Established 2008

Couture Monday: Michael Kors Beauty

We've got another fashion designer wanting to break into the beauty business.  Like Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors launched several successful fragrances previously, but is now branching out into cosmetics. 

The carefully edited line (there are only 24 products) consists of three "moods" – glam, sporty and sexy.

Michael-Kors-Glam

Michael-Kors-Sporty

Michael-KorsSexy
(images from chicprofile.com)

The gold packaging is borrowed from the name plates that appear on Michael Kors bags and other accessories.

Michael-Kors-bag

Michael-kors-belt

Michael-kors-bracelets
(images from nordstrom.com)

According to an interview in the August issue of Allure magazine (p. 166), Kors got the idea to start a makeup line when he won the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award three years ago.  Spurred on by the encouragement of friend and colleague Diane von Furstenberg, Kors "combed through photographs of past collections for inspiration…these pictures, too, were populated by happy, glowing people who seemed to be on permanent vacation.  'I realized that I'd been playing with these three moods – sporty, sexy and glamorous – and balancing them,' says Kors."  He adds, "In a weird way, I thought about creating cosmetics just like I always think about creating apparel and designing accessories… How would you set up the perfect closet?  You need a gorgeous cove of caramel basics, a section of sexy red and black dresses that knock everyone out, and the audacious things – like white pantsuits and gold tops – that aren't a bit practical, but they're totally divine."  The division of colors and textures into these three categories clearly represent Kors's aesthetic.

I like that there's not a huge amount of products.  Basics like mascara or concealer are not included since the emphasis is on creating one of the three signature looks using the shades provided.    I also like that he works in some impractical shades – hopefully this means we'll be seeing some creative limited-edition pieces that are pretty to look at but aren't quite as functional as the permanent items. 

What do you think?

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