Laurence Fellows, Illustrator: Inspiring a Return to Sophistication and Style

In these days when few older men appear in menswear advertising it's refreshing to look back at the illustrations of Laurence Fellows (1885-1964). His evocative and stylish drawings of men's styles from the thirties and forties show mature and sophisticated men, rather than the youthful models of modern catwalks and advertising. 

It's no accident that as menswear advertising became youth-focused over the last forty or fifty years so looking dapper and well-dressed became secondary to following fashion. For young men, their clothes show that they're different from the previous generation; for older men, clothes are (or should be) the vehicle by which they express their self-confidence and personality. In very general terms, the young man follows fashion, the older finds style. In Fellows's time fashion existed of course, but style remained the ultimate aim.

I find Fellows's illustrations rich in inspiration, especially now that vintage styles are beginning to influence menswear. The last few years have seen a revival in interest in suits, hats, brogues, tweed, looser fitting trousers. Details like shawl collars, floppy tweed caps, waistcoats, pin collar shirts, braces and double breasted coats have been inspired by the likes of Suits, Mad Men, Peaky Blinders and even Downton Abbey. These have encouraged men and women to return to a more sophisticated, sartorial age where style was more important than fashion.

As older men, we should applaud the return of vintage-inspired styles. Suddenly we are once again in the position of being able to show the younger man how to dress properly, just as our grandfathers often helped our fathers. Young men are increasingly to be seen in tweeds and brogue, albeit with a contemporary twist. If there weren't this return to heritage, we older men would no doubt still be having to put up with the fading trends of skinny fits and truncated jackets.

I should acknowledge the inspiration of my fellow blogger, Mark Hollingsworth, whose piece entitled How to recreate classic summer trousers inspired this feature.

Interview: Mr Slowboy, Artist "How to Live & Work as a Well-Dressed Modern Man"

The wonder of Instagram is that artists with real talent will get noticed and so it was that I came across Mr Slowboy's exquisite drawings of stylish men many months ago and determined one day to feature him on the blog. 

Unlike a fashion illustrator, who merely records a look, Fei Wang (Mr Slowboy's real name) has the ability to capture character and mood in his simple drawings. He shows us style to be aspired to. This ability has been widely recognised and many brands and sartorial gentlemen have been captured by his pen.

Image Mr Slowboy

Fei Wang kindly agreed to an interview.

"I am keen [on] the idea of how to work and live as a well-dressed modern man, which I believe it’s an appreciation to the values of our society and the politeness to others". Fei Wang

GF: Fei, Mr Slowboy seemed to blossom over the last twelve months or so - tell us a little about yourself and how Mr Slowboy was started.

Mr S: Long story short, I am a Beijinger born and bred, went to college in Singapore and England, then worked as a Creative Director and Head of Art in an American advertising agency, However, the success in my agency life didn’t quite satisfy me as my ‘superficial’ fashion illustrator dream gradually became vivid in my mind and finally encouraged myself to jump off the boat by moving to London, and that’s where Mr. Slowboy started.

 Mr Jeremy Hackett - image Mr Slowboy

GF: The illustrations are exquisite, so deftly capturing personality: what training have you had as an artist?

Mr S:I had the privilege of learning traditional Chinese ink from an early age, I did graphic design in undergraduate school, then printmaking during my MA in Illustration. In particular, my study on Indian miniature painting and Japanese Ukiyo-e were great influence too.

Seersucker - image Mr Slowboy

GF: You also have a keen eye for style, capturing the nuances and humour of a well-dressed man - have you always been interested in clothes and dressing well? How did this develop?

Mr S: Yes, I have always been interested in clothes, not so much about following fashion, but I am keen to the idea of how to work and live as an well-dressed modern man, which I believe it’s an appreciation to the values of our society and the politeness to others. My early awareness of clothes raised when I was in primary school, my mother always dressed me in very simple attire: white shirt, navy or blue pants, and white trainer or black slip-on, on top of that, the compulsory ‘young communism pioneer’ red scarf (Don’t be alert by its name, to me it’s merely function like the tie for the school boy uniform here in UK). If you think about the colour palette - white, blue and red, it’s actually pretty French! I guess this coincidence shaped my aesthetic on fashion in certain ways and subconsciously influenced my preference on classic/traditional menswear.

Mr Jeremy Hackett - image Mr Slowboy

GF: How do you do the drawings?

Mr S: The procedure doesn’t sound very artistic, but rather scientific, I research first, then develop the creative ideas and make sketches, finally execute the ideas with a combination of watercolour, gouache and colour pencils.

GF: What brands and styles do you like to wear yourself?

Mr S: Oh...where do I begin? I like Preppy/Ivy looks the most, but I’m open to different styles too. I like American brands- Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren, English brands like Drake’s, Margaret Howell, Mackintosh, and of course some Japanese brands - Beams, Haversack and Anatomica.

GF: Do you draw other subjects or use other artistic media?

Mr S: A bit of everything, I experiment a lot.

GF: How do you see Mr Slowboy developing in the future?

Mr S: Future is always unpredictable, I simply wish that I will be able to continue to work on menswear's illustration until I’m too old to pick up a pencil.

******

With many thanks to Fei Wang, some of whose images illustrate this feature. Follow Mr Slowboy on Instagram and visit his website here.

Drake's - image Mr Slowboy

Janine Shute - artist representing everyday objects

My eye was caught by this wonderful pastel image of a pair of brogues. I thought I'd like to find out more about the artist, Janine Shute, who is exhibiting in Clekenwell until the end of January (see below).

(All images © Janine Shute)

Janine’s pastel drawings are realistic representations of everyday and bespoke objects. The unifying factors are her eye for detail reflecting a love of design and craftsmanship and the skill with which she uses her chosen medium.

Janine studied Fine Art and Printmaking to Foundation level where she then specialised in Graphic Design gaining a BA (hons) before moving to London where she lived and worked for nearly ten years.

She now lives on a farm near Lewes in Sussex and trawls the antique shops looking for the next thing to inspire her.

Janine is exhibiting at The Modern Pantry, Clerkenwell, London EC1V 4JJ. She describes the exhibition as 'a celebration of ordinary but perfectly designed things given the lofty title of ‘works of art'. See Janine Shute.

Book Review: Menswear Illustration by Richard Kilroy pub. Thames & Hudson

I'm grateful to Thames & Hudson for sending me another menswear book to review. They are the go-to publishers for outstanding books on fashion and Menswear Illustration by illustrator Richard Kilroy, is no exception, featuring up-and-coming menswear fashion illustrators. 

As the book points out, the explosion in sales of menswear means that there has been a rise in men's fashion illustration. This book documents this, recording the new and exciting artistic talent that is emerging.

Clym Evernden, Thom Browne A/W 2014-15, created for A Magazine Curated By (Belgium), 2014. Courtesy Clym Evernden

A look through the book shows a wide variety of styles of illustration, from the photographic and graphic, through the rather derivative to some showing outstanding drawing skills. Many are truly artistic and some, like this image below (and my favourite) even shows the personality of the models.

Jean-Philippe Delhomme, Louis Vuitton and Prada S/S 2014, created for Série Limitée (Les Echos), 2012. Courtesy Jean-Philippe Delhomme

Shohei, Carhartt S/S 2012 advertising campaign, created for Carhartt, 2012. Courtesy Shohei

Many images display an exciting exuberance which reflects the rapid expansion of menswear and the opening up of the availability of a wider selection of styles for men. Menswear is now moving more rapidly (as high fashion, if not at high street level) and the creative energies this has unleashed are evident in the book.

Helen Bullock, Alexander McQueen A/W 2013-14, created for SHOWstudio.com, 2013. Courtesy Helen Bullock

Works in the book will be previewed during London Collections: Men from today to Monday (9th to 12th January 2015) at The Hospital Club, Covent Garden, London. These images will then be exhibited at Paul Smith in Albemarle Street during London Fashion Week later in February. 

The book will be released on the 23rd of February 2015. I recommend it to all with an interest in menswear, fashion, art and illustration.

Julie Verhoeven, Jil Sander S/S 2009, Created for Ponystep (UK), 2008. Courtesy Julie Verhoeven