Illustration by Fred Greenhill. The drawing is from July 3, 1984. A woman wears a “schoolgirl-inspired” dress with a low drop waist of pleats that sits above the knees. The dress has oversized collar, tie, and pocket flaps. The garment is accessorized with a slanted beret, gloves, and pointed pumps. This illustration would have been used as a store advertisement. The garment by Greenhill appealed to me as a designer because of its unusual shapes on the body. Elements such as the collar and waistline are exaggerated and pushed to create a piece that is unique and modern like. The dress is also a balance of feminine taste with simple features of a tie and pockets that are typically seen in menswear. Personally, this particular style from the 1980s reminds me of my mother in her youth as she always wore collared shirts with large sleeves with high waisted pants. I take much inspiration from the 1980s not only because it is nostalgic for me, but the style is eye catching in the way that looks effortless and casual.

A drawing by Rene Bouche of a woman wearing Mainbocher design of a evening dress. This illustration was published in the Vogue issue of November 15, 1954. The woman wears a dress with an elongated bodice with beaded trim and a full skirt. There is intricate detail on the sleeves and hemlines of the bodice. The garment is shown with a matching stole and gloves. I relate to this illustration for its attention to detail in the beading work which is important to me because of my interest in materiality. Before looking at this piece, I had a view on the fashion in the 1950s that was based on decadism and did not think beading was common in the 50s. However, this dress displays an interesting texture to the garment that gives insight to fashion in its time.