John Paul Thurlow.

I came across this artist in a copy of Elle a few months ago and thought his work was fantastic. Thurlow is a cover illustrator and mainly sketches magazines and records. His drawings are so realistic you would mistake them for the actual covers, the only giveaway is that he only uses black and white, his work is usually in pencil or biro pen.

In April 2010 he exhibited his work in his first solo exhibition at the debut Sketchbook Pop up Shop, which received rave reviews. The main body of his work was made up of 100 of Thurlow's favourite illustrations.
I recommend looking at his blog,

http://johnpaulthurlow.blogspot.com/

It's great and shows everything that he is up to along with his latest work and projects that he is working on.

He also has recently published a book called 'Covers' which I am definitely going to be purchasing (I think I'll add it to my Christmas list in fact). It certainly would be a great little book to have permanently proud of place on the coffee table and I can't wait to explore more of his work.


Kate Moss, Vogue.




A selection of Thurlow's cover illustrations.



Lilly Allen, Elle.



The beauty of Elle subscription covers.

So, two good things came from visiting home this weekend. Number one - a home-cooked meal. And number two - I picked up my latest copy of Elle, which annoyingly, still gets delivered to my home address. As I peel back the plastic covering, tipping out the endless amounts of leaflets and brochures that accompanies the 'oh so wonderful' magazine, there it is. My favourite part. The cover. As a subscriber of Elle, the limited edition covers are fantastic. Unusual, interesting and pieces of art in their own right. What makes these covers so special are that they are free from the 'coverlines' and advertisements that are usually splashed across regular cover fronts, with a much more cutting edge and artistic feel to them. Elle subscriber issues take risks that are simply not part of a mainstream fashion magazine’s vocabulary.

Some of my favourites include the April 2010 cover, which featured fashion icon, Chloe Sevigny perched on a stool with her own scrawls and doodles surrounding her. I liked how this cover conveyed the fun and carefree aspect of Chloe's personality and it gave me the idea that she didn't take herself and life too seriously. This was also supported with the styling choices as she wore a mixture of Miu Miu, Chanel and Marc Jacobs (to name a few) with a strong focus on fun injections of colour and extremely short shorts to accentuate her amazingly long legs. Her hair was kept soft and natural, which again emphasises the idea that she doesn't take herself too seriously and is very chilled out when it comes to fashion. I also really liked the controversial Kylie Minogue cover in June 2010, where Elle featured a extremely blurred and hazy image of Kylie herself with the headline; "Kylie: Come into my world" being the only clue as to what the image illustrated. However, I appreciate the uncertain and indistinct image concept as I thought it was a soft and stunning representation of Kylie Minogue and perhaps portrayed the idea and sense of mystery. I believe it successfully intrigued the reader into her so called "world". I feel this was a very memorable cover shoot and admire Elle for taking such a risk.

I would strongly advise any regular Elle reader to subscribe to the magazine if you havn't already done so, if not only for the bargain price but also to collect these fabulous and imaginative covers, which I can certainly say I look forward to the nice post man delivering each month...

Kylie Minogue cover, June 2010. 
http://www.designscene.net/2010/04/kylie-minogue-by-david-slijper-for-elle.html 

Chloe Sevigny cover, April 2010. (A comparison of the normal and the subscription cover)
betseyj.com/.../2010/03/FotoFlexer_Photo4.jpg

Is it all just a fantasy?

I am a self-confessed fashion magazine addict. There, I said it. I've confessed. I feel a sense of relief from sharing that with you all. I may be making a joke about my addiction but it is becoming a serious problem. My bedroom floor is slowly disappearing in a sea of various publications, along with my decreasing funds which, unfortunately means my 'cornflake diet' is becoming more and more of a habit. Ok, so I might be exaggerating a little but the world of fashion magazines is huge. Names like Vogue, Elle and Harper's Bazaar grace the tops of coffee tables all over the world. However, my interests lie in the reasoning behind people choosing to read them? Inspiration? Creativity? Fantasy? Or do they simply want a slice of the lifestyle that the particular magazine is trying to convey?

Why do I think people read fashion magazines? Aspiration towards an ideal life. Why else would I want to look at a tall, skinny girl wearing Prada's latest collection? There, I said it. What you all were thinking. Just because you don't live that lifestyle (which the majority of us don't) and the reality is you indulge in way too many pizzas and shop in Topshop, doesn't mean you wouldn't like to hop onto one of those of glossy pages, even if it was just for a day (or two)...

Prada 2010 advertising campaign. 
Now lets face it, who wouldn't want to be one these beautiful human beings?
www.yourstyletrend.com