It’s a miracle that my interest in fashion took root in Cold War Russia—a land untouched by Western fashion trends and full of gray uniforms, emotional restraint, and hostility toward creative expression and individuality. My only escape from the grim reality of my childhood was reading fairy tales and marveling at the intricacies of the traditional Russian costume illustrations of the famous Bilibin. In my teenage years, I was opened up to a whole new artistic world when I discovered the magical watercolors of Léon Bakst and Alexandre Benois. The decadence of early 20th century Russia and its influence on art and literature fueled my imagination and creativity. Artists like Vrubel and Roerich, and the poetic genius of Gumilev and Blok influenced my vision, molded my artistic sense, and inspired me to pursue a career in art and fashion. Despite the hardships of immigrating alone to the United States as a young girl and the obstacle of overcoming cultural differences, my interest and commitment to fashion continued to grow. Throughout history, costumes have often been illustrated by artists with great attention to detail, but it was only through the posters of Toulouse-Lautrec and the ink drawings of Aubrey Beardsley and Erté in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that fashion illustration emerged into an art form. The 30s and 40s saw a glamorous style of fashion illustrated in the work of René Bouët-Willaumez, Carl Erickson, and René Gruau in the 50s. In the 70s and 80s, fashion illustration had a huge impact on fashion design, and the influence of urban street trends on fashion culture was noticeable everywhere. This was evident in the electric brilliance of Antonio Lopez, the New Wave energy of Tony Viramontes, and the bold simplicity of Mats Gustafson. In the 90s, fashion photography overshadowed illustration—a side effect of the technological revolution. As computers continued to simplify the world and as digital art became popular, the demand for hand-drawn art began to diminish. The studios of Steven Meisel, Sarah Moon, and Tim Walker produced beautiful photography. However, even the most compelling photographs could not replicate the magic of the artist’s hand and the unique relationship that is created between the artist, the artwork, and the viewer. A hand drawing creates a direct connection to the artist, expressing the individual style, energy, and creativity. Drawing is vitally important for the fashion industry. Many top designers, such as Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Lacroix, and Yves Saint Laurent, have freely expressed their ideas by illustrating their own designs on paper as a preliminary step in creating their collections. This book represents a designer’s point of view on fashion illustration and will hopefully contribute to the revival of this unique art form. Every illustration lesson in the book presents a story with exciting design details and ideas, which I hope will inspire more designers to rediscover the art of hand drawing as a tool for creating vibrant and original work.