S. Appel

Julie Verhoeven for Versace

While scanning through photos of the Versace Spring '09 runway show several months ago, I was reminded of my completely unfettered love of fashion illustration. There they were: a small grouping of frothy summer dresses scrawled upon with the dreamy girlie art of Julie Verhoeven. The hand-painted pouty-lipped lasses, loosely drawn and incredibly sexy, made me want to dig out my paints and hunt down the nearest blank canvas of a frock STAT (instead, I opened up my own illustrated archives to the world). This moment of inspiration is not exclusive to the here-and-now as the Versace/ Verhoeven collaboration is just the latest example of illustration making a comeback in the fashion industry. Julie, always a busy lady, was also tapped by Mulberry and Peter Jensen to brighten up their spring lines. Gucci's Tattoo Heart collection seemed to borrow from Sailor Jerry in the form of oversized handbags printed with mermaids and stars. Custo Barcelona has employed many talented artists over the years, including Jordi Labanda. MAC tapped French graffiti gal Fafi to bedeck their cosmetic cases with her curvy cartoon bombshells. And James Jean's "Fairies" bags for Prada had a three-month waiting list when unveiled last year (bleeding ink be damned). Illustration work was once ubiquitous in the pages of the fashion rags; open up a 1960's-era Seventeen or Vogue and it will only take a few pages until you run into advertisements rendered in pen, ink, and watercolor. But by the mid-70's, photography took over as the main form of ad media and fashion art never quite recovered. However, a new army of fresh talent are trying to change all that and it's the women who are leading the charge. By mashing a love of fashion and pop culture with a dash of sass and mad pencil skills, these lasses are creating artwork that is wistful and nostalgic and still supremely modern. Below are the dreamiest of the crop.

Marguerite Sauvage (France) Where you've seen her: Seventeen, Teen, Playboy, Nestle, Mattel, Old Navy, InStyle Light of hand but full of delightful details, Marguerite Sauvage creates such highly evolved fashionable creatures one wonders why photographers even bother with real-life models. Her girls have a bit of a retro Disney heroine-quality to them but with more sex-appeal than Walt could ever have imagined. Hip-swinging beauties dancing to the music, shaggy-haired rock boys getting their guitar hero on...so joyful and free-spirited, Marguerite's images almost seem animated (which might be why the likes of Paul & Joe and Swarovski tapped her to breath some Flash-style drama into their ad campaigns). Marguerite Sauvage Illustration Book

Coral Hernandez (Spain) Where you've seen her: Custo Barcelona, Samsung, After spying a photo of Custo Barcelona's "Buter Cup" bag last year, obsession ensued. It took 3 months to track one down but when it finally arrived on my doorstep, I became uncontrollably giddy. Upon opening the box, butterflies, hearts, and long-haired vixens practically skipped out to greet me. It then took me another 6 months before I was able to uncover the name of the artist behind the print. Meet Coral Hernandez. Coral mixes mod-style fin de si�cle with modern day anime: cutie cute girls with huge eyes and ball-tipped lashes backed by swirls of Filmour-style psychedelia. With rainbows and mushrooms, pop florals and city scapes, Coral surely would have been illustrating for the teen mags if she had be around in the early-70's. And that handbag of mine? It hangs on the wall like a piece of frameless art. Coral Hernandez on Flickr

Nancy Z. (China) Where you've seen her: her personal blog A popular fixture in the Lookbook.nu web community, Nancy Zhang (Chinese name Xiaxi Zhang) writes an online diary that not only documents her personal ensembles, but juxtaposes the photos with adorable illustrated self-portraits. Nancy's own wardrobe (which flawlessly mixes vintage and new, babydoll silhouettes with fashion-forward frocks) is downright irresistable, especially when rendered in pastels and watercolor. Her scribbly hand lends a sweet and childlike quality to her style, which she calls "charming and modish". Currently in the process of moving to Berlin, she aspires to fulfill her fashion designer fantasies sometime in the future. It's Nancy's New Blog

Laura Laine (Finland) Where you've seen her: Elle Girl, New York Times, Tommy Hilfiger, Zara By eschewing color most of the time and preferring to work in black and white, Laura Laine is the go-to gal for Goth-flavored surrealism. With a style that is as dark as it is twisted, she is a perfect match for designers like Gareth Pugh and Viktor & Rolf (both of whom she has brought into her two-dimensional world). Laura's sweeping drawings are moody, stylish, and eerily unapproachable...sort of like that painfully hip floppy-haired boy that you feel too intimated to be in the same room with. For a recent editorial in Italian fashion rag Muse, she integrated her own gorgeous girls with iconic fashion pieces like YSL's Cage boots and a beaded Chanel 2.55. We think some sort of collaboration Tim Burton is inevitable. Laura Laine| Illustration

Garance Dor� (France) Where you've seen her: her blog, Paris Vogue, Gap t-shirts, arm-and-arm with The Sartorialist When popular street style photog Garance Dor� started her illustrated blog three years ago, she never thought it would become a must-visit internet destination for the style savvy set. After frustration had set in while encountering the limitations of commissioned assignments, she wanted a less demanding creative outlet for her work and thus "Une Fille Comme Moi" was born. Her minimalist sketches are of the pen and watercolor variety and are accompanied by cheeky observative blog entries like "Traveling is good. But maybe I�d rather do the teleportation thing" and "I�m developing an addiction to bizarro shoes". Check her out and you might find youself with a new addiction as well. Garance Dor� Une Fille Comme Moi

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