NEW FOR NOW. The Origin of Fashion Magazines

Hot summers… What were the ladies in the twenties? You can explore it in he Rijskmuseum, Amsterdam.

Recently Vogue International Editor Suzy Menkes openend this fantastic exhibition at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. Menkes: “The Rijksmuseum has done the fashion world a service by showing the source of so much of fashion’s visual energy which later impregnated Vogue and other glossy magazine.”

Before There Was Vogue

Before the advent of photography, fashion was mainly seen in prints. The often beautifully coloured designs showed one or several models wearing fashionable clothing, and included a short description. For that reason, these fashion prints in particular are considered the precursors to today’s fashion magazines.

The origin of fashion magazines

From 12 June, the Rijksmuseum presents a major retrospective of its rich collection of costume and fashion prints for the first time. The change in women’s and men’s fashion from the year 1600 up to and including the first half of the 20th century, and the development of the fashion magazine into the fashion glossies we know today, can be seen in more than 300 prints. The exhibition was designed by designer and co-curator Christian Borstlap, in collaboration with fashion illustrators Piet Paris and Quentin Jones.

New for Now shows prints by fashion designer Paul Poiret, among others. His ‘Fashion is Art’ statement marked the beginning of a new era. He presented his designs in two artfully designed series of works in bright opaque colours, which served as an inspiration for a number of artistically high-quality fashion magazines.

An exhibition wich pleasures my eyes… This illustration is inspired by Trois Créations de Jeanne Lanvin, Charles Goy, 1924.

New for Now June 12 – September 27 – 2015.

Made possible by the Flora Fonds/Rijksmuseum Fonds.

Sources:

https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/new-for-now

http://www.vogue.co.uk/suzy-menkes/2015/06/before-there-was-vogue

llustration  by Linda Zoon 

http://www.lindazoon.nl

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