Tiny Wings of Fury

Hello friends,

As I look over my vast (vast!) body of work on this blog, I notice a preponderance of sexy cartoon ladies and Prada each occupying their own pithy internet post. Now, watch, marvel and exclaim as I don my official Robert Altman cowboy hat o' disparate narrative lines and make a post that ties sexy cartoon ladies and Prada together in a veritable burst of fashion-osity.

That was maybe the worst paragraph even written but it's true. Today class, we are learning about James Jean, the illustrator who features so prominently in Prada's S/S 08 collection.

When I first saw the Prada collection, as usual, I didn't quite get it. I'm a First Glance Prada Moron. And, as usual, once the ideas slowly percolated through my brain, I began to love it. You see, I love the hard edged urban warrior thing that usually underscores the Prada aesthetic and this whole curvilinear fairy thing threw me for something of a loop.

But if you look closely at the fairies that adorn these outfit you'll see they're hardly winsome wish granters and milk teeth gatherers. They're barely female, kind of like beautiful foetuses their poses speaking of anguish or violent sexuality.

And here I was thinking Miuccia had gone soft on us. It's like the girls wearing the apocalyptic fuzzy felt outfits of last season stripped off, threw their clothes in a flaming trash can, inhaled the fumes and this is what they saw.

Credit: AP

There's an excellent article in this quarter's POP magazine that visits Mrs Prada and her fabulous slippy slide in Milan. However, when it sidebars into talking about the illustrations, there is no mention of James Jean, only Michael Rock and 'the collective' 2x4. Curiouser and curiouser. It was only a chance click on a tiny story at the New York Times website (check out their style section redesign - it's fabulous) that revealed his identity. Jean's website is well worth a look - he's an Eisner winner comicbook artist as a gosh-darn regular Fine Artist too. You can buy his work from (exchange rate willing) £25 for a print to £2,500 for an original piece. If I had the scratch my friends.....I shall have to sate myself with his beautiful website. Here's a sneak preview:

Crayon Eater Drawing (already sold, damnit)

12.5 x 17 in.
Blue Pencil, Graphite, Pastel on Rives BFK
Description: Mixed Media drawing created for "Crayon Eater."


Recess 4 Gym ($52)
12"H x 16.5"W
Ultrachrome Print on Cotton Rag paper
Description: Signed and Embossed

Secret
12 x 13 in.
Ultrachrome Print on Cotton Rag paper
Description: Signed and Embossed.

Find more gorgeous images, things to buy and James jean's blog at: Process Recess.

The lesson? Ambisextrous curivlinear = good. Miuccia Prada = never wrong.

Your internet pal,
Becky.