Niki's legs and inspiration in sketching...

The fact is that whenever we, girls, grow up, we need to identify ourselves to a woman. Anyone around you could be your lead model. Mine was my grandmothers for many qualities (and flaws too) and their ways of living and coming over difficulties. But when it came to beauty, my lead model became three. The first one was Dane 80’s supermodel, Renee Toft Simonsen. I saw her in an ELLE magazine in December 1982 and was astonished by her beauty. I then thought that she was the most beautiful girl in the world, and kept on that way until September 1989 when I noticed Niki Taylor. She was in a layout in US Seventeen magazine, and I knew immediately that she would be the greatest model ever to capture my way of perfect beauty. Niki has been and still is the “perfection” to me when it comes to women. Not only is she gorgeous but she is nice, smart, caring and a very lovely human being. The number 3 is related to Niki. I am speaking of Krissy Taylor, her late sibling. If Niki was perfection to me, Krissy can be defined as “my dream girl”. You know, the one you admire and would love to look alike. I never thought that I could be Niki, but I would have loved to be Krissy.

I never tried to sketch Renee Toft Simonsen, but Niki was one of major inspiration when I do my housework in sketching. One day, as I took a few classes in sketching in Arles, we were supposed to draw woman’s legs… and as, many of my classmates looked through fashion magazines to inspire themselves, I knew at once whom I was going to sketch : Niki’s legs ! I already saw in my head the image I wanted to do : Harper’s Bazaar 1992 layout called “Days in Venice”. Then, I had to imagine another scene, atmosphere but with those legs initially drawn… and here is the sketch I made.

So, yes, I can sketch any other woman, parts of body, etc. but when it comes to legs and perfection, it’s Niki’s whom imposes herself. So, Thank you, Niki, for being such an inspiration…

Why I love sketching fashion clothings

I love to sketch. I really do. I’ve always loved that art. When I was a kid, I was used to do three things during my spare time : writing, photographing and sketching. I have many short stories written with my little girl handwriting, photographs taken (first one taken at 7 !) and sketches. Basically, they are very naïve and quite basic. But what I love the most, apart “les nus”, is fashion sketching. That is what I do naturally. It is so simple for me to imagine a gown, a trouser, a blouse, a dress etc. It is obviously what I was made for. Even if, when I was 12 to 18, I just wanted to be a forensic (yes.. I know), I’d always dreamt about being a fashion designer. I was a true admirer of designers such as Poiret, Chanel, Christian Dior, YSL, Lelong, Grès, Carven, etc.

I think that doing a sketching of a dress or anything else for someone is just magic. I sketched 2 wedding dresses. The first one was for a total unknown girl. I still only know her name : Julie. I met her at the newsstand whilst buying fashion magazines. She was talking with the owner and telling him how disappointed she was after the rehearsal of the dress. 

She looked to my magazines and asked me if I knew someone whom “could sketch her dream wedding dress”. I replied “ Why not me ?”. But I was just kidding. Well, a bit.  She said back to me “why not indeed ?”. So we went to a nearby café and I drew it for her. I was not sure that she would have loved it but she did ! What I know is that she called her mom, her couturier and asked her to see “that perfect dress”. The couturier sewed it and she got married in that dress, sketching in a café !

The second one was a then colleague. She needed a gown for a special occasion and asked me to help her out. This time, I sketched and sewed it ! She was divine in it. I was very proud of that.

So, those 2 sketching are the best I’ve done but they have been done for a special friend.