Illustrations have a way of capturing fashion that's different from photography — sketches never look as dated, in a way, and that lends them a certain timelessness. And so to celebrate sketching, drawing, and coloring as a staple in fashion, the Society of Illustrators opens their new museum exhibition, "In the Line of Fashion," today. The exhibit features fashion illustrations when they were at their peak in the forties and fifties — as well as notable sketches from as recently as this year — all focusing on illustration as a means to communicate fashion. For a preview of the exhibit, click ahead. Because when you're looking for inspiration and all else fails, you can always go back to the drawing board.

Society of Illustrators Museum, 128 E. 63rd St., nr. Lexington Ave. (212-838-2560); T (10–8), W–F (10–5), S (noon–4), Su, M (closed). April 1–May 2. Free admission.