Mr Snippy
Marni, Vogue Nippon, Jul 2001
I first came across Michael Roberts’ illustrations in French Vogue, years and years ago. I had long lamented that the art of fashion illustration was all but extinct, and it’s been great to slowly see it come back in the last few years.
This book by Michael Roberts was actually published in 2005, but it was difficult to find at a reasonable price (if not impossible) in Melbourne; I finally bought it secondhand through Abebooks only a few months ago.
Prada, Vogue Nippon, Jul 2001
Although Roberts also works in other media (ink, watercolour, pencil), it is his collage paper cutouts that I find awesome. At first sight, one is taken with the wonderful medium – unusual today, but reminiscent of Matisse’s paper cutouts – and then the sense of humour and joie de vivre. There are mosaics, Bridget Riley style op-art effects, 30s style repeat patterns and great evocations of New York that recall the Jazz Age. And then too they exhibit such astonishing manual dexterity that one can only marvel and admire Roberts’ skill and patience. Amazing.
Scroll down for more images; click for larger versions. (Apologies, some of these have been trimmed as the book was too large for my scanner.)
Miu Miu, Vogue Nippon, Dec 2000
Miu Miu, Vogue Nippon, Dec 2000
No credit listed
Oliver by Valentino, L’Uomo Vogue, May 2000
Miu Miu, Prada, Manolo Blahnik, Ferragamo, Jil Sander, Vogue Nippon, Dec 2000
Yves Saint Laurent, The Telegraph Magazine, Sept 2005
Yearning to Breathe Free, The New Yorker cover, Sept 2001
Breaking Out in Spots, The New Yorker cover try, Mar 2001