Panache Offblast

A while back, I came across a beautiful cover for a comicbook series published by Vertigo Comics, Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love. The cover art instantly captured my attention – Cinderella looked like a doll from my old childhood fairytale books, with her small, feminine face, delicate features, whimsical hair, and sweet, yet mischievous, aura. I happened to meet the artist, Chrissie Zullo, at Baltimore Comic-Con, and was even further amazed by her incredible eye for showcasing delicate comicbook females.

You’re probably wondering why I would bring up a comicbook book artist when the title of this post includes “fashion illustrations.” Well, I recently stumbled upon an illustrator who has a very similar style in her own artwork. She goes by the name of Candybird and is based in Southern France. Candybird’s artwork is almost exclusively digital and has a fairytale-like aesthetic with sexy, feminine, features – a beautiful mix – and has been featured on SHOWStudio.

SHOWStudio is an award-winning fashion website that stages innovative projects which have set out new methods in which fashion is presented via the Internet. Candybird has been recruited as a master illustrator of contemporary fashion, alongside the works of John Galliano, Kate Moss, Lady Gaga, and Alexander McQueen.

Candybird illustrates what you see on the runway in a style like you’ve never seen before. The first designer on Candybird’s schedule for the Fall 2013 collections was red carpet favorite, Jason Wu. Known for her strong black linework and colorful watercolors, Candybird focused on splashes of color and fabric movements that almost look 3D. Her other works included styles from Marc by Marc Jacobs, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Zac Posen, Victoria Beckham, Altuzarra, and more.

Take a look at more of her illustrations below, alongside the real versions from the runway (some, in my opinion, are even more stylish than the actual designs – sorry designers!) Are you amazed? You should be!