With the amount of air brushing going on these days, models in magazines look nearly good enough to hang in the Louvre. Their skin so dewy, their teeth so white and their eyes so clear, so it only make sense that the fashion world is rediscovering the lost art of illustration.

Back in the good ole days, names like Joe Eula, Antonio Lopez and Kenneth Paul Block would cross the pond to sketch the latest looks coming out of Paris to be featured in WWD and Vogue amongst others. Illustrators also worked closely with department stores such as Bonwit Teller and Lord & Taylor as well as other high end boutiques who wanted that certain pizzazz in their ads and catalogues.

Many of the great illustrators of those days have since gone to the great sketchbook in the sky, but luckily a new brigade of sketchers is cropping up. We recently met Katy Smail and were lured in by her dark and mysterious fashion damsels. Her playful animal sketches are equally mysterious and amusing. Read on to hear how this Scot ended up in Manhattan, her dream clients and who the hell this woman is she keeps drawing.

All photos from Style.com.

Erdem

Mary Katrantzou

Aquascutum

This cashmere blend scarf features rich jewel tones and frayed edges for a boho-chic look.

Made from 100% silk chiffon, this blooming dress features a figure-flattering cut with a draped neckline and cinched waist.

Take a trip to the Far East in gilded chartreuse with splashes of black, white and fuchsia.

Structured in design yet easy on the eyes, this bustier dress is perfect for a winter cocktail party.

The bright blue of this top would pair perfectly with a black maxi skirt and blazer for a radiant look still in touch with the season.

More like a graphic print than a floral, we love the muted colors and exposed zipper detail on this piece.

Like a mini vacation, slipping into this dress will leave you feeling instantly refreshed from winter blues.

Brighten your workday by carrying all your essentials to and fro in this grosgrain and patent leather tote.

Mary Alice Stephenson wears a lot of hats!  Her Facebook followers are in the five figures, she is a media go-to for her red carpet commentating and heart-filled fashion segments, a world renown stylist who has styled for icons such as Avedon, Hiro, Demarchelier, Lindbergh and Richardson as well as serving as a brand ambassador and spokesperson for many Fortune 500 brands.   Oh, and we can’t forget to mention how cool it is that she and Barbie are talking fashion in her “dream” closet for BarbieWow.com next week, while still making time to be the national fashion ambassador for the Make a Wish Foundation.  She gives her time and love for fashion to many charitable organizations all while being a single mom.  She’s our new hero and we think soon to be yours, too!

As a fashion consultant, you get to do something different every day- which days are you favorite?

Every day is different and I love it that way!  It’s such a mix — from red carpet commentating to consulting behind the scenes for Fortune 500 companies, to creative directing, to styling editorial shoots with top photographers. Each week it’s high fashion to mass fashion, it keeps me happy to be in both worlds!  I can reach so many real women all over the world via social media, my followers love that they can get a look into the real world of fashion and learn how they can apply that glamour to their lives in a realistic way.  One day I’m shooting for a European Vogue, doing a fashion segment for the Nate Berkus show or styling a supermodel for Estee Lauder and the next day I could be helping real women get their glam on in a mall in middle America!

Who are young designers that we should be looking to for the future of fashion?

I just had lunch with the talented designers of Cushnie et Ochs, I try to support as many up and coming designers as possible.  I know how tough this business can be and how much support they need to make it.   I love Flora and Alexa from Ohne Titel, Juan Carlos Obando, Joseph Altruzara, Christian Cota, Suno, Frank Tell….  There is so much talent out there right now.  I try to shoot their clothes, or get them on the red carpet as well as talk about their clothes in the media to help get their point of view out to mass America.  The American public needs to know there are more options than just the big brands that can afford to advertise.  It’s still a struggle, for example, there were a wide range of luxury brands seen on the Golden Globe red carpet but where were Erdem, Prabal Gurung, Thakoon, Alexander Wang, Proenza Schouler?  I was happy to see Givenchy, Nina Ricci and Jason Wu, though —  so that is some progress!

For the rest of the interview, click on over to LOOKBOOKS.com!

Fashion Fund winner/certified hottie Henry Holland

Holland, Long, Gray and Katrantzou are in some great company as past winners of the Fashion Forward prize have included Jonathan Saunders, Christopher Kane, Erdem and Giles. Meanwhile, Long is the first menswear designer to snatch the prize and according to BFC CEO Caroline Rush, the time was ripe: ’Menswear in London will be put in the spotlight this year making now the perfect time to introduce a menswear prize to Fashion Forward.” [Vogue UK]

Fashion Fund winner/certified hottie Henry Holland

2011 British Fashion Awards

Emerging Talent Award — Ready-to-Wear – Mary Katrantzou

Emerging Talent Award — Accessories: Tabitha Simmons

Emerging Talent Award — Menswear: Christopher Raeburn

Model: Stella Tennant

Designer Brand: Victoria Beckham

Menswear Designer: Kim Jones

British Style Award: Alexa Chung

Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator: Sam Gainsbury

Red Carpet Award: Stella McCartney

BFC Outstanding Achievement in Fashion: Sir Paul Smith

Accessory Designer: Charlotte Olympia

New Establishment: Christopher Kane

Designer of the Year: Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen

[Link Love: BFA / Vogue UK]

Accessory Designer winner Charlotte Olympia

Hilary Alexander

Victoria Beckham

Vicks, Marc Jacobs and Kate Moss

Sarah Burton

Alexa Chung won the Brit Style Award for the 2nd year in a row

Erdem, Patrick Grant and Vick Becks

Model of the Year nominee Georgia May Jagger

The Kanes, Christopher and sister/business partner Tammy

Stella McCartney

Model of the Year nominee, Kristen McMenamy

Kate Moss

BFFs, Kate Moss and Stella McCartney

Emerging Talent - Menswear winner Christopher Raeburn

Vogue UK EIC Alexandra Shulman with Beckham

Emerging Talent - Accessories winner Tabitha Simmons

Model of the Year, Stella Tennant

Matthew Williamson

Models on Todd Lynn's Spring 2012 runway / Style.com

According to Carole White, founder of Premier Model Management and not the biggest Naomi Campbell fan, ”We’re not just talking about one or two big girls. Jacobs had numerous models holding on options right up until the day of his show meaning they all stayed in New York just in case they got cast.”

White goes on to say, ”Gucci demanded that girls fly to Milan on Saturday to meet Frida to see if she would consider them for her show, which meant Saturday got trashed. Then the girls were expected to fly straight back to London, and if Gucci were interested, fly back to Milan again on Sunday for another round of casting, then for fittings on Monday. Only a tiny fraction of them realistically have a shot at being in that show — we all know it will be full of mega girls. I find it insulting that a designer like Frida thinks London is so insignificant that she would do that.”

For agents and models alike, Gucci and Jacobs are major gets, but that leaves the already packed London schedule of designers feeling like fashion’s bastard step-children. A source at Todd Lynn claims to have “lost 10 out of 19 girls,” with agents calling them in the middle of the night to pull their girls and some models not even showing up for fittings because they’ve flown off to Milan.

Also not helping matters is LOVE magazine editor Katie Grand — damn you Katie Grand — who styled for Jacobs and also styled for the London-based designer Giles Deacon. Grand demanded a five-hour call time — which one “fashion insider” calls ”unnecessary, absurd, selfish and wrong,” citing Paris’ strict two-hour limit — thus monopolizing any girls left in town after Burberry.

Amidst fears that London Fashion Week may be squeezed out all together, the British Fashion Council is beginning to feel the heat. The BFC is being accused of mismanaging the show calendar and for not standing up to the organizers behind the  New York and Milan fashion weeks.

Meanwhile, CEO of the BFC, Caroline Rush, insists that something is being done. She’s not particularly clear what that something is, but the Council has “invested time in developing direct relationships with model agencies to better understand their challenges and encourage them to send more internationally-recognised catwalk models to London. This season, the models at designers such as Jonathan Saunders, Erdem, Christopher Kane and Tom Ford have been of a global standard.”

Well, for those handful of shows, good for you. But for everyone else suffering at the model-grabbing claws of New York and Milan: damn you, Caroline Rush. [Telegraph]

Models on Todd Lynn's Spring 2012 runway / Style.com

Photo: Fashionologie

Giving executive realness on her way through Heathrow in a Roland Mouret shift and Smythe blazer with a 2011 Mulberry Polly bag and Manolo Blahnik pumps.

SOUTHROP, UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 01: Kate Moss and Jamie Hince kiss outside the church after getting married on July 1, 2011 in Southrop, England. (Photo by Neil Mockford/FilmMagic)

SOUTHROP, UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 01: Kate Moss and Jamie Hince pose outside the church after getting married on July 1, 2011 in Southrop, England. (Photo by Neil Mockford/FilmMagic)

Catherine will be rated on the below categories, five being the highest and 1 being the lowest.

Fit: 5

Appropriateness: 5

Trendiness: 4

Styling: 5

Shoes: 5

Hair: 5

Makeup: 5

Pose: 5

Confidence: 5

THIS is how you exit a motherfucking plane ladies and gentlemen. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, wind blowing through her flawless hair, looks stunning in this lace Erdem dress just shown at the resort 2012 presentation. Maybe she can teach this continent a thing or two on how a gentlewoman should act.

Hillary Clinton getting the big picture in Rick Owens.

Fierce Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama telling it like it is in Proenza Schouler. What, no McQueen this time?

Doonan decided former Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko needed more Dior Haute Couture in her life. As does everyone.

Susie Bubble wants Home Secretary of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, bubbling up in Versus.

Though she hardly needs the help, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy gets reworked in Stella McCartney. Only gripe, where’s the goddamn heel?

Samantha Cameron, wife of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, looking felicitous in Felicity Brown.

Former French Presidential candidate Segolene Royal going to werq in Dries Van Noten.

Nicola Formichetti threw First Lady of Cameroon and all-around fabulous black lady Chantal Biya in some Mugler. That heel is presumably also 24 inches.

Queen Rania of Jordan gets short and flirty in Erdem. Meanwhile, she’s a queen, for Elizabeth II‘s sake, not a starlet going commando at a film premiere.

Last, and certainly least, Sarah Palin, looking chic on her way to ruin what’s left of America in Christopher Kane. I can hear her cackling even through this illustration.

What do you think of these politically-charged high fashion makeovers? Personally, I think Hillary looks the best out of all of them —  giving goddess realness while sacrificing none of the power she’s been harnessing in those pantsuits over the last decade or so.

Link Love: Vogue UK

Photo: Image Amplified

- Reese Witherspoon is giving me some serious bombshell realness on the cover of Elle UK, shot by Ben Hassett. The gams are out, there’s a peep toe pump and I’ve never seen Reese this…hot before. Why is it that British editions of fashion mags get celeb covers right when we’re left with this over here in the states? And of course…this

- Rumor has it Erdem might be H&M‘s latest collaboration. The adorably pint-sized designer, however, claims he’s too busy with his own line, though he won’t rule out the possibility in the future. Rumor also has it that Erdem is designing Kate Middleton‘s wedding dress, but he dodges that one too…so either Erdem Moralioglu is as crafty as he is tiny or someone’s seriously fucking with my emotions. [Vogue]

Emily will be rated on the below categories, five being the highest and 1 being the lowest.

Fit: 4

Appropriateness: 5

Trendiness: 5

Styling: 4

Shoes: 5

Hair: 5

Makeup: 4

Pose: 4

Confidence: 5

We love Emily Browning at FashionIndie, and this look shows you exactly why. The heels are perfect with this lacy Erdem dress, and her 20s-inspired hair with the modern plum lip lend a tough edge to this ethereal look. I can’t wait to see what she does on red carpets to come.

Prints are everywhere. From London to Paris and Florence to New York, prints are officially an integral part of the fashion vocabulary. Lesson one: Our highly attuned trend-tracker here at Luisa Via Roma is picking up a shift in the language of prints. The coolest kids on the street, and the most fashion forward elite are putting print on print.

Lesson two: In a clash of colour, texture and pattern, it’s time to create a fusion of prints, and wear it with confidence. Those brilliant boys at Proenza Schouler insist that you mix and match their tie-dye delights with their textured tweeds or handpainted denim. But don’t stop there; why not add a little Basso & Brooke, Erdem and Emilio Pucci to create the look of the coming season? Lesson learnt!

By Scott Stephenson

LINK LOVE:Clashing Prints

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MAINSTREAMERS

Alexander McQueen:

Each of McQueen’s Fall ’09 pieces were sculpted to perfection to create forms in unique patterns and versatile shapes.

Marc Jacobs:

Marc Jacobs was all about the bright colors with this collection. Grabbing inspiration from 80s fashion, the neon hues and big shoulders were a hit on the runway.

Prada:

With fur shapes, wool suits, and some knee high boots, Prada styles hit the runway in edgy fashion

Balenciaga:

With draped satin and silk, paired with fitted tops and flowy dresses, the Balenciaga collection was all about luxury and versatility.

Louis Vuitton:

Bubble skirts, coats, and a ton of accessories marched down the runway for Louis Vuitton Fall’09, of course, bright colors added that perfect touch on all pieces.

Donna Karan:

Fitted coats and long skirts accessorized with belts and necklaces produced a strong collection for Donna Karan this fall.

Alexander Wang:

Focusing mostly on blacks and whites, Alexander Wang explored much more with textures for fall ’09. With each style paired with a matching accessory models looked the part from head to toe.

Moschino:

Ruffles and roses were at the forefront of Moschino’s line up for this Fall ’09 collection. Navy and black dresses with a hint of red adds that special something to each piece.

Roberto Cavalli:

Lace leggings, fur jackets, and knitted fabrics were all part of Roberto Cavalli’s image for Fall ’09.

Lanvin:

Leave it to Lanvin to let loose black gloves and intriguing silhouettes down the runway. With dresses and coats in beige, black, and white, the designer remembers the excitement of color with the occasional spark of red.

Proenza Schouler:

Though many designers stuck to inspiration of the past for Fall ’09, Proenza Schouler kept it modern for the runway. High necks and fitted coats were all a part of the designers vision for the season.

Alexandre Herchcovitch:

Alexandre Herchcovitch was all about the idea of chaos for his fall ’09 collection. Taking inspiration from big cities, multi-textured coats and printed dresses marched down the runway.

THE INDIE TEAM

A. F. Vandevorst:

For Fall ’09 A.F. Vandevorst dreamt-up silk dresses and fur vests colored in quite a specific scheme. With trenches in variations of beige, green, and black it’s clear that this collection was one of a kind.

ADAM:

Releasing an array of colorful styles, ADAM put forth bright, upbeat separates for Fall ’09.

Erdem:

It was all about embroidery and intense color for Erdem’s Fall ’09 collection; lace and satin worked together to create ensembles fit for the runway.

Haider Ackermann:

With flowy dresses under more fitted and architectural coats, Haider Ackermann found that perfect line to combine edge and sophistication.

Ann Demeulemeester:

Stiff black works combined with soft white dresses allowed Ann Demeulemeester to explore the importance of balance for Fall ’09.

Rodarte:

Working with pale schemes, leathers, and silk-screened styles, Rodarte lead a flood of breathe-taking dresses and skirts down the catwalk.

Phi:

Zippers and sequins were among Phi’s best looks for the Fall ’09 season. Edgy styles made it clear that the collection was really for the strong and independent woman.

Albino:

Focusing on geometric shapes and silk dresses, bronze, black, and even a few bright-colored numbers made a strong statement when they took the runway.

GALLERY: RUNWAY RUNDOWN: Erdem Resort 2010

Thanks Style!

The British Fashion Council has announced that the Fashion Forward sponsorship has been awarded to four talented designers. Christopher Kane, Erdem, Marios Schwab, and Roksanda Ilincic have accepted the gift with open arms. The sponsorship allots skillful up incoming designers funding to show off their flair. Though these designers have already established an international name, it is a gift well deserved. Much of the money is pushed toward putting on a fashion show at London fashion week were the designers are able to show of their ability and ultimately, the reason they received the award.

Thanks to NYMag for the pics!