ORIGINALS

ELEGANCE IS TIMELESS

Inspired by timeless elegance, Frederick Watson is one Fashion Illustrator who doesn’t necessarily draw ideas from fashion at all, but, reminisces the beauty and glamour of days gone by. Days of veiled hats, furs, slinky evening gowns, pearls, jewels, gloves, and past collections by fashion icons, such as Dior, Givenchy, and Galliano, leap from the canvas of Frederick’s pieces and magically ignite a lifestyle and world that once was; for this world is still very much alive at the tip of this artist’s paintbrush.

His mother’s flamboyant red hair may very well be a precursor to this artist’s career, but Frederick always seems to stumble across beauty and new forms of inspiration in the rarest of places. While on a bus in New York City, he caught a glimpse of a woman walking along Madison Avenue suited in a solid black, knee-length number, topped with a chinchilla hat, diamond brooch, and heels that captured the essence of height… He jumped off at the next stop just to take a closer look. From tap dancing at Eaton’s Auditorium to horseback riding, bareback, in his rural Canadian hometown, to performing at Museum Theatre in Harlequin; no matter what avenue he chose to pursue at the time, he always knew he was an Artist. Frederick Watson sees life as a painting, with all of its elegance, and has shared beauty through his eyes since 1961, when his first piece was published.

His mentor, Jean Miller, illustrator for the Robert Simpson Co, is the one he credits to get him started in fashion illustration in 1957. So, call him what you will; fashion illustrator, Artist, real-life impressionist, master of elegance, timeless creator; Frederick Watson is simply a man with an eye for beauty, and a paintbrush that has the ability to transport all of us into a world of glamour and style. In the words of Frederick himself, “Elegance is timeless.