Gorey Story

Or Cultural Gormandizer. Or Voracious Curiosity.

In one of the interviews I read recently about Edward Gorey, he mentioned several books that he found inspiring and truly creative. These books include:

Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau

All other books by Raymond Queneau including The Bark Tree and The Blue Flowers

The Mennyms by Sylvia Waugh

The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil

As I drew this sketch, I started to think...why hasn't someone based a fashion spread on Edward Gorey? (Have they?) This season, with its furs and stripes and never-ending variety of accessories, would be the perfect time to feature a chic interpretation of Gorey's unique style. And this spring too. With the multitude of diaphanous garments I saw in the S/S 2012 runway shows, Vogue could recruit New York City ballet to model the clothes using the poses and captions of Gorey's works.

And this idea got me thinking... spring's graphic prints will need an equally bold presentation in the fashion magazines, and what better way to feature these prints than by recreating them with models... for example... I was flipping through Modern Women: Women Artists at the Museum of Modern Art, when I discovered this print by Sybil Andrews:

It would be fascinating to recreate this scene with models. Or recreate some of spring's bold prints with models. A repeating circle and square design? How about six or seven models in identical poses and identical outfits (wearing the print)?

Or, how about an issue dedicated to women artists? How about a model posing like the subject of this work from Asta Nielsen:

Or even better. An issue dedicated to women artists that reads like an art history book. Why not include reimagined works from Mary Cassatt, Frida Kalho, Sofonisba Anguissola?

The. Possibilities. Are. Endless.