HALSTON (Designer)

Halston is surrounded by eleven models for a 1972 Vogue sitting. Their fluid, silk jersey dresses and svelte clothes made from Ultrasuede are pure Halston: utterly simple and an eternal antidote to fussy dressing. These are the hallmarks of classic American design, and Halston was recognized as a master of the art. His popularity in the 1970s made him a social figure, most famously among the set that frequented Manhattan's Studio 54 club. Bianca Jagger and Liza Minnelli were friends and clients, and both were Concorde-class models for his draped jersey dresses and lean trouser suits. Halston designed for his friends, saying in 1971, "Fashion starts with fashionable people... No designer has ever made fashion alone. People make fashion". Although he died in 1990, Halston's influence has continued to grow. Tom Ford, designer at Gucci, acknowledged his Studio 54 look as crucial to uncluttered fashion in the 1990s. 

Also look up for Bandy, Daché, Ford, Maxwell, Peretti, Warhol

GUSTAFSON Mats (Illustrator)

It's difficult to overstate the elegance and artistry of this beautiful Yohji Yamamoto watercolour. The silhouetted figure displays a relaxed posture and easy gait as it strides ahead, echoing the charasteristic serenity of the watercolour's muted tones. Illustration had long been eclipsed by photography for showcasing designer collections by the time the illustrator Mats Gustafson began his career in the late 1970s. Nearly single-handedly reinvigorating the medium, his exquisite aquarelle sketches and cut-out works on paper recast illustration as a conceptual tool, extending its relevance and broadening its expressive possibilities. Early editorial illustration assignments led him to hone his focus on fashion leading to an impressive roster of editorial clients such as Vogue and Visionaire. His work in advertising has also resulted in stunning collaborations with eminent brands such as Hermès, Tiffany, Dior and Comme des Garçons. 

Also look up for Antonio, Berthoud, Gruau, Roberts, Y. Yamamoto

GUINNESS Daphne (Icon)

Daphne Guinness, heiress, artist, muse and fashion's rare bird, is captured here by theatrical photographers Markus and Indrani. The elaborately styled Guinness is a stunning and unmistakable sight. Guinness has worked with many designers and photographers during her career _ including Tom Ford, Karl Lagerfeld, Philip Treacy, David LaChapelle and her close friend, the late Alexander McQueen _ but she is also a creative force in her own right. In particular many of Guinness's designs are inspired by her fascination with armour and fashion's protective qualities. In 2012, Christie's in London held an auction of The Daphne Guinness founded in memory of her friend. Guinness is an exceptional icon; the very image of personal, individual style, she was celebrated in 2011 in an exhibition devoted to her at the Museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York. 

Also look up for Blow, Ford, LaChapelle, Lady Gaga, McQueen, Treacy

GUCCI Guccio (Accessory designer)

On a terrace in Cannes, Romy Schneider caresses the classic Gucci loafers worn by Alain Delon. The snaffle loafer has been an icon of wealth and European style since it was designed in 1932 by Guccio Gucci. After rebelling against joining his family's ailing business, Gucci ran away to London. He found a job as maître d'hôtel at the Savoy where he looked after the wealthy guests, paying particular attention to their baggage. He returned to Florence and opened a small shop selling saddlery, later expanding into leather bags and shoes that were decorated with a horse's snaffle. In 1933 Aldo, his son, joined the business and designed the iconic Gucci logo using the interlocking double Gs of his father's initials. Intermittent periods of great success were counterpointed with family squabbles and even murder, marring the Gucci story. The business enjoined a renaissance under Tom Ford, who was its creative director from 1994 to 2004. 

Also look up for Fendi, Ferragamo, Ford, Hermès

GRUAU René (Illustrator)

In this suggestive advertisement for Christian Dior, the sinuous lines of a woman's hand are placed on a panther's paw, reflecting a spirit of graceful wordliness and glamour. Noted for his strong silhouettes and tonalities of colour. Gruau's images became prestigious icons of elegance. He was an outstanding graphic artist of the period after the Second World War, when his swift, expressive line was chosen by Dior's couture and perfume company to illustrate their perfume advertisements. Together with Bouché, Gruau also brilliantly illustrated haute couture of the era in French Vogue. Influenced by the posters of Toulouse-Lautrec, he used strong outlines _ a technique that perfectly accentuates fashion's shape and form. He was one of the last grand magazine illustrators before the creative possibilities of fashion photography made it equal to the fantasy of illustration. 

Also look up for Berthoud, Biagiotti, Bouché, Dior, Gustafson

GRIFFE Jacques (Designer)

In a picture from an American Vogue sitting in 1952, the model's seated pose makes a display of Jacques Griffe's diaphanous pin-tucks. The entire evening dress grows from a flamboyant pink tulle bow which uses the fabric of both bodice and skirt. It finishes ten inches from the floor _ a younger look for ball gowns at the time and known as the ballet length. Griffe trained with Vionnet where he learned the techniques of draping and cutting fabrics, such as this luscious chiffon, from the Lyons textile firm Bianchini-Férier, noted for its fluid materials in brilliant colours. After the Second World War, Griffe worked for Molyneux before opening his own maison de couture in 1946. Like Vionnet, he worked directly with the material, modelling it on a wooden dummy. Griffe's tailoring work was distinguished by the use of seams and darts as decorative details and by his invention of the boxy jacket. 

Also look up for McLaughlin-Gill, Molyneux, Vionnet

GRÈS Madame (Designer)

The white, silk jersey fabric of this evening gown has been moulded onto the figure as if it had the properties of the piece of sculpture standing next to the model. Even the play of light and shade in its deep pleats echoes the sculpture. Silk jersey is a material that lends itself to pleating in precise, fluid folds and it was a mainstay in the classicism of Madame Alix Grès, one of the great couture artists. Harper's Bazaar proclaimed in 1936 that, "Alix stands for the body rampant, for the rounded, feminine sculptural from beneath the dress". She had been trained as sculptress and it was her feeling for Classical Greek sculpture that enabled her to capture its timeless elegance in her evening gowns. Hers was an individualistic, uncompromising style where the sculptural cut of her gowns had the liquid effect of the "wet" drapery of Classical Greek sculpture that turned fashionable women into living statues. 

Also look up for Audibet, Cassini, Lanvin, Pertegaz, Toledo, Valentina