Fashion Illustrator Gina Schiappacasse On Her Influences, Her Inspiration, and Her Neurotic Dog
Who is the one person, living or dead, in your profession who you most admire?
The work of Antoniio Lopez
If we’re talking fashion illustrators, I’m going to have to go with Antonio Lopez . His illustrations were so groundbreaking that he’s generally referred to by first name alone within the fashion community. He infused a really incredible sense of life and vibrancy into his work, and was just remarkably adept at drawing the human form (which is always something I aspire to in my own work). He was also a pretty fantastic photographer and scouted many familiar faces of the 1970s New York scene to be his muses (Grace Jones, Jerry Hall, Jessica Lange, etc.). He swapped portraits with Andy Warhol, influenced the work of Karl Lagerfeld, and had his work frequently published in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle. If you’re interested in learning more about his life, there’s a really fabulous documentary about him called Sex, Fashion & Disco that’s worth a watch.
Other notable fashion illustration obsessions of mine include: David Downton, Rene Gruau, Donald Robertson, Laura Laine, and Ruben Toledo (husband to the late, great, Isabel Toledo), all absolute legends.
What have you seen lately that’s been inspiring?
I recently watched a Swedish film called “Border” (from the same writer behind the cult classic, “Let the Right One In”), and it was just beautiful. Chill-inducing, otherworldly, and utterly unique, I found it to be the most unexpected, refreshing, and magical film I’ve seen in a long while. Entertainment often follows a set of safe, predictable rules in its telling of a story and so it was such a treat to watch something that truly went off the rails in the best possible way. Without giving too much away, I’d suggest watching it if you like delving into odd, enchanting, and fantastical stories, and don’t mind being made to feel just a bit uncomfortable.
What advice would you give to a young(er) person who wants to do what you do?
If you love making art, take time to create every day (or as often as you can). Don’t worry about making it into a career. If you love it, if you practice it, you’ll be surprised how many professional doors will open around your passion. I think there’s such an unfortunate misconception that you’re not a real artist unless you can quit your day-job and pursue it full time, but in my personal experience, as well as in the experience of many of my talented, creative friends, I’ve found the truth is a lot less linear and that most working artists have other jobs that pay their bills. I've found that continuing to pursue what you love allows the lines between work and play to slowly start to blur.
What would you do (or pursue) if money were no object?
Because I am enamored with hats and headdresses, I would love to dig into the craft of millinery (women’s hat making) more seriously. I previously apprenticed with a haberdasher (a men’s hat maker) which was such a blast, but because the practice requires a lot of specialized tools and equipment, it’s sadly something that I haven’t kept up with since. I have regular fantasies about hopping across the pond and apprenticing with a British haberdasher or two, specifically the legendary Philip Treacy and the delightfully playful Piers Atkinson.
Do you have a pet?
Theo
Yes, a sweet, neurotic, chocolate pomeranian rescue named Thelonious (aka Theo). He’s the absolute best.
What website other than the major social, search, and news sites, do you have bookmarked?
I don’t look at it nearly as much as I used to but, I’ve always kept The Sartorialist bookmarked on my browser. Scott Schuman was one of the first photographers to have a street-style fashion blog, back in the early days of blogging, and he has such an excellent eye for personal style (Bonus: He’s also from the Midwest!). I used to check the site religiously, and still love poring over it for style inspiration on occasion.
Gina Schiappacasse is an illustrator, content creator, and social media enthusiast with years of experience working in the beauty and fashion industries. Using her unique skill set, she builds custom content for brands big and small, combining her background in illustration, design, photography, and art-direction, and her experience working on set in multiple roles. In addition to developing creative content, Gina also works regularly as an illustrator, and recently self-published her own fashion-illustration-themed tarot deck: The Heroine Tarot. Her clients include TNT, Clinique/Soho House, Garmentory, For Love & Lemons, Samsung, Hellogiggles, Avon, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, New York & Co, Jones New York, Manufacture NY, Vita.MN Magazine, and Hairstory. She recently moved to Minneapolis.
