Rene Gruau

Dontcha sometimes wish you'd been born decades earlier? My parents got me (with no prompting from yours truly, I swear) 100 years of Fashion Illustration for my birthday last month. One of the illustrators featured was Rene Gruau. His career spanned almost nine decades; beginning in Paris in 1924, and ending in 2004 with his death at the grand old age of 95.

I confess I'd never heard of him before I read about him in this book, but I fell in love with his stuff immediately. I've been fascinated with fashion illustration for as long as I've been drawing and his style is where I think I've been aiming. Got a long way to go though.

I instantly regretted not coming across him sooner. I kinda wish I'd been around in the 50s when he was in his heyday.

I LOVE the way he does hands. Actually I love the way he does everything. Sigh.