This week on Sew & Tell, I’m honored to bring you an interview with the first fashion illustrator we’ve ever featured on the show. Richard Haines is one of the industry’s foremost menswear illustrators, whose popular blog What I Saw Today is a catalogue of his elegant street style sketches and fashion studies. Richard’s career in illustration is a recent transition, one he comes to from thirty years spent designing for some of menswear’s top labels, including Calvin Klein, Perry Ellis, and Bill Blass. It’s no wonder that his sketches and drawings convey a strong sense of drape and a firm grasp of garment construction, giving a structural anchor to his passionately expressive renderings of ephemeral moments. On today’s show, Richard talks about the path that took him from illustration into design and back again, how the digital era has impacted the fashion illustration industry, some of the moments that inspire and inform his sketch work, a few recent job highlights, and more.

Plus, a great playlist chock full of new music including the latest from Wampire, Allo Darlin’, Greylag and Radiohead drummer Philip Selway. So join us for some fine, fashionable lines here on BTR!

A recent self-portrait of Richard in his new Isaac Larose hat (see Odds & Ends section for a link to Larose Paris)

Samples of Richard’s sketches and design work
(All drawings by Richard Haines, photos courtesy of What I Saw Today)

Some beautiful sketches of the Charles James exhibit at the Met

Selections from Richard’s recent print collaboration with Dries Van Noten

Examples of Richard’s sketchwork for Siki Im F/W 2014

Limited edition t’s for Prada, from 2012
(Photos via GQ)

For more of Richard’s work…
– Stay tuned to his wonderful blog What I Saw Today.
– Follow him on Instagram and Twitter.
– Check out this great GQ article from 2013 which offers a list of Richard’s “10 Essentials.”

Odds & Ends
– Check out Isaac Larose’s incredible hat line, Larose Paris.
– Save the date! BTR will celebrate CMJ on Friday, October 24 with an afternoon of great indie rock at Cake Shop! Details thisaway…
– I’m a museum nerd, so of course I love this, but isn’t it SUCH A COOL IDEA??
– Refinery29 offers their list of must-have boots for the fall season.
– Give me one good reason not to bake this and then immediately eat it all myself.

Wampire
(Photo by Robbie Augspurger)
Oct 10 – Subterranean – Chicago, IL
Oct 11 – Jumbos – Detroit, MI
Oct 12 – Happy Dog – Cleveland, OH
Oct 14 – Silver Dollar – Toronto, Ontario
Oct 15 – Le Divan Orange – Montreal, Quebec
Oct 16 – The Church – Boston, MA
Oct 17 – Baby’s All Right – Brooklyn, NY
Oct 18 – MilkBoy – Philadelphia, PA
Oct 21 – Glasslands (CMJ Popgun Party) – Brooklyn, NY
Oct 22 & 23 – CMJ – New York, NY
Oct 24 – Arlene’s Grocery (CMJ Never Better Party) – New York, NY
Oct 25 – Rough Trade (CMJ Austin Psych Fest and Alisa Loog Showcase) – New York, NY
Oct 27 – DC9 – Washington, D.C.
Oct 28 – Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC
Oct 29 – 529 – Atlanta, GA
Oct 30 – Syndicate Lounge – Birmingham, AL
Oct 31 – Circle Bar – New Orleans, LA
Nov 1 – Fitzgerald’s Downstairs – Houston, TX
Nov 3 – City Tavern – Dallas, TX
Nov 4 – Holy Mountain – Austin, TX
Nov 5 – Lowbrow Palace – El Paso, TX
Nov 7 – The Garage – Salt Lake City, UT
Nov 8 – Neurolux – Boise, ID
Nov 24 – London Oslo – London, United Kingdom
Nov 25 – The Forum – London, United Kingdom
Nov 26 – Start The Bus – Bristol, United Kingdom
Nov 27 – Glad Cafe – Glasgow, United Kingdom
Nov 29 – The Green Door Store – Brighton, United Kingdom
Nov 30 – Mad Cafe – Liege, Belgium
Dec 1 – La Peniche – Lille, France
Dec 2 – Badaboum – Paris, France
Dec 3 – La Cartonnerie – Reims, France
Dec 4 – Rotown – Rotterdam, Netherlands
Dec 5 – SO 36 – Berlin, Germany
Dec 10 – Arena – Vienna, Austria
Dec 12 – Treppenhaus – Rorschach, Switzerland
Dec 13 – Exit07 – Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Dec 14 – Paradiso Basement – Amsterdam, Netherlands

Allo Darlin
(Photo by Nik Vestberg)
Oct 10 – Glasslands Gallery – Brooklyn, NY
Oct 11 – Boot & Saddle – Philadelphia, PA
Oct 12 – Rock & Roll Hotel – Washington, D.C.
Oct 13 – Local 506 – Chapel Hill, NC
Oct 14 – 529 Club – Atlanta, GA
Oct 15 – Club Downunder @ Florida State University – Tallahassee, FL
Oct 16 – Gasa Gasa – New Orleans, LA
Oct 17 – Rudyard’s – Houston, TX
Oct 18 – Mohawk – Austin, TX
Oct 19 – Club Dada – Dallas, TX
Oct 21 – Last Exit – Phoenix, AZ
Oct 22 – Soda Bar – San Diego, CA
Oct 23 – The Echo – Los Angeles, CA
Oct 24 – Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA
Oct 25 – Witch Room – Sacramento, CA
Oct 27 – Bunk Bar – Portland, OR
Oct 28 – Electric Owl Social Club – Vancouver, British Columbia
Oct 29 – The Vera Project – Seattle, WA
Nov 1 – Icehouse – Minneapolis, MN
Nov 2 – Schubas – Chicago, IL
Nov 3 – PJ’s Lager House – Detroit, MI
Nov 4 – The Drake Hotel – Toronto, Ontario
Nov 5 – Monkey House – Winooski, VT
Nov 6 – The Middle East Upstairs – Cambridge, MA
Nov 18 – Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar – Brighton, United Kingdom
Nov 19 – The Maze – Nottingham, United Kingdom
Nov 20 – The Deaf Institute – Manchester, United Kingdom
Nov 21 – Unity Hall – Wakefield, United Kingdom
Nov 22 – Henderson Halls – Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Nov 23 – Star and Shadow Cinema – Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Nov 24 – Scala – London, United Kingdom
Nov 25 – L’Espace B – Paris, France
Nov 26 – Libellule Cafe – Colmar, France
Nov 27 – Cafe Kairo – Bern, Switzerland
Nov 28 – Schuur – Luzern, Switzerland
Nov 29 – Chelsea – Vienna, Austria
Nov 30 – Lokalhelden – Augsburg, Germany
Dec 1 – Die Hangenden Garten Von Ehrenfeld – Cologne, Germany

Greylag
(Photo by Chloe Aftel)
Oct 10 – Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR
Oct 11 – Barboza – Seattle, WA
Nov 11 – Rote Farbik – Zurich, Switzerland
Nov 12 – Atomic Cafe – Munich, Germany
Nov 13 – Comet Club – Berlin, Germany
Nov 15 – Crossing Border – The Hague, Netherlands
Nov 17 – Servants Jazz Quarters – London, United Kingdom
Nov 18 – Botanique – Sint Joost Ten Node, Belgium