The only limits we have are the ones we place on ourselves. This is something I am continually reminded of. My fascination with fashion history only leads me to discover more and more incredible people that realized their full potential. One of those people is Marcel Vertès.
Marcel Vertès illustration of a Lilly Dachè hat, 1943. Image courtesy of HPrints.
Vertès was a real renaissance man. His creativity seems boundless to me – he created sets for theater, illustrated for major fashion magazines, painted, and even ventured into the fashion world. He illustrated advertisements throughout his career, most notably for Elsa Schiaparelli. He also worked for major magazines, like Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. (Illustration was so prevalent during the 1940s because of rationing of supplies needed for photography. Illustrations continued to be popular in the 1950s. I really recommend looking at the work of Rene Gruau if you enjoy fashion illustrations!)
Costume design by Marcel Vertès for the John Ringling North circus, c. 1956. Image courtesy of Showbiz David.
Prior to all this erotica, Vertès had designed textiles for Wesley Simpson. Last week, I wrote a little bit about the collaboration between textile designers and artist. These collaborations were not only beautiful and interesting, but they stimulated the Postwar economy. The Metropoltian Museum of Art has several examples of Vertès’ textile designs:
Marcel Vertès textile design for for Wesley Simpson, 1944. Used for dress design by Hattie Carnegie. Image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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