Need To Know: Fashion Illustrator Richard Haines

Through his wildly popular blog, What I Saw Today, illustrator Richard Haines documents the clothes and attitudes of New York's trendsetters and fashion icons of all ages. It's not uncommon to see Haines seated front row at Fashion Week's most desirable shows, busily sketching images for the magazines (The New York Times Style, GQ, Grazia) that hire him to record nuances impossible to capture on film.

Haines' sensitive renderings, whether his subjects are men on the street, friends, or fashion models, uncover a deeply sentimental treatment. It's his fascination with the people behind the clothes that informs the stroke of his pencil, propelling his work beyond mere sketches into a world where art and fashion intersect.

In September, Haines will have a solo show at Daniel Cooney Fine Art gallery, in New York, where his work is already available for viewing and purchase. Haines' more erotic body of work --stuff you wouldn't see in GQ-- is also on display, a collection of minimalist nudes and entwined male figures reminiscent of Egon Schiele's X-rated masterpieces, or Jean Cocteau's arousing sailor illustrations.

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When he moved to New York to pursue illustration, Haines first found success as a fashion designer, working for brands such as Calvin Klein and Perry Ellis. There, he developed a keen eye for overlooked details of form, fabric, and how a garment falls on the body.

In 2012, Miuccia Prada chose Haines to create the artwork to accompany her iconic "Il Palazzo" men's collection campaign. The artist also contributed to Dries Van Noten's current spring-summer collection, drawing nimble dancers on silk kimonos and shirts, and has just released a line of illustrated T-shirts. For more random strokes of beauty, check out his Instagram account, @Richard_Haines.

See Richard Haines's work at Daniel Cooney Fine Art, 508 West 26th Street, Suite 9C, New York, NY 10001 (212-255-8158, Open Wed-Sat 11am-6pm)