Here’s a particularly highbrow fashion and art mash-up — Claridge’s, the star-studded London hotel, just brought on the fashion illustrator David Downton as their newest staff member.  Downton, whose title is “fashion artist-in-residence,” will sketch the hotel’s famous guests who agree to sit for him.  The results will be installed as part of Claridge’s art collection.

A David Downton fashion illustration.  Image courtesy of David Downton.

Until the work goes on display, Downton’s subjects are being kept secret, but since Kate Moss has thrown herself a birthday party at Claridge’s and Marc Jacob has used the hotel for a Louis Vuitton show, we imagine the artist has an interesting fashion world line-up ahead of him.  The hotel’s approach to getting art on the walls is a stylish one, and a clever way to tap fashion industry connections — we’re looking forward to admiring the results.