Bandeau Veil

Eric Stemp was the master of elegant fashion illustration and his economic style swept through the pages of Vogue from 1955 to 1963. Born in London, he spent his childhood in Brighton and in 1940 attended Brighton School of Art. Aged 18, Stemp joined the RAF as a gunner, and whilst on 48-hour leave in Brussels he caught the attention of an agent who spotted his potential as a fashion illustrator. He was commissioned by Vogue to record the Paris collections, vising the salons of Christian Dior, Chanel, Balmain, Belenciaga and Givenchy and often given only a few minutes to capture the essence of the season’s shape and proportion. He worked at Vogue for eight years then moved on to advertising work including design for Simpsons, Fortnum & Mason, Harvey Nichols, The International Wool Secretariat and Jaegar. For many years Stemp was an Associate Lecturer in Fashion Drawing at St Martin’s School of Art – his students included Hamish Bowles (now of American Vogue) and John Galliano.