The Coolest Cat in Atlanta

Atlanta has been quite the experience for me. This is where I fell in love with men’s fashion and began pursuing men’s fashion’s illustrative avenue. It began with the suggestive word of a friend (Mike McLaughlin- commencefailure) and a gift card from HomeGoods. Street Style had already taken root in popular culture and I was yet unaware of it. Polos that draped my body like a Roman Toga and Khakis that barely stayed resting upon my hips were the height of my fashionable endeavors. With my gift-card and passion in tow I purchased some Khaki Chinos and a casual Calvin Klein, blue-tartan, button up shirt.

I knew it! I knew that this would make me the hippest kid in town. The coolest cat in Atlanta. Catlanta didn’t know what was heading its way… or not. This first attempt at fashion glory was pale in the light of folks found across the entire internet spectrum, foolish perhaps. Lucky for me my laptop had been stolen my first night in Atlanta and I hadn’t yet gathered the funds to enter the world of the informed- whether that be about fashion or about the world as a whole. Nevermind my failures in the beginning, the first step was still glorious even if it was only for me.

It would still be another two years before that me became this me. Before the chino wearing, bright-eyed passion began thinking of illustrating fashion. Before the act of illustrating was truly a pursuit. That first step was brilliant and beautiful.

big polo

painted on the back of an index card

To purchase this 3×5″ index card watercolor illustration click here.

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The Numbers are in…

I first want to thank all who participated in the promotion this past week. The ballots have been cast and the numbers are in… and the recipients of a Sunflowerman Fashion Synopsis Booklet are the following lovely people (please take the time to view what they do).

Jose Lopez-Perez -twitter
Amonfocus -Tumblr
Pinolomannaro -twitter
IAMAMIR1 -twitter
Ghoti -Instagram
Leslie Yvonne -Facebook
ib247_tbre -Instagram
mpinkleton -twitter
Heather Holyan -Pinterest
Christaltoso -Instagram

The response impressed me so that I got off my bum and produced a few more to send off to some lucky folks

Charleyrt -twitter, Instagram
marinheii -twitter, Instagram

Sunflowerman-Fashion-Synopsis-Booklet

If you’d like to make your own then you can simply download the pdf  Sunflowerman_Booklet

And if you wanted a booklet and didn’t get the luck of it you can purchase one for $5 at the Sunflowerman Shop on Etsy.

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The Sunflowerman Fashion Synopsis Booklet

Here’s the deal.

There are 10 Men’s Fashion Synopsis Booklets that are waiting for a home and they want to go home with you.

The best part is that you can get one for free.

Just share this post via your preferred social network (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, WordPress, Instagram) and tag #Sunflowerman to be entered into a drawing to win one of the ten free Men’s Fashion Synopsis Booklets. Deadline is Friday, March 8.

Each Booklet is hand-bound and comes with a little surprise inside. 

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The Modern Suit is Over 150 Years Old

men's fashion illustration

As a result of being a men’s fashion illustrator I find myself delving into the history of men’s fashion. I like to know where history can be painted in to each illustration.

Recently I discovered a tidbit of knowledge which was quite interesting. Suits are over 150 years old!

men's fashion illustration-sunflowermanThe styling has been variable over the past century and half or so. When Beau Brummel (the man often credited with inventing the modern suit) decided to wear the first hipster pants in the 1800′s he was just trying to be different and unique. Who knew that he would start a revolution?

It did help that in the 1600′s King Charles the II made a royal change to the dress code of the court. They were to no longer wear the opulent French uniform, but switch to English cuts and fabrics. Politics and environment heavily influenced the change which prepared the way for Brummel.

150 years is still very young in comparison to so many articles of history but the influence it has taken hold of over the world is massive. Nearly every developed nation is marked with the inclusion of the suit in politics and business.

men's fashion illustration-sunflowerman

I often wonder at the oddity of lapels and collars, the need to secure a noose around the neck of the shirt and the overall lack of color in men’s clothing. Where does the desire for retaining vestigial patterns in clothing come from? The most odd thing about it is that I love it! I truly do love it. I love beautifully cut jackets with a perfectly complimenting shirt. I love ties in all of their absurdity and the craft of a well made pair of shoes.

The joy is confusing. All of the descriptions are particularly arbitrary; ‘beautifully cut,’ ‘perfectly complimenting,’ and ‘well made.’ It must partially be contributed to the suits’ symbol of power, but I like to think that it also says something about our past. In the same way an aged wine is born with decades of knowledge and passion I see the modern suit as a sip of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti.

So I continue to illustrate. I continue to paint and create and iterate in the fashion of the bespoke tailors in Savile Row. I see and feel the beauty of men’s clothing and fashion and I am excited to participate with everyone in wearing and exhibiting men’s fashion.

men's fashion illustration-sunflowerman men's fashion illustration-sunflowerman

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The Parts of a Men’s Fashion Illustration

Here is a visual insight into the process of one of the men’s fashion illustrations. Not everything is revealed, but study the images and you will get the gist of it all goes down. Let me know what you think.

This men’s fashion illustration is a part of the Illustration Weekly Series and was featuring the Milan’s Men Fashion Week at the beginning of 2013.

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