Dior Illustrated

I went to see this really neat exhibition recently which I think is worthwhile for anyone to check out, even if you're not a Dior/illustration/advertising fan. The Dior Illustrated exhibition is on at Somerset house and basically documents the development of the advertisements for the Dior brand by their famous illustrator, Rene Gruau. It's really a fascinating insight into how advertising has developed, how Gruau changed the face of the brand through his illustrations and his relationship and work with Dior himself. It also raised some questions about how societal conventions have evolved in the space of a few short decades. Back in 1966, this kind of advertising illustration caused controversy:

Fast forward to the noughties and we barely blink an eyelid when a half naked man is plastered on a huge billboard in the city centre. My personal favourite from the exhibition was the part where a few British illustrators/painters had been asked to create pieces inspired by the work of Gruau. Leaning Woman by Jasper Goodall really stood out as it was made of cut acrylic with bold shapes and colours:

The exhibition is on until 9th January 2011. More info can be found at: http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/fashion/dior/