Trade Publications in the 60s and 70s
One specific type of publication boomed during the 60s that had not been thought of before: teen magazines. A number of magazines were launched during this time such as Honey in 1961, Jackie in 1964, Petticoat in 1966, and 19 in 1968. They all used illustration in their publication because it was cheaper. The customer profile was a young woman or teenager for whom couture and expensive designer wear were an anachronism. The role of these magazines was to inspire, rather than dictate.
Other trade publications such as L'Officiel de la mode et du couture, International Textiles, and Sir incorporated illustrations into their magazines and did an exceptional job of hiring the best of the best of illustrators like Gruau, Constance Wilbaut, and Tod Draz (featured below). Women's Wear Daily, WWD, was redone in 1960 by John Fairchild. He employed a team of illustrators to capture the zeitgeist, providing extremely recent and accurate information for the American rag trade. This publication was described as an "art factory" an the illustrators were given freedom to express the look and feel of the times,producing some of the best and most exciting illustrations of the period.
Antonio Lopez
This Puerto-Rican-born man trained at the New York's Fashion Institute of Technology and then began a career at WWD. His "chameleon-like" ability to alter his style depending on the moment allowed his illustrations to appear in high-fashion publications throughout the 60s and 70s, even when these publications preferred photographs. From pop art influences of the 60s, to the hippie styles, to nostalgic art-deco of the early 70s. Until his death, his work increasingly showed energetic and intense graphic work that main unique to this day in the illustration industry and he was the only illustrator to frequent the pages of Vogue during this time. Below are some examples of his work!
Next time, 1975 and Beyond will be covered!
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