Pencils, Icing and Tea

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>> Does a Friday afternoon require anything more than the components in the title of this post to make it a pleasurable one?  Especially when all of those things are combined in an event that feels less like an 'event' and more like an informal gathering at someone's house, and this case, the home is 123 Bethnal Green Road which I didn't know had a sweet little basement space that last Friday played host to Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration launch party.  A 3pm-7pm timeslot means it's cake and tea time and it was Lily Vanilli that provided these little mini scones dusted with iridescent shimmery powder, accompanied by lashings of softened butter…

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… as well as a centrepiece cake that nobody could bear to touch… I think a few of the white chocolate shavings coated with a pearlescent pink were peeled off for eating pleasure…

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Dr Hauschka was on 'hand' to give hand massages to guests… I *think* the connection is that you surely need hands to do fashion illustraion.  Unless you have Christy Brown-type skills as seen in My Left Foot…

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Tea, scones and massages aside, the main point of celebration was of course the 30 fashion illustrators who have been featured in Amelia's compendium, a few of which were present at the event to draw guests and show off their work… here's Jenny Robins water colour-ing away…

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Rachael de Ste. Croix aka Little Precious was tasked to draw me, which she did in a flurry. 

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This is her page in the compedium, which is CHOCKER-filled both in terms of content and visual treatment.  The pages expand on the fashion illustration promotion that Amelia Gregory did in past issues of Amelia's Magazine, so in addition to showcasing work, there are indepth profiles to go with the visuals. 

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Amelia has also used the compedium to showcase 50 ethical designers that are also illustrated by the ones featured in the compedium to link everything up.  I was admiring Amelia's Nina Dolcetti shoes that she had on last Friday… yes to the flat raised platforms… and they are made out of vegetable tanned leathers…

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This is Little Precious' final drawing on me after some computer wizardry… if my cheeks where this rosy, my mother wouldn't have to keep making me drink strange Chinese medicine to get some 'colour' into my pallid face…

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I thought I'd take this chance to thank the illustrations that regularly come through my inbox as well – I'm not sure what prompts them to do so.  As per what I said before about fashion illustrations of myself – you can't really be preening and primping at images at yourself because that's just a slippery path so instead, I like to think of them as imaginary cartoon interpretations of myself – what would I look like if I was an animated character…?  Obviously in the hands of various people, they're all very different beasts indeed…

By Nancy Zhang who has a very cute take on an outfit blog as her pics are also accompanied by illustrations…

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By Nancy Macknack from the Netherlands… ok, less cartoonish and more like the imaginary svelte figures that I used to draw myself as when I was a child even though I was just a stumpy 4" nothing being…

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By Panda Panda of Frida Where Are You?, probably the most realistic representation of myself…

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38 comments

  2. Amazing! I was just emailed my sketch from the evening too, will be putting it online later 🙂
    xx
    Duck

  4. The Amelia’s launch looks wonderful – I couldn’t make it to the evening party in the end but it sounds marvelous.
    I love the Nancy Zhang illustration of you – it’s just so cute!

  7. What talented artists! I enjoyed this post and almost felt like I was there with you. What a nice informal gathering. That cake is exquisite and the vegetarian shoes divine.

  8. was gutted to miss you acofi i went to the evening party as i had prior plans in the afternoon. would have loved to have said hi but no doubt we’ll bump in2 each other at some point. hopefully 🙂

  10. The book looks amazing and it seems like everybody had a great time! I think it’s a bit weird and cool at the same time to see yourself rendered as art. A really fascinating experience.

  24. Oh, I love these illustrations, you should totally show some off more often!
    I need to get my hands on that compendium…
    xx

  26. They are all wonderful(& wonderfully different), and oh how I love the swing of the PJs in Nancy Macknack’s drawing!

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  32. I love Amelia’s style. She’s fabulous. The party later on was wonderful and I especially enjoyed the Vodka O cocktails.

  35. i was just thinking i like the last illustration the best. then again, the headphones resonate with me.

  37. Amazing cake and party. The drawings (you can see I am an art illiterate…are they called drawings?) are wonderful too. Thanks for adding color to my day.

  38. Sometimes when I say “I’m ok” I just want some one to look me in the eyes, hug me tight, and say, “I know you’re not.”-

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