A Worldly Wardrobe: Beautiful Vintage Maps As Dresses and Shirts By Elisabeth Lecourt

above: “Coquille de Noix et Allumette”, Bird Eye View of San Francisco rep. 1846, Signed and sealed E.L. Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012, 841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request

London artist Elisabeth Lecourt's Les robes géographiques is a series of sweet dresses and a few buttoned-down shirts that use actual vintage paper maps from all over the world in lieu of textiles.



Made for displaying rather than wearing (the paper fashions are in plexiglass boxes), several of the stunning pieces are available for purchase at the Stephanie Breitbard Fine Arts Gallery.

“Coiffure Playmobil et Bouton Fleur”, Le panoramic map of New York City rep.1851
Signed and sealed E.L Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request:


“Dans les Nuages, les Cigognes”, Los angeles panoramic sightseeing map, rep. 1932
Signed and sealed E.L Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012, 841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request:


“La Barque des Giraffes”, map of New York from the Battery rep. 1892
Signed and sealed E.L. Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request:


“Jerusalem Artichaud et Topinambour”, Jerusalem City Map, Historic Holy Land, rep. 1660
Signed and sealed E.L Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request:


“Le Trésor des Corsaires Coquillages”, Known world map of the world, rep. 1565
Signed and sealed E.L Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request:


“La Bulle de Savon Multicolore”, USA Railroad map Atchison, rep. 1888
Signed and sealed E.L Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request:


“La Chasse aux Papillons”, map of Cambridge
Signed and sealed E.L Elisabeth Lecourt, 2011
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request:


“La Mongolfière Sac de Sable”, Balloon map of London rep. 1831
Signed and sealed E.L Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request:


“L’Aventure Peter Pan”, Voyage of Sir Francis Drake, Cartagena Columbia map rep. 1585
Signed and sealed E.L Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request:


“Le Chateau Mandarine”, map of the world
Signed and sealed E.L. Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request :


“Le Far West ZigZag”, Bacon’s Shilling War map
Signed and sealed E.L Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request:


“Le Petit Canard Danceuse Ballerine”, Balloon map of London rep. 1831
Signed and sealed E.L Elisabeth Lecourt, 2011
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request:


“Le Poisson d’Argent Volant”, Voyage of Sir Francis Drake, Santo Domingo map, rep. 1585
Signed and sealed E.L Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request:


“Le Tableau Noir et la Cloche”, panoramic map of New York City rep.1851
Signed and sealed E.L. Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request :


“Le Trèfle à 4 Feuilles et le Lutin Blanc”, Dublin Ireland, Historic City Plan map, rep. 1797
Signed and sealed E.L Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request:


“Le Voyage dans les Entrailles”, Voyage of Sir Francis Drake, Atlantic Ocean map, rep. 1585
Signed and sealed E.L. Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request :


“L’Étoile et la Souris Dent de Lait”, map of Connectucut, Long Island & Manhattan rep. 1777
Signed and sealed E.L Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request:


“Pierre Verte, Rubis Rouge”, Voyage of Sir Francis Drake Saint, Augustine map rep. 1585
Signed and sealed E.L. Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request :


“Pop Corn Edelweiss Pop”, Rivers and mountains of the world, rep. 1849 with gold leaves
Signed and sealed E.L Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request:


“Caramel Elastique Chewing Gum”, New York Central and Hudson River rep.1876 Railroad map
Signed and sealed E.L. Elisabeth Lecourt, 2012
841 x 594 x 30 mm, price on request:

images courtesy of the artist

Several more of Elisabeth's paper map fashions can be found, and purchased if available,  here.

Photographer Christian Tagliavini And His Unique Paper, Plywood and Cardboard Dressed Portraits.

Recently, artist and photographer Christian Tagliavini completed a stunning series, 'Cartes', an artful take on playing cards using models clad in his paper fashions and decorative accessories.


above: Christian crafts the hat for the "Carte" shown below


Seeing those here on Huffington Post, inspired me to take a look at more of his work. As a result, I want to share with you two other series of his, Dames di Cartone (Cardboard Women) and 1503, both of which are formally photographed portraits of models clad in artful representations of historical fashions crafted out of cardboard, paper and plywood.

Dames di Cartone (Cardboard Women)
His series, Dames di Cartone, consists of two dimensionally outfitted portraits that emulate Cubistic, 17th century,and Fifties fashions. Using corrugated, cut and colored cardboard and plywood, the craftsmanship applied to live models makes for an interesting series.

#1, Dame di Cartone, Cubism I:


#2, Dame di Cartone, Cubism II:


#3, Dame di Cartone, Cubism III:


#4, Dame di Cartone, 17th Century I:


#5, Dame di Cartone, 17th Century II:


#6, Dame di Cartone, 17th Century III:


#7, Dame di Cartone, Fifties I:


#8, Dame di Cartone, Fifties II:


#9, Dame di Cartone, Fifties III:


1503
Similar creations of his can be found in his 1503 series. These represent 16th century fashions and combine textiles with paper and cardboard for a unique look. Several of these photographs have been featured on the cover of many photography and arts magazine worldwide.

#1 1503, Lucrezia:


#2 1503, Donna Clotilde:


#3 1503, Bartolomeo:


#4 1503, Ritratto di giovane donna:


#5 1503, Ritratto di signora in verde:


#6 1503, Ritratto d'uomo:


#7 1503, Artemisia:


#8 1503, Cecilia:


#9 1503, Ritratto di giovane uomo con cappello piumato:


Born in 1971, Christian Tagliavini was educated in Italy and Switzerland, where he lives and works as a photographer. This provides him the perfect frame and background to invent, create and totally produce images that blend fine arts and craftsmanship.


above photo of Christian Tagliavni by Paola Bergamaschi (courtesy of his Facebook page)

Christian Tagliavini

Yes, These Historical Fashions & Haute Couture Are Made Of Hand-Painted Paper.

Let me start by saying... what you are looking at is made of paper! Now, that I've got your attention, prepare to be amazed at the work of Isabelle de Borchgrave.




From the Medicis to Marie Antoinette to Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress, Isabelle de Borchgrave has made paper emulate the most incredible fabrics and fashions from all over the world. One has to look twice to realize that the formal gowns, ornate jackets - even shoes - on mannequins are not actually made from velvet, silks and satins.





Sumptuous and detailed, it's hard to believe they are crafted of hand-painted rag paper. Whether she is recreating an outfit from 16th century paintings or creating one for a modern day ad campaign, the craftsmanship and detail in everything from the shoes to the hairpieces will take your breath away.






Her works include paper recreations of Renaissance costumes of the Medici family, gowns worn by Elizabeth I and Marie-Antoinette, the fashions of Fortuny (known for their pleats) and the designs of grand couturiers Fredrick Worth, Paul Poiret, Christian Dior and Coco Chanel.

Some examples of her Medici fashions:






Gowns worn by legendary European 15th and 16th century historical figures including Elizabeth I and Marie-Antoinette:







Fortuny Fashions:




Jackie Kennedy's Wedding Dress:


She created a series of dresses realized with suede wall coverings for the Antelope Collection by Arte International in 2010:



For her present exhibit, Pulp Fashions, at San Francisco's Legion of Honor, she chose four famous paintings from their collection and recreated the fashions within them. Below are two examples:


The Belgian artist is a painter by training, but textile and costume are her muses. Working in collaboration with leading costume historians and young fashion designers, de Borchgrave crafts a world of splendor from the simplest rag paper.




Painting and manipulating the paper, she forms trompe l’oeil masterpieces of elaborate dresses inspired by rich depictions in early European painting or by iconic costumes in museum collections around the world.



The Paper Dress of Eleonora de Toledo, 1522-1562 (above) was inspired by a portrait of Bronzino (Gallery of Uffizi, Firenze) and began with a sketch, followed with the hand-painting of the fabric in her studio to yield the final masterpiece:




images and info courtesy of Isabelle de Borchgrave and The Legion of Honor

Exhibiting Now
At present, The Legion of Honor in san Francisco is the first American museum to dedicate an entire exhibition to the work of Isabelle de Borchgrave, although her creations have been widely displayed in Europe.



Pulp Fashion draws on several themes and presents quintessential examples in the history of costume—from Renaissance finery of the Medici family and gowns worn by Elizabeth I and Marie-Antoinette to the creations of the grand couturiers Frederick Worth, Paul Poiret, Christian Dior, and Coco Chanel. Special attention is given to the creations and studio of Mariano Fortuny, the eccentric early-20th-century artist who is both a major source of inspiration to de Borchgrave and a kindred spirit.

Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave, February 5, 2011 - June 5, 2011

A special thanks to my very hip parents who told me about Isabelle de Borchgrave and her work.