World War One, there was a sense of optimism in the air, but the loss and destruction was immense. The only country to reap any benefits was America. Their contribution of arms and ammunition made America a very prosperous country. And the start of the 20^th century saw drastic changes; it seems that society was purging the war away. Morality blurred and society became more liberal. Fashion was obviously affected, along with ideas, and fashion too became liberal.

One of the factors that influenced this change in fashion was the evolving role of women. With men busy with the war, women started sharing the role of the bread-earner and after the completion of the war this continued. This brought about a change in the way women dressed; trousers crept into their wardrobes, and the dresses lost length, but fashion was still conservative but soon changing.

              

The 1920’s were about living in the moment, instant gratification became the way of living. The entertainment industry accelerated with silent movies and music changed with comets and trumpets creating jazz in the expert hands of Louis Armstrong. Another thing that has gained prominence during this time was a phenomenon called the ‘Roaring Twenties’.

This new found freedom and the need of instant gratification were reflected in the fashion. Clubs were on the rise and no matter the lack of legality of these establishments they became the hub where people exercised this liberalization.

Men’s fashion was known by high waist jackets paired with a belt and hats. 

On the other hand a ‘new class’ of women emerged called the ‘Flappers’ with bobbed hair, who wore short skirts with hair bands with feathers tucked, a long string of pearls, along with dramatically lined lips as a ‘cupid’s bow’ and smoky eyes who listened to jazz and visited the clubs. 

They were considered impetuous because of their excessive makeup, drinking, smoking and having casual relationships. They listened to jazz, danced, drank and wore dazzling clothes.

The fashion style of the 1920s has been so exceptionally stunning that the students of Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion had to recreate it. 

Under the expert guidance of Belinda Bawa and taking inspiration from the ‘The Great Gatsby’, a classic example, the students designed their first shoot for a specific look. The scenario was an underground club. 

The task was more challenging because along with their own designs they had to create looks for models too. The students had a fabulous time and were able to capture the essence of 1920’s fashion beautifully.

Belinda Bawa, the Great Illustrator

Fashion illustration has been around for decades, but it is only in recent years that this profession has been receiving the importance it deserves. The job of a fashion illustrator is to work closely with a fashion designer and illustrate on paper the ideas in the designer’s mind. For this, an illustrator’s creation can be as precise and detailed as possible or as vague as they please and add as much dramatics they see fit. An aspirant pursuing this career line can opt to join a fashion house, join a particular designer or just fly solo.

Fashion illustration in India still has a long way to go, but thankfully the foundation is already set. Belinda Bawa, a leading illustrator of our time, is one of the first known illustrators. It started with the design project for the film Devdas. Neeta Lulla who was working on the costumes for the film approached Belinda to create dramatic and elaborate designs. After this there was no stopping her from charting new heights.

Though a famous fashion illustrator now, she has done and experienced a host of other things. From teaching to writing, this talented lady has done it all. Her experience includes Visual Merchandising comprising names like Burlingtons at the Taj (Mumbai), Vikram Phadnis (Design Studio). Over the years she has supervised backstage with backstage managers Vahbeez and Delnaz in over fifty fashion shows for designers like J.J. Vallaya, Abu Jani, Sandeep Khosla, Neeta Lulla, Wendell Rodricks and Tarun Tahiliani among others. 

She worked briefly as a Fashion Consultant for Sheetal Departmental store. Accessory designing too falls under her profile. She designed and developed Avant Grade accessories for a collection presented in India, Dubai, UK for Vikram Phadnis, Neeta Lulla, Rohit Verma and others. She did not even leave writing; she wrote articles on fashion events and trends for a website.

Belinda’s illustration expertise was seen in films too. She did detailed costume illustration for films like Devdas, Kisna, Aisha and the list goes on. 

The illustrator even ventured into the field of teaching. She taught S.N.D.T. Women’s University as Asst. Professor to Wendell Rodericks for History of World Costume. Raheja University, N.I.F.T (National Institute of Fashion Technology), C.E.P.Z Institute of Textile and Fashion Technology, Mod Art Institute of Management along with which she conducted personalized workshop and crash courses in illustration and design. Belinda is currently a Faculty at Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion where she shares her experiences and expertise in the field of illustration with young aspirants.

Illustrating the World of Fashion

An illustrator is a person who draws or creates pictures for magazines, books or book covers. In the vast field of fashion, illustration holds an extremely important position. Fashion Illustration is the communication of fashion that originates with illustration, drawing and painting. It is usually commissioned for reproduction in fashion magazines as one part of an editorial feature or for the purpose of advertising and promoting fashion makers, fashion boutiques and department stores.

The profession of fashion illustrator has been in existence for centuries now, for as long as clothes and fashion has been around. The job description of a fashion illustrator has entailed sketching creative ideas for clothing accessories and outfits. An illustrator can be very precise and detailed in their depiction or as vague as they please. They are the one that give life to an idea, breathing life into them on a day-to-day basis. Fashion houses, design studios or going solo are some of the options that an illustrator can look into.

                               

           

Fashion illustrator is a challenging profession and there are a couple of factors that you should possess in order to get into this artistic line. The factor that tops the list is having a hand for drawing, this is an absolute must. If you are a talented artist, half the work is done, but the second step is to polish these skills. Technical skills should also be up to date; these technical skills could range from simple free hand drawing to new computer software.

                                    

                   

Having fashion education on your resume will definitely take you places. While working with designers, your understanding of fabrics and colors will be reflected in your sketches. More than anything, do as many internships as you can to gain knowledge aplenty. Two goals are achieved with this; one is the experience you get and the other is networking. Building connections is very important to break into this glamorous profession.

Belinda Bawa                 Garance Doré             Richard Haines        Dallas Shaw 

Fashion illustration had been on a steady decline for quite some time but is now rejuvenating and this is thanks to the talented people like Belinda Bawa, one of the best known Fashion Illustrators in India. Other international biggies like Dallas Shaw, Garance Doré and Richard Haines are swinging the professional spotlight onto Fashion Illustration. 

Belinda Bawa's Illustrations 

Fashion industry is a competitive field for which a strong foundation is required. The courses at the Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion explores multiple facets of the fashion world, laying a strong foundation to build a career on.