Renowned fashion illustrator, Gladys Perit Palmer, is hosting virtual masterclasses in collaboration with Gray M.C.A, talking about her work for Dior. Gennaro Costanzo follows the class to understand how her career is inspiring new artists all over the world.
It’s a chilly Thursday evening after the first long week of lockdown. Not everyone would spend it online for an art masterclass, especially when you have to stare at a bright laptop for 90 minutes, the same laptop used to work, study or connect with friends and colleagues every day. But this is where art exhibitions can be enjoyed for now, or at least until galleries will be able to open again. There’s only a question on everyone’s mind: will it be as magical as the real experience?
The ‘Hi from…’ start filling the chatbox, with international artists and fashion lovers connecting from Chicago, Rio, Boston and London of course. The air of excitement becomes almost palpable.
After all, it’s Gladys Perint Palmer we’re talking about.
The 73-year-old is now recognised as being in the top 500 most influential figures in fashion, with 50 years in the business behind her. She’s worked for Vogue, The Sunday Times, Harper’s Bazaars and The New Yorker, covering couture and ready-to-wear collections for Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Prada, Armani, Dior and more.
But even after all these achievements, GPP is unaware of her influence on the fashion industry and mentions how she’s never worried too much about her looks. ‘I don’t know what impact I’ve had,’ says Palmer with a confused expression. ‘I used to go to the shows dressed in M&S t-shirts and pants’.
A woman wearing a checkered suit welcomes Gladys - and the many attendees here to see her in action. The woman is Connie Gray, the curator of the Gray M.C.A. art gallery, who introduces the viewers to Dior with a brief history of the fashion brand. It was only in January that Connie and her husband offered to represent Gladys in New York, but their bond seems to have grown a lot - even at a continental distance.
This is the second virtual masterclass that the gallery has organised since the beginning of the lockdown and the collaboration will continue in 2021 with the opening of a new art gallery in London.
Soon after, Gladys herself makes her appearance from the studio of her house, situated on an island in British Columbia. Surrounded by loads of artworks and brushes of all sizes, GPP looks extremely excited but quite worried for the storm outside her window facing the sea. ‘I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I enjoy making it,’ she says smiling.
It’s not every day that you get to see a professional illustrator paint in front of you. As Gladys starts painting the first of her seven new illustrations inspired by the House of Dior, she explains how even the most expensive haute couture garments can be drawn using the more modest tools. ‘I’m using my finger again. My favourite tool,’ she says chuckling. Between ink droppers, quill pens, Crayola crayons and large brushes, each canvas comes to life and each one has a different story to tell.
‘Showing all the different techniques is very inspiring. I've got my list now of stuff to get and it inspired me to experiment,’ said Gayle Kabaker, former Palmer’s student and now freelance illustrator from Massachusetts. Kabaker was drawing along with Palmer and said that being an illustrator makes her want to be more free.
‘She’s a true pro. I have always admired fashion illustrators because of the way they effortlessly draw the human body,’ said Samantha Baker, full-time illustrator and author from Brooklyn.
But the masterclass it’s not all about drawing and painting: from Gianfranco Ferrè to John Galliano, GPP revealed some fun facts about the elite of designers from the House of Dior, like the way a superstitious Christian Dior consulted a fortune teller before every move. ‘She directed his activities and there was the lucky number eight. He had eight stores in his building, he was [living] in the 8th arrondissement,’ says Palmer.
Even virtually, the viewers received an incredible experience which truly showcased GPP’s style. ’Everything is always better in real life but I think they did a great job showing how she works,’ said Kabaker.
This pandemic can even keep people apart, but it will never extinguish the magic behind art.