I Love Nordstrom's

I have a confession – I’m starting to fall in love with Nordstrom’s catalogues.

We get a Nordstrom’s catalogue sent to our office every month or so. It’s addressed to some Kent guy, but it’s also got one of those “or current resident” caveats, so I figure I’m justified to just throw them away. Well, one day, I happened to take a closer look at the model on the cover of the catalogue, and… yeah, I decided I just HAD to draw her. Wound up being one of the best sketches I’ve ever done.

We got a new catalogue today – no interesting cover model, but there were PLENTY of pictures on the inside. There’s something kind of fascinating about the pose a model strikes when being photographed – a good photograph has some of those same ethereal qualities as a good, abstract painting.

I was a bit surprised to find no photographs of men in the magazine. I’ve never shopped at Nordstrom’s – and now I guess I know why.

Now, the hyper-distorted, super-skinny model that normally graces a photo shoot probably doesn’t really represent the majority of women I’ve met. There is that hint of being TOO skinny – if you know what I mean. From an aesthetic perspective, I can see the appeal. A lot of art seems to be using form to express emotion. What better form could there be for capturing human emotion than the human body, even if that emotion is “I really want that blouse.”

Distortion seems to be a powerful tool in expressing emotion. An extremely droopy face expresses sadness a bit more overtly than a simple frown. I think that’s why models look “attractive”: the long, skinny limbs appear graceful because they are so exaggerated, almost cartoony.

I do have one question about the models in the Nordstrom’s catalogue, though: Why the heck do they all have their mouths open partway? Seriously, every single one has her mouth open just enough to show their front two teeth. They’re not even really smiling, just standing around slack-jawed, showing two teeth, and no more.

My bet? They don’t have molars.