How to Draw Vintage Fashion

“Whether or not one can actually learn how to draw/illustrate fashion let alone vintage fashion, remains a mystery.”

Talent is one of those ephemeral things than can be honed or discovered but rarely can it be taught. The premise of How to Draw Vintage Fashion falls precisely into the latter category and that in itself makes the title more of a misnomer.

Despite its title there are some very redeeming qualities that the authors have chosen to include in their work, primarily an accounting of the history of fashion. Joicey and Nothdruft do a pretty good job of giving a brief but accurate timetable for fashion with respect to designers, trends, fabrications, key silhouettes, icons, accessories, and more as well as some firsthand assessments of each era as told by a participant or authority of each era.

Before you get too far into this “how to” book, you are suddenly made aware that the subject matter has been skewed to a particular region or part of the world—England as that’s where the authors hail from.  This is not necessarily a problem until you realize there are some names that you may not be familiar with such as Foale and Tuffin. In the authors’ defense, some of the choices only broaden the spectrum when it comes to fashion’s history, which is very refreshing.

Whether or not one can actually learn how to draw/illustrate fashion let alone vintage fashion, remains a mystery.