Gemma Correll is a UK based illustrator and creator of What I Wore Today (Drawings) - a favourite website of many a Wornette. Here, we chat with Gemma about outfit illustrations, zine making and tie-dyed leggings.

How did you dress in high school?
Well, at school itself I didn’t have a lot of choice, since we had to wear a uniform. But outside of school, I was into the “indie” style of tight band T-shirts and flared jeans- although I did also go through a hippy phase (tie-dyed leggings!) which I’d rather forget.

What is a typical workday like for you?
Well, it kind of builds up slowly. I am not a morning person, so I start the day checking my e-mails and guzzling coffee. After that, I run errands, walk my dog, go to the post office… After lunch, I’m ready to work. I’ll usually work from 2pm until 1am, with breaks for food, coffee and pug cuddles.

Shoes I Want / Good Hair

Were there any specific inspirations behind creating What I Wore Today?
I really enjoy looking at things like Lookbook and all of the Flickr groups where people post photos of their outfits, but I’m not so much into posting photos of myself online. So it made sense to draw myself in my outfits instead. It’s a good exercise in regular drawing more than a real desire to show people what I’m wearing (since I don’t have a particularly huge wardrobe or maverick fashion sense).

What do you believe to be unique to fashion illustrations that can’t necessarily be conveyed with an outfit photograph?
I think it’s to do with the style and the sense of self that comes through in a drawing. Photographs can get a little homogeneous whereas drawings show more of the person who drew it, whether they are an “artist” or not.

How do you decide which of your own outfits to draw? What makes an outfit illustration-worthy?
It’s actually more about how much time I have to draw. But I try to avoid drawing the same thing twice so it’s partly about that too. Also, if I have a new (to me anyway, since I buy my clothes mostly from charity shops) outfit I’m more likely to be excited about drawing and posting it.

You’ve also created a few zines – what is your favourite thing about zine-making?
I love zines because they don’t have a specific agenda. There might be a theme or a set size, but I draw them for fun rather than for work, which means I free up my drawing style and I’m more likely to experiment with techniques or media. Sometimes, I just have a lot of ideas that I want to get down onto paper, somehow and somewhere, and a zine is a great way to do this.

Gemma’s Top 10 Zine Makers
Mel Stringer
Craig Atkinson / Café Royal
Pacolli (Patricia Colli)
Ward Zwart
Will Bryant
Lizz Lunney
Kate Bingaman-Burt
Deth P Sun
Pikaland
Tom Gauld

- Hailey Siracky

I was born in Honolulu and spent most of my childhood in the desert of southern Arizona. I’ve lived all across Canada, eventually settling in my hometown of Ottawa. I’m studying geology at Guelph, but it was my interest in the world of fashion, art, and creativity that brought me to the big city, and to WORN. I love all sorts of fashion and culture, and my personal style is still evolving (kind of like a Pokemon). Movies and music are a big inspiration to me, and I love everything from the doe-eyed heroines of David Lynch to the bad girl attitudes of early 90s hip-hop video vixens. When I was a baby, my mom used to hang my dresses on the wall and let me pick which one I wanted to wear - I still love playing dress up while I choose outfits (oh, for a futuristic revolving closet like Cher’s from Clueless!). I’m so excited to be an intern here at WORN, this summer is going to be awesome!

Current Inspirations

The Considered Ensemble
Instead of street style photos, people describe their outfits and you just imagine them. I love it! Even though you don’t see the actual clothes, it feels a lot more personal.

“In Her Closet” at Modelinia
For those who have dreamed of closets stocked with glorious designer clothes, here’s a little sartorial inspiration - this video series peeks into the wardrobes of models.

What I Wore Today (Drawings)
A collection of daily outfit drawings instead of photos. The aspect of artistic style adds a whole new facet to the clothes, and the person - an outfit you might not look twice at in a picture can be a beautiful sketch or adorable cartoon.

Mr. Newton
I like the way this guy describes his life. Every day is impossibly glamourous and there is no attempt at modesty, it’s great. He has a very distinct voice, both in text and in his consistently gorgeous street style photos.

Selleck Waterfall Sandwich
Exactly what it sounds like. Eat your heart out, Hercule Poirot, there’s a new mustache in town. And it’s accompanied by a variety of sandwiches and water features.