Last night, Paul Smith hosted a launch party for David Downton’s gorgeous upcoming book, Masters of Fashion Illustration. Downton has built a distinguished career on his artful drawings over the past decade, working for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Chanel, Dior, and others. He’s a sketchbook-toting fixture at the Paris couture shows and has created portraits of luminaries spanning from Dita Von Teese to Cate Blanchett. The book takes a look at some of the greatest fashion illustrators throughout history, from the late 19th century portraitist Giovanni Boldini to Andy Warhol, including a 36-page portfolio of Downton’s own work. Though the tome won’t officially be released until next month (file it away as a gift idea for fellow fashion-lovers), we compiled a preview of ten striking portraits and sketches from its pages. Click ahead to see more.
