I know it's odd to be posting a wintry palette such as this at the end of April, but Dior's Asia-exclusive Icy Halo collection came out a little over a month ago, and I simply couldn't wait till next winter to share the stand-out from the collection: the Voile de Neige Light Amplifying Face Powder.
The outer case is a beautiful pearly white that seems much more expensive than white plastic normally is.
Inside, white shimmering snowflakes gently drift against a background of pale pink stripes with the Dior name in the lower right corner.
With flash:
According to the Dior website, the palette was designed by Dior makeup artist Yasuhior Tokunaga especially for Asian skintones. "Like the sky reflected in snow…A hazy, barely blue sky, ice crystals that toy with the light… Dior draws inspiration from the beauty of winter to create Diorsnow Icy Halos. Inspired by the purity of snow crystals, Diorsnow Voile de Neige is applied as a final touch of beauty whose transparency reveals the skin's radiance. The 4 Voile de Neige shades were specially designed for Asian skin. Once blended, the four delicate shades give the face beauty and synergy. The radiant pink gives the complexion a healthy rosy glow. The pale pink neutralises the yellow of the skin tone, giving it greater freshness. The soft beige swathes the skin in a lightly golden halo. Finally, the pearly pink catches the light in incredible fashion. The four shades are rich in new-generation shimmers that reflect almost 100% of the light, just like snow. "
I wonder how the concept is different from the Lumières de Neige palette that was released in 2009:
(image from weloveshopping.com)
I like the idea of "ice crystals toying with the light" and the snow's luminous reflections. If I wasn't collecting this palette I'd use it for an ethereal glow. I also would like to be wearing it should I ever experience an installation like this. Designer Tokujin Yoshioka created an otherwordly installation for design chain Kartell's flagship store in Milan to go with his "Invisibles" collection – furniture made of sturdy clear acrylic that will leave the sitter feeling as though they are floating in mid-air.
(images from architecturephoto.net and cubeme.com)
Says the artist for the Snowflake installation: "I will create a serene world with numerous transparent prism sticks in plastic. The accumulation of transparent sticks is tinged with white color just like real snow. I believe that the installation will offer visitors extraordinary experiences as if stepping into the snowflake." This guy has great ideas – chairs that make you feel weightless and installations that mimic being nestled within a pristine snowflake? Both sound fantastic.
Getting back to the Dior palette, I think I prefer their other limited-edition palettes that reflect the history of the couture house (Mitzah, Tailleur Bar, etc.), plus I feel as though the design could have been a little more inventive. The snowflakes are all the same shape, but no two snowflakes are exactly alike, correct? They could have made them all a little different. Still, this is rather pretty and will make an excellent addition to winter exhibitions. If only I could get my hands on the 2009 version!
I bought Dior's spring 2012 palettes back in January, but wanted to wait till it was closer to spring to post about them. As it's officially spring in 2 days, today's installment of Couture Monday is dedicated to Dior's Garden Party collection.
From the press release: "'After women, flowers are the most heavenly creation.' — Christian Dior
Christian Dior grew up in Granville, on the cliffs of Normandy, in a house buffeted by strong winds, and seemingly unsuited to the creation of a garden. However, the young man’s creative strength and relentless hard work defied nature, and today one can still admire the garden in bloom and in particular, the fantastic rose garden planted with his own hands. Christian Dior also loved the excitement of parties, and often hosted the aptly named 'Grand Balls of the Century' with enchanted beauties from the Normandy coast and Paris alike. The theme of the festive garden is still alive today throughout many Dior creations. The Dior spring color collection is inspired by Dior’s fantastic garden."
Fantastic it is! Before we get to pictures of the gardens, however, let's take a look at the eye shadow quints and combination palettes. The embossed roses are pretty on their own, but the lace pattern woven around them is a nod to the designer's couture flower gowns and elevates these palettes to museum status.
Garden Pastels:
With flash:
Garden Pinks:
With flash:
Here are the combination palettes, housed in a glossy white case with a basket-weave pattern. Milly Garden Clutch:
I adore the little metal rose clasp:
With flash:
Granville Clutch:
With flash:
According to the Dior website, "Ever since the emblematic 'Corolle' line in 1947, flowers have been a favourite theme in Dior Couture creations, running through the choice of colours, prints and silhouettes." Since I don't associate Dior with florals I decided to take a peek through some of the past and present collections to see if flowers were prominent. Were they ever! Feast your eyes on some vintage Dior flower dresses.
(image from iheartweddingdress.blogspot.com)
I love the cascading petal effect from these 1949 beauties.
(image from achicdirection.com)
"Nuit d'aout" (August Night), spring 1954:
"May", 1953:
"Chambord", 1954:
(images from styleiseternal.net)
Fast forward to the present day. Some 60 years later Dior is still working florals into the collection. Spring 2009:
Spring 2012 Couture:
But my favorite of all the Dior flower/garden-inspired designs came from the spring 2010 couture show.
(images from style.com and dailymail.co.uk)
I'm not sure why I didn't think Dior did florals…I was definitely misguided!
Now let's look at the gorgeous Dior gardens in Normandy. You can read more about the history here.
Dior Granville Garden in Normandy:
(images from musee-dior-granville.com)
(images from jardinsclariere.blogspot.com)
After seeing these pictures and the palettes, I think Dior's beauty department did a great job embodying the spirit of the designer's childhood home as well as his style. Pretty but not precious, the flowers in both the brand's couture gowns and the Garden Party palettes show Dior's unique take on florals.
What do you think? Are these palettes just run-of-the-mill rose designs or something better?
Woven: Textiles in Makeup Design explores the ways in which cosmetics appropriate clothing materials. Delicate lace, nubby tweed and soft cashmere are just a few of the designs that have been imprinted onto makeup items in recent years. Conflating powder and fabric, these items fuse the normally separate spheres of makeup and textiles.
There has always been a significant relationship between beauty and fashion. Makeup is needed to finish the overall look at runway shows; many couture houses have their own beauty lines; and fashion designers collaborate with cosmetic companies for limited-edition collections. Then there's the idea of "fashion for the face" – that makeup should be just as stylish and expressive as the clothes one wears. The items in this show take the concept literally by embossing patterns used for clothing onto makeup.
I hope you enjoy the first Makeup Museum special exhibition!
(Top shelves, left to right)
Chanel Tweed Effect blush and Physician's Formula Cashmere Wear Bronzer:
Inspiration: I was originally inspired by this blurb in InStyle Magazine from March 2011. Yes, nearly a year. That's how long this idea has been in my head!
Logistics: This was one of the smaller exhibitions I've put together, yet it took the longest. Since it's the first non-seasonal exhibition I've done I had to put a bit more thought into it. And due to the position of the shelves, photographing exhibitions in this space is always difficult.
Curation: There are so many more things I could have included – I would have loved to have purchased the Revlon and Valerie Beverly Hills palettes that the InStyle page mentions. Chanel's Pink Lamé was originally in included in the exhibition, as well as Stila's Perfectly Peach tweed-texture clutch and the black satin Brilliant clutch palettes, but I only have so much space. So I picked out what I thought would be most interesting and in keeping with the theme (which is why I ultimately ruled out Stila's purse palettes, as only the outer packaging involved textiles and not the makeup itself). Also, I'm not a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow but that white suit really is the best example of Armani jacquard that I could find.
Paper/design: If you look closely, you'll notice I selected a woven-textured paper for the labels. A big thanks to the husband for laying them out, helping me with the exhibition poster, and for letting me move his stuff off the shelves temporarily. 🙂
Ah, another beauty from Dior. This time, instead of going back into the archives (Tailleur Bar and Mitzah palettes) or mixing old and new (Lady Dior palette) the company collaborated with German abstact artist Anselm Reyle to create a fresh, contemporary twist on classic Dior style. The collaboration is also a nod to Dior's original aspiration of owning an art gallery.
The collection was unveiled with much fanfare at Art Basel Miami back in November, where Dior had a pop-up shop showcasing the goods. Before I get to the palette, let's take a look at how elaborate the launch was and the other items in the collection.
Here's the pop-up store:
(image from fashionstylexxx.com)
They even pimped out a food truck in Reyle's print created especially for the collection:
(images from jesuswassize0.com)
The highlights of the collection were most certainly the bags. Decked out in variations of Reyle's custom print, they formed an electric array of totes, satchels and clutches.
My favorite item from the collection (besides the palette, of course) was this pair of wedges. Wouldn't these be fun for summer?
The palette wasn't the only beauty item, however: there is also a range of nail polishes.
(images from alapeach.com)
Finally, the palette. Here is the front of the booklet that came with it:
The interior of the booklet in an eye-popping florescent green:
The velvet interior of the box, complete with satin purple ribbon:
The palette itself:
With flash:
Reyle's tilted twist on Dior's classic cannage pattern:
This description from the Tate summarizes Reyle's style: "Reyle 'samples' familiar motifs from art history – particularly Modernist painting and Abstract Expressionism – and brings them up to date; as he puts it, 'taking a stereotype in order to breathe new life into it'. Reyle's paintings echo various (and sometimes contrary) abstract painting styles of the past: gestural smears, hard-edge stripes or poured and dripped paint, bringing to mind the work of artists such as Karl Otto Götz, Kenneth Noland, Jackson Pollock and Barnett Newman…In his sculptural works, Reyle takes objects like wagon wheels, haycarts or 1970s ceramic vases and lamps and imbues them with new life – giving them shiny surfaces, startling neon shades or coloured lighting."
I suspect Dior approached Reyle because he's known for his use of neon – a 2012 trend the fashion house was complicit in setting – and also to make their classic, ladylike bags and other accessories fresh and edgy ("breathe new life into it"). It's worth pointing out that Reyle doesn't just use bright colors in paintings; many of his found-object work utilizes neon lights, as in Arise (2010):
And an untitled work from the same year:
(images from gagosian.com)
In an interview with Dazed Digital, Reyle discusses how he infused the collection with his signature style. "I tilted the Cannage which may be considered as a kind of intervention and deconstruction of the well-known and most classical signature of Dior. In my art, I also often take found things as a starting point that are further developed, modified and brought into a new context. Similar to this, the camouflage pattern is a motif which I already used for my material paintings instead of the typical support of a white canvas. For me it’s interesting to see how it has been adapted by the pop world from its military background and how it then loses the original meaning. It remains a kind of empty phrase. Usually the camouflage hides something, but here it’s the opposite – it is very visible because of the signal neon colours…I am interested in combinations that seem to be dissonant at first sight." Indeed, between the tilted cannage pattern and the drippy, almost psychedelic camouflage pattern, the palette does reflect the artist's interest in making radical changes to traditional motifs. To my eye, the pattern is a continuation of paintings like this:
(image from gagosian.com)
Additionally, it's no surprise that purple and dark grey were chosen for the palette, as they are prominently featured in the artist's work (not to mention that they make for a great eye shadow combination that works well on most women):
Monochrome Age, 2010:
Mystic Silver, 2011:
And this untitled work from 2010 actually uses both colors together:
(images from gagosian.com)
Overall, I think Dior was spot-on in choosing this artist and I think Reyle, in turn, did a fabulous job of reinterpreting and modernizing Dior's accessories while still making them accessible and wearable. What do you think?
YSL's 2008 holiday collection celebrated the designer's use of bows. From the press release:
“One should always be tempted to untie a woman’s clothes” – Yves Saint Laurent
A symbol of femininity and the love that Monsieur Yves Saint Laurent had for women, the bow — be it demure or sexy, a velvet loop or a satin tie — has woven its way through his collections. Here, gracefully placed at the small of the back. There, tied around the neck in a protective, airy gesture to veil a lovely décolleté in transparent chiffon. Or just there, on the hip to highlight the endless length of a leg.
For the 2008 year-end holidays, the BOW COLLECTION reinterprets the symbol and pays tribute to the Couturier. With a look created by Val Garland, the sparkling, mischievous eyes of Coco Rocha are hidden behind a thick fringe of hair and her laughing lips are defined with an intense, plumping lipstick.
While not as stellar as some of their past releases, I did enjoy the shiny gold compact with a matte bow on it:
With flash:
Too bad there was no pattern on the inside.
Let's see, does Yves Saint Laurent really make use of bows in his fashion? Indeed. In searching the runway shows at style.com, I don't think there was one season where bows didn't make at least one appearance. Here are a couple examples.
Some dresses:
(image from net-a-porter.com)
(image from style.com)
And bags:
(image from purseblog.com)
(image from bluefly.com)
And, of course, the iconic dress from 1983, which was the inspiration for the Esprit Couture palettes from fall 2007:
image from chicshoppingparis.blogspot.com
(image from kissandmakeup.tv)
Looking at those makes me think this holiday collection was pretty much recycling the bow theme, and not executing it nearly as well as the Esprit Couture palettes. Overall, pretty meh. It's been a long time since YSL has done a truly interesting palette – let's hope in 2012 they do something more creative.
I was a bit nervous about getting my hands on this, as apparently only 3,000 were produced, but I made it mine. (I am now skeptical that this is in such limited supply as it was fairly easy to get and is also not numbered). As part of the holiday 2011 collection Armani introduced the Madreperla (mother-of-pearl) Face and Eye Palette. Inspired by Armani's spring 2012 ready-to-wear show, this palette features a handmade, genuine mother-of-pearl outer case with the Armani logo centered in silver.
You can really see the prism-like iridescence towards the bottom from this angle:
With flash, so you can see the different ways the light reflects off the pearly surface:
Here's the interior:
With flash:
According to Women's Wear Daily, Armani stated about the show, “The idea…is taking all the colors from the pearl. Everything is a play on light; the shiny effect comes and goes.” Indeed, the palette for the clothes included whites and ivories, pale blue and lavender, and charcoal, all infused with an ethereal sheen evoking a "madreperla" surface.
(images from style.com)
While the use of mother-of-pearl as a vehicle for playing with light and reflections in a fashion and makeup context is pretty genious, I must say that it has been done before in interior design. Iconic designer Verner Panton had the extremely clever idea way back in the 60s to use mother-of-pearl discs as surroundings for a lamp. Here are the "Fun 1DM " series lights in our kitchen:
A little history behind his use of mother-of-pearl: "The raw material chosen was something as unusual as large sea shells, coated on the inside with motherof-pearl and which were available by the million in the Tropics. If these shells could be sold in Europe, it would give the economies of various developing countries a cash injection and perhaps form the foundation for a unique product. This is how the mother-of-pearl Fun series was born – and later the series was also produced in metal. A feature of both was the stunning interplay of light and sound produced by the lamps when just a slight breeze was blowing." It's true – a soft twinkly sound comes from the lights whenever there's a draft from our very old windows. (Side note: if you like the looks of these lights but don't want to shell out the money for them [pun fully intended] West Elm makes some good knockoffs.)
Anyway, getting back to the palette, it's also fitting that mother-of-pearl was utilized to house a product that illuminates one's features and highlight the areas where light hits most (cheekbones, browbones, etc.) Overall I think this was spot-on – it's a perfect extension of the spring 2012 fashion collection and it's elegant and unique to boot, as I don't think mother-of-pearl has ever been used on a contemporary palette. Armani's fascination with light effects doesn't end here, however: his entire spring 2012 makeup collection is devoted to light play and aptly named "Luce".
Chanel cooked up this lovely highlighter for their holiday collection. Apparently it was inspired by a Baroque-style belt worn by Coco Chanel. I have been unable to dig up some pictures of any kind of Baroque-looking Chanel belt. Nevertheless I'm enjoying the intricacies of the design.
With flash:
I find it a little strange that Chanel chose this theme for a 2011 collection – it probably would have been more appropriate to release it with their spring/summer 2010 "neon Baroque" show. The pattern on the palette is reminiscent of the designs from the collection.
Some dresses:
And lo and behold, a belt buckle:
(images from style.com)
While I understand the palette's design came from the Baroque-inspired accessories of Mademoiselle Coco, I couldn't help but think that it also reminded me of rock carvings. Ommorphia Beauty Bar pointed out that the palette looks similar to Mayan art, and I'm inclined to agree.
Overall I think this would have been a stronger item design-wise if Chanel had included a picture of the type of belt they were referencing. Once again, a piece of Chanel history inspired one of the company's makeup item, but it didn't delve deeply enough into it. Close but no cigar!
Following in the footsteps of previous fashion collaborations, including Alice + Olivia, Emmanuel Ungaro and Dsquared, this fall MAC teamed up with British designer Gareth Pugh to create a moody but wearable collection.
(image from makeupforlife.net)
(image from vogue.co.uk)
That particular promo image comes from a strange little video for the collection:
I'd say the packaging design is very much in keeping with Pugh's style – black, geometric, a little sci-fi and futuristic.
(image from emcblue.com)
Here's a close-up of the face powder:
(image from sugarsocial.wordpress.com)
Let's take a look at some Pugh's work, shall we? The square with 2 lines criss-crossing it to make triangles appeared in a number of his designs.
Spring 2007:
Fall 2008:
(images from style.com)
The motif is so simple but still manages to make a big statement, even when it's on a nail polish rather than enormous, alien-looking shoulder pads. I wasn't going to buy anything from this collection, but after seeing Pugh's work I think I might. His earlier creations, like the above images, are definitely more theatrical instead of practical. His more recent work is more wearable but still pretty out there and very unique. Once again a makeup company has introduced me to a designer I probably never would have discovered otherwise. 🙂
As you may have noticed, leopard print, while always a classic, is particularly huge this season (especially for accessories). So it's appropriate for Dior to have released this beautiful palette as part of their Mitzah Bricard collection, which pays homage to Dior's muse/creative consultant and her love of leopard print. The collection is available exclusively at Sephora in the U.S., having been released previously in other parts of the world. You can check out their blog post on it, but here is the background from Dior's website:
"Christian Dior admired his beloved muse, Mitzah Bricard, as much for her refined and distinguished taste as for her mysterious personality that inspired him throughout his career. Legend has it that Mitzah used to wear a panther print chiffon scarf at her wrist to hide a scar. Fascinated by her elegance, Mr Dior decided to include this magnificent Jungle motif in his collections from 1947 onwards. 'Madame Bricard is one of the rare people for whom elegance is their sole reason for living,' Christian Dior." Two things I find interesting: 1. is leopard print the same thing as panther? 2. the whole leopard/panther print that Dior included in his designs was based on this woman's way of concealing a scar. I wonder if he would have been as intrigued by this print otherwise.
Here is Mme Bricard. She is quite stylish, mais non?
(image from dior.com)
Now that we've covered the history behind the collection, let's get on to the most exquisite piece of it, the eye shadow palette.
With flash:
I'm not really sure how or why Dior is coming out with all these very inspired pieces, but I'm loving it! And I must admit this lovely palette in particular was one of the reasons I caved on some beautiful Christian Louboutin leopard-print pumps back in the summer (eek!) But why stop at shoes? In in honor of the current craze over leopard print, it's time to have an old-fashioned palette smackdown. It's gonna be a rumble in the jungle, Makeup Museum style!
Hopefully you remember the the Dolce and Gabbana Animalier bronzer released earlier this year. If not, here are some pics.
So looking at those vs. the Dior Mitzah palette, who wins the battle of the leopard print? Will the history and glamour behind Dior's offering, along with its bigger size, crush D & G? Or does the Animalier bronzer, with it modern spirit, sex appeal, and shimmer have the edge? Let me know in the comments!
I thought this was an odd choice for Armani, as I'm not sure if the brand is really known for using jacquard in their fashion. It certainly doesn't seem quite as iconic as, say, Chanel's use of tweed. However, I was pleased to see these palettes for their fall 2011 collection since their last few offerings have been a total snoozefest (I'm looking at you, ugly holiday 2010 compact).
I got one of the eye palettes (#2).
With flash:
Here's the description from Neiman Marcus: "Jacquard – intricately woven color. Light, transparency, density and color, woven together create the luxuriously sophisticated jacquard look for Fall 2011. The famous jacquard fabrics, made primarily of silk, were constructed in a variety of complex weaves juxtaposing light, color and texture in a highly sophisticated design. From textiles to cosmetics… Never before was Armani fabric artistry so close to makeup." That's all well and good, but why now? I set out to discover whether jacquard was featured prominently in Armani's fall 2011 fashion collection. As far as I can tell, it was not (although it is in Armani's ties.) But I did find that he constructed a metallic jacquard shorts suit for Gwyneth Paltrow for the Iron Man 2 premiere last year:
(image from style.popcrunch.com)
If you squint really closely at the computer screen, you can almost make out the jacquard pattern:
(image from my.opera.com)
So yes, it does seem that jacquard would be somewhat relevant to this makeup collection. Also, I think fall is the best time of year to present a fabric-inspired pattern. For summer you're looking for more lightweight fabrics that don't really have much of a texture (hmm, I do concede it would be cool if someone came out with a linen-patterned palette). For fall, you want to break out the tweed, corduroy, cable knits, etc. – anything with a heavier knit and texture. So jacquard may be fitting, shorts suit or not.
What's next for Armani? While last year's holiday palette was disappointing, this year's promises to be much better. You will most certainly see it in the ever-glitzy holiday exhibition here at the Museum. 🙂
