A few weeks ago I was browsing a farmacia in Rome, trying to determine if there were any good drugstore products I should bring back to the States, when I saw this display. I knew I had seen that image of a red-lipped woman wearing a blindfold before, but where?
Aha! It was at good old hprints.com, where I end up browsing vintage makeup ads for hours. I had assumed it was a long-gone brand since it's not sold in the U.S., but apparently Rouge Baiser is alive and well in other countries.
Rouge Baiser was launched in 1927 in Paris by a French chemist named Paul Baudecroux. Considered to be the first "kiss-proof" lipstick, the original formula was actually so indelible that it was banned from the marketplace, having been declared too difficult to remove. (I don't know who made that decision, but I'm guessing that if they were alive today, they would certainly ban glitter nail polish – talk about hard to remove.) I'm no cosmetic chemist, but here's some more technical information on the original formula if you're interested. According to this article, Baudecroux used "eosin dissolved in propylene glycol to make Rouge Baiser…a strong stain was produced with this lipstick as the eosin was in complete solution when it came in contact with the lips. Some said it was too strong! However, as other chemists also discovered, using propylene glycol was not without its problems. As well as having an unpalatable taste, propylene glycol is affected by changes in the atmosphere – losing water when the air was dry and picking it up when the air had a high humidity – with potential effects on the integrity of the lipstick."
While the original formula was modified, Rouge Baiser still marketed its product as being the no-smear, long-lasting answer to women's lipstick prayers. Several prominent illustrators worked on the ads, including André Edouard Marty:
But in 1949 famed fashion illustrator René Gruau created the iconic image of the blindfolded woman with red lips, which, as my Rome pharmacy photo attests, is still used today. You might remember Gruau from his work with Dior. I think there is a story here on how Gruau came up with the idea for this design, but I can't read French and once again, Google Translate makes no sense.
He came up with several equally chic variations for the brand as well.
(Now here's an odd coincidence: with the exception of Carl Erickson, all of the illustrators I've mentioned here lived quite long, well into their 80s and 90s. Perhaps working on ads for a long-lasting lipstick translated into lasting long themselves.)
Fast-forward to today: From I can piece together, Rouge Baiser is sold only in France and Italy. It was acquired in 1994 by the Deborah Group, an Italian company that dates back to 1903. To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the brand, in 2007 a series of lipsticks featuring Gruau's illustrations was released in France. Called "L'Authentique", the line consisted of reissued shades in a matte, long-lasting texture meant to mimic the original formula. Unsurprisingly, "L'Authentique" was the preferred lipstick of the ever stylish Audrey Hepburn in the '50s.
And now I am very sad since I realized I should have bought some. In looking at the photo I took more closely, you can see that the packaging with Gruau's illustrations was available (I guess it's permanent and not limited-edition). I was just so distracted by the image on the display itself I didn't even look at the products! For shame.
What do you think? For those of you living in the U.S., do you think we should start a campaign to bring it here or is it not worthy? I personally want it for the packaging alone!
RMK has borrowed a page from the playbooks of MAC, Smashbox and Addiction by bringing us a collaboration with NYC-based street artist/painter Bradley Theodore. Alas, the stand-out piece in the RMK Street Essence collection is only sold at Japanese department store Isetan, and they do not ship to the States so I'm totally out of luck in getting my hands on it. Nevertheless the collection is definitely worth posting about.
The super-exclusive palette features one of Theodore's signature portraits of a colorful, skeletal figure in profile. This particular one, appropriately enough, is shown applying lipstick. I'm still not sure who it's supposed to be. At first glance I thought it was simply a random woman, but as I read more about Theodore's work I realized it might actually be a fashion or art icon.
Now that we've looked at the collection, let's take a peek at Theodore's work. Weaving together fashion and art in large-scale murals throughout Manhattan, Theodore honors various icons in these fields by portraying them in a never-before-seen light. I don't think the skeletal representations are meant to signify death; rather, I believe he's trying to get to the essence of each person he paints by stripping them down to the bones, leaving only certain identifying features intact.
Theodore also creates some interesting pairings based on real or imagined relationships between his subjects. Take, for example, his mural of Anna Wintour and Lagerfeld. He explains how the idea came to him: “I’ve always wanted to paint Karl, people say bad or strange things about him, but for me and my friends we believe you can always judge a man by his parties. A friend invited me to one of his fashion week parties when I was living in Paris, the vibes in the room were amazing, people were dancing, having fun, all was smiles on their faces. Karl was just cool as hell in the middle of this Great Gatsby style party…New Yorkers don’t really care about wealthy persons, the fact is we all live together in this crazy city, and it’s almost impossible to have a close friendship with someone more than 3 years. Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld, for them, it’s been over 20 years, there's something to be said for that. One day, I ran out of paint and made a quick trip to the art store and Anna walked near to me and jumped in to a car…then I knew I had to paint them together. I wanted to paint their friendship and I let my mind go and just paint."
Especially fascinating is his portrayal of Frida Kahlo and Coco Chanel. "[The pairings] are all about the conversation, just imagining what would a real candid and uncensored dialogue between these icons consist of, if I were a fly on the wall," he says.
But why fashion and art as the main themes? For Theodore, as fashion enables one to take on a persona, it's essentially a form of performance art. "Fashion allows people to become art…it’s the only time in our society that’s truly accepted for you to be a form of art. The average person on the street is trying to convey an image. That image could be an identity, he or she could be building himself as a painting: it might be the most super-glossed up glam queen, or they could be portraying this stupendous image of Madonna.”
Getting back to the RMK collection, I'm still trying to figure out who the woman on the palette is supposed to be. Red hair, pink bow…is it someone totally obvious and I'm just oblivious?! My first thought was Lana Del Rey but she's not nearly on the level of Theodore's other subjects, i.e. I wouldn't consider her iconic either for her style or her music. If anyone has any theories or could provide solid info on who is represented I would appreciate it.
Anyway, I'm impressed at RMK's choice for this collaboration and I hope we see more of them with other artists in the future – although I do hope that RMK would make it available to those living in the States! I also have a hunch that the next time I'm in NYC I'm going to have to take a little Bradley Theodore tour as I wander about. 🙂
What do you think of the collection and of Bradley Theodore's work?
I was intrigued not only because the museum currently lacks anything from this historic brand in its collection, but also because I wanted to see whether the patterns on the products matched the artist's work. Japanese artist Kaori Miyayama was selected by Pola to create the Nocturnal fall collection. After some sleuthing to see if her designs made it onto the products, I chose one blush and the eye shadow palette.
The design comes from one her works in a series entitled TheRoots of Heaven. I find this to be appropriately named given the tall spindly branches entwined with fluffy clouds stretching upwards. The pattern extends to the very edges of the fabric, alluding to a seemingly indefinite continuation past the sky. It's earthy and ethereal at the same time.
I especially like it installed in multiples in this Italian church. With this light, see-through fabric, there's an airiness in this installation that's more apparent than it would be hanging on a wall in a gallery. And their incredible height and verticality better emphasize the idea of ascension into a heavenly realm.
Now for the eye shadow palette. The box in and of itself is so pretty.
I have to say the patterns on the outside of the case as well as the ones on the shadows themselves stumped me. I looked at them every which way and while they vaguely resemble one of the pieces from The Roots of Heaven, I don't think there are exact duplicates.
I thought perhaps the pattern on the outer case came from this piece, #2 in The The Roots of Heaven series.
Upon closer inspection, however, I think it came from #1, shown here (first one on the left). However, there was no closeup of that one at Miyayama's website so I can't be certain.
I can't give a detailed explanation of her work – little information was available online – but I will say I like it. It's organic in that it references nature but also has a spiritual, otherworldly aspect that I find quite peaceful and contemplative, especially in the colossal fabric hangings. I could see myself in a state of tranquility after gazing up at them for an extended period of time (similar to how I get when looking at Rothko). Anyway, I'm always pleased to see a company team up with artists who may not get much mainstream exposure, a highly effective strategy Pola borrowed from the master of artist collaborations, Shu Uemura.
This year they added a carousel design, which was very cute (although I still think Paul & Joe's Carousel collection from spring 2013 has the lock on that).
My favorite though was the pretzel. I think this is the first time I've seen a pretzel on makeup. In fact, it's rare to see a savory treat on beauty products. Most of the time it's desserts.
If Essence were available in the States I would snatch these up. I just love the novelty of having a blush or eye shadow with pretzels on it. Maybe next year Essence will have a frosty beer mug embossed on their Oktoberfest collection. Ha!
(Note: I want to preface this post by saying that my references are a bit uneven – sometimes I include links, sometimes footnotes. This is due to the enormous amount of information on the artist. My inability to include everything on him and highlight only the sources I was able to access and that I thought were relevant has led to the need to use several forms of citation. I hope that since this is a blog post and not a formal academic paper I will not be under much scrutiny.)
The works of Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) have been garnering much attention in the art world recently. The Gagosian Gallery saw record attendance for their Basquiat show earlier this year, while one of his paintings fetched $48 million at a Christie's auction in May. There's even a Broadway musical about him in production. This rekindled interest may be part and parcel of a larger cultural trend: a revisiting of Manhattan's grittiness in the late 70s and early 80s and the burgeoning underground movements therein. Punk's fashion roots were examined by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Chaos to Couture exhibition and proved to be significant inspiration for many designers' fall 2013 collections. Graffiti is also having a moment: in addition to the Basquiat collection, MAC has teamed up with contemporary graffiti artist Indie 184, while Smashbox collaborated with Curtis Kulig for their spring 2013 collection. Basquiat both represented and helped defined that era in New York City when punk, hip-hop and graffiti were blossoming.
Fittingly, for their summer 2013 collection Japanese department store brand Addiction released several palettes featuring three of Basquiat's paintings. While the website doesn't fully explain how the collaboration came about or what spurred the brand's founder to pursue it, it is right on trend.
Basquiat, born to a Haitian-American father and Puerto Rican-American mother in Brooklyn, moved away from home at the age of 15. At 17 he was tagging buildings under the name SAMO, an abbreviated version of "same old shit". Soon after he shifted his method to paint on canvas while still retaining some of his urban style. By the time he was 21, his work was one of the most highly sought-after both domestically and internationally. (Read an excellent bio here.)
As for this collaboration, I managed to pick up two of the three limited-edition palettes: Mudd Club and Black or White.
Mudd Club, named after the club Basquiat frequented in his late teens and early 20s with his band The Grays, has for its outer casing the design Basquiat produced for his only musical recording entitled Beat Bop. A reference to his lifelong love of jazz, the album cover displays many of Basquiat's signature motifs: a crown, text (some of which is crossed out), and bones. LACMA's Curator of Contemporary Art Franklin Sirmans describes the cover and song: "…[I]t was the subject of bebop that found reasonance most
particularly in paintings like Trumpet, Max Roach, Now's the Time, and Horn Players…focusing on the bebop generation of artist, also a
subject Basquiat and Fab [Five Freddy] tangled on, these paintings give visuality
to the aural invention of the master jazz players. Not coincidentally,
Basquiat named his one musical recording 'Beat Bop'…[it's] a
nightmarish conversation piece, spat, chanted and incanted by Rammellzee…over the dense and often nasal rhymes is a deep, moody,
industrial soundscape of brooding rhythms and disjointed melodies. It
is a New York City filled with poverty, violence, and apathy across
class lines. Yet…the song bears witness to the rumblings,
underground, of a creative flowering the likes of which New York City
may never see again."1 You can listen to the track here.
"I cross out words so you will see them more; the fact that they are
obscured makes you want to read them."2 – Basquiat
I will discuss Basquiat's crown symbol later, but for now I want to focus on his use of words in his paintings. He was, in short, a master at combining text and images. Since I can't do it justice I will leave it to National Gallery of Canada Director and CEO Marc Mayer to illuminate Basquiat's genius at this. "In purely plastic terms, Basquiat integrated text into his pictorial
project more successfully than any other artist of his generation,
perhaps because of the harmonious affinity of written and drawn marks
produced by a single hand…they recall the scat singing of his beloved
jazz, except in recognizable words (and paint). And yet they announce
themselves to be, and even feel like, real information. Quite a few of
Basquiat's paintings and a great many of his drawings are thick with
words that appear related to each other logically, but that never choose
to progress beyond the state of raw expression and teasing suggestion."3
The bones on the right are repeated throughout many of Basquiat's work, stemming from the copy of Gray's Anatomy he received as a child while he recovered from a car accident (his aforementioned band is also named for this tome). Some scholars see the bones as a preoccupation with death; others view them as a reference to the Maasai peoples' use of bones in their art.
Let's move on to the Black or White palette, which has Basquiat's 1982 work Sugar Ray Robinson as its design.
I was a little confused by both the subject and the title, until I read this: "Basquiat's production in the mid-1980 displays a pronounced
emergence of Pop icons, reminiscent of the early 1960s work of Roy
Lichtenstein, Larry Rivers, and Andy Warhol – all of whom featured comic
book heroes, cartoon characters, popular celebrities, and references to
art history, anatomy, and money in their paintings. Basquiat primarily
emphasized the symbols of childhood and juvenile popular culture, and
his works contain hundreds of words derived from comics, cartoon
characters, advertisements, junk food, and joke tricks."4 Thus, the cartoonish dinosaur coupled with a title that refers to perhaps the fundamental symbol of childhood – a pocket-sized candy dispenser in the shape of comic book heroes, cartoon characters or other child-friendly figures – point to the artist's fascination with these attributes.
All three of the works chosen for the palettes incorporate Basquiat's signature crown. While used repeatedly in his works, this motif doesn't take on the same meaning in each – there are many different interpretations based on what else is going on in the painting. The most common explanations are that Basquiat used the crown to identify his heroes, which makes sense when viewing the works that pay homage to Sugar Ray and other famous black figures5, or that he is crowning himself as king given the crown's visual similarity to the dreadlocks he often wore gathered on the top of his head. Perhaps the most compelling theory is that the crown suggests a sort of supremacy over the earthly realm. "The preponderance of halo
or crown-like imagery in Basquiat’s oeuvre asserts a spiritual aspect to
the work, but the specific meaning of this symbolism thus far remains
largely unexplained. It should be kept in mind that his use of such
symbolism changed over time. By 1982, Basquiat had more or less replaced
the halo with a personalized, even trademark, image of a three-pointed
crown. The crown often accompanied a figure but occasionally appeared on
its own throughout the remainder of the artist’s career. The intent
behind this symbol is revealed in the 1982 silkscreen on canvas called Tuxedo, in which a crown is the culminating image atop tiers
of texts and images alluding to diverse political, historical, social,
and cultural events. The crown hovering over manifestations of the
temporal/phenomenal world signifies a 'going beyond,' or transcendence,
as suggested by the numerous ladders and arrows leading up to it." (source).
My final thoughts: While I do wish there was a little more background provided at Addiction's website about the collaboration, I'm really impressed with this collection since the three works chosen are a good representation of Basquiat's work as a whole. I also think that the choice of artist was excellent – not obscure but not as well-known as, say, Monet. As with the NARS Andy Warhol collection, I wonder what Basquiat would have thought of his images appearing on cosmetics. I find it unnerving and sad, however, that given the artist's untimely death at the age of 27 from a heroin overdose, one of his few posthumous retail collaborations is with a company named Addiction. I had such a hard time naming this post – "Basquiat for Addiction" seemed to be in very poor taste!
What do you think? Are you familiar with Basquiat and if so, did you like the pieces chosen for the collection?
References
1Franklin Sirmans, "In the Cipher: Basquiat and Hip-Hop Culture," in Basquiat, ed. Marc Mayer (New York: Merrell, 2010), 100.
3 Marc Mayer, ed., Basquiat, (New York: Merrell, 2010), 54. For more on Basquiat's use of text, see the essay "Word
Hunger: Basquiat and Leonardo" by Jeffrey Hoffeld in Basquiat, ed. Rudy Chiappini (Milan: Skira, 2005), 87-103.
4 Richard Marshall, "Jean Michel Basquiat:
Speaking in Tongues," Basquiat, ed. Rudy Chiapipni (Milan: Skira, 2005), 60. For a firsthand account of collab with Warhol, see "Jean-Michel
Basquiat, Francesco Clemente and Andy Warhol: Collaborations" by Bruno
Bischofberger in the same book. For a discussion of Pez Dispenser, see this article.
5 "Basquiat's canon revolves around single heroic figures: athletes,
prophets, warriors, cops, musicians, kings, and the artist himself. In
these images the head is often a central focus, topped by crowns, hats,
and halos. In this way the intellect is emphasized, lifted up to
notice, privileged over the body and physicality that these figures –
black men – commonly represent in the world. With this action the
artist reveals creativity, genius, and spiritual power." Kellie Jones, "Lost in Translation: Jean-Michel in the (Re)Mix," Basquiat, ed. Marc Mayer (New York: Merrell, 2010), 171.
Whew! It was a lot of work, but I'm finally ready to share the Museum's latest special exhibition!
"Sweet Tooth: Confections in Cosmetics and Beauty" examines makeup and other beauty products that are inspired by sweet edibles. From candy to chocolates to pastries, these objects convey the charm of beautifully made desserts as well as the sheer bliss a sugar rush can bring.
The idea of using sweets and dessert fare to sell cosmetics is nothing new, dating back to at least the mid-20th century. In 1940 Elizabeth Arden released a candy-cane decorated collection that was "as gay as the circus!"
Twenty years later, Revlon introduced Berry Bon Bon, a shade that "lifts red to a new boiling point [and] dips it in sugar." In 1972 Yardley expanded on their line of flavored lipsticks, this time including dessert flavors like Snappy Cinnamon Stick and Pink Fluffy Marshmallow.
A year later, drugstore brand Bonne Bell rolled out their "Lip Smackers" lip balms in a variety of dessert-based flavors, which are still best-sellers today. More contemporary examples include Prada's Candy fragrance, Estée Lauder's 2008 Chocolate Decadence collection, MAC's Sweetie Cake and Sugarsweet collections (from 2006 and 2009, respectively) and Bobbi Brown's 2006 Chocolate collection, for which the company collaborated with gourmet chocolate brand Vosges to create a limited-edition chocolate bar. And let's not forget high-end-turned-Walmart brand Hard Candy.
The trend doesn't seem to be fading any time soon. Philosophy continues to produce sweet scents in their bath and body products, their latest concoctions being Pink Jelly Bean and Raspberry Passionfruit Dreamsicle. MAC will be releasing another sweets-themed collection, Baking Beauties, in April, and Catrice is coming out with a collection called Candy Shock this summer.
In addition to celebrating delectable packaging, the Sweet Tooth exhibition seeks to provide a cursory analysis of the popularity of dessert-like beauty products. Why are beauty items reminiscent of sweets, either in scent or packaging (or both) have such longevity in beauty culture?
There are several reasons. First, cosmetic companies acquiesce to basic gender stereotypes. Baking and decorating are traditionally women's domains. In addition, there's the common (but not necessarily factual) presumption that all women have a raging sweet tooth. It's widely believed that women crave sweets much more than men; they have voracious appetites for all types of sugar-filled treats, especially chocolate. Cosmetic companies employ these stereotypes as marketing tactics, as women are the primary buyers of makeup.
Secondly, dessert-like makeup serves as a substitute for a real, edible dessert, but still retains the sense of indulgence and luxury that comes from nibbling on sweets. Encouraging consumers to give in to temptation is a key theme. Estée Lauder challenges one to "tempt your color palette": "From Berry Chocolate Truffles and Caramel
Pralines to swirls of marbled fondant dusted with golden spun sugar,
Estée Lauder has captured the essence of a luxurious chocolate boutique
filled with rich chocolate works of art." LORAC's Eye Candy Full Face collection claims to "satisfy your beauty cravings" with their "deluxe
assortment of sweet, tempting treats contains a luxurious selection of
fresh colors for eyes, cheeks, and lips that you simply can’t resist". (Sometimes the idea of indulging in makeup instead of sweets isn't so innocuous, as some ads present the dessert-like items as weight loss aids – always a bad strategy. "Indulge your taste for sweets
with Berry Bon Bon…you won't gain a thing but admirers!" says the commercial for Revlon's Berry Bon Bon. The commercial aired in 1960, and while cosmetic marketing has greatly shifted since then, this line of thinking unfortunately persists today. A 2012 Marie Claire blog post on Mor Lip Macarons states that with these scented lip balms, one doesn't "have to book a flight or consume a single
calorie to get the same aesthetic satisfaction" as downing real
macarons.)
At times, the advertising for sweets-based collections goes a step further, literally transforming desserts into makeup. "Ice the eyes in almond, top your nails with sprinkles," says the copy for MAC's Sweetie Cake collection. Korean brand Etude House's recent Sweet Recipe collection depicts women turning the treats they've just made into blush and lipsticks.
The idea of luscious, freshly-made desserts as bases for an alchemical process that results in makeup further blurs the line between cosmetics and comestibles – they become interchangeable treats. This dual nature is alluring for consumers because they feel as though they're receiving twice the gratification. Purchasing only regular makeup or sweets is enjoyable, but buying makeup that also resembles dessert creates the impression that you're getting two for the price of one.
Finally, the last reason dessert-like makeup prevails is simple: color. As we saw with fruit-themed cosmetics, sweets are an excellent
source of color inspiration – seemingly all shades, from deep chocolate
hues to macaron pastels, can be expressed well in a sweets-themed makeup
collection.
Now for the exhibition! Grab your sweet of choice and enjoy. 🙂
I believe this is the first time in the Museum's history that I have incorrectly labeled an object. The palette in the back that's closed (fortunately) is actually the Raspberry Mocha palette, not Mint and Vanilla.
The
bottom tier contains Majolica Majorca Puff de Cheek blushes in
Raspberry Macaron and Apricot Macaron, along with Etude House Cupcake
Eyes and All Over Colors.
Etude House Ice Cream nail polishes:
The collage consists of the following ads: Jo Malone Sugar and Spice collection, Shiseido Candy Tone lipsticks, Jill Stuart Patisserie collection, Clinique Chubby Sticks (one for lips and one for eyes), Shu Chocolate Donna, MAC Sugarsweet, Bobbi Brown Chocolate, Bourjois Paris Sucré, and Estée Lauder Chocolate Decadence collections.
Exhibition Notes
1. Inspiration
As a huge dessert fan myself (I guess I fit the stereotype!), I'm immediately drawn to any makeup or beauty item that looks or smells like I could eat it. But while the objects themselves were definitely inspiring, a French influence was strong as well. As MAC's Sugarsweet ad says, "Temptation is everywhere – luscious, whipped-cream decadent, deliciously
decorative frosting colours and sugared almond combinations. Like
peering through the window of a Parisian patisserie, you’ll want to
become one of each!" It's true – when I went to Paris a few years back I was dumbfounded at the abundance and quality of the desserts. There were patisseries on literally every street, and when I had my first Laduree macaron on that trip, I realized the French really knew what they were doing when it comes to sweets. Sure, I had heard of pain au chocolat and macarons before I visited, but didn't know just how amazing they were until I got there. So I wanted the exhibition to have a slightly French mood as an homage to their desserts. Also, the "I Want Candy" scene from Sofia Coppola's 2006 film Marie Antoinette has stayed fresh in my mind all these years, and I wanted to highlight the luxury and extravagance of both gourmet desserts and high-end makeup. In terms of styling the actual table,well, I blame Pinterest. I never really paid too much attention to party planning and design until I started planning my wedding a few years ago, and I just fell in love with all of the little details. My aforementioned affinity for sweets, combined with my more recent interest in party planning, led to an obsession with dessert tables. And once I got on Pinterest there was no turning back. Given the theme, this exhibition was a great opportunity to depart from the Museum's usual shelves and play with dessert table styling.
Marie Antoinette-era stylings also were the inspiration for the colors I wanted to emphasize (mint green and pale pink), but this time, it was Marie Antoinette by way of contemporary Chanel. While researching Chanel's 2013 Cruise collection for the Mouche de Beaute Highlighting Powder, I was struck by the candy-colored wigs the models were sporting for the runway show.
I also thought touches of silver (as seen in the cupcake stand, sugar bowl and candy dish) would give it a fancy, gourmet feel.
2. Time frame
I had the idea to do a dessert/makeup exhibition since last summer. Once I saw Shu's Chocolate Donna collection and the LORAC Eye Candy and Too-Faced Love Sweet Love sets late last fall, I knew I had plenty of fodder to pull together a good exhibition. I did want to have it posted right before Valentine's Day, but then I stumbled across the Etude House Sweet Recipe collection and decided to postpone it, as I considered those to be essential pieces for the exhibition and it would take a few weeks for them to arrive from Korea.
3. Things I would have done differently.
I'll start with the details. First, it would have been great if I had access to really fancy cupcakes and pastries like these:
But no bakeries around here do anything like that and I lack the necessary decorating skill, so homemade cupcakes it was. For the labels, I would have printed them out on white paper instead of pink so that it didn't clash with the tablecloth. I forgot to specify to the designer (a.k.a. the husband) that I wanted white paper before he printed them out on pink. With not much time left to photograph everything before what little daylight we had faded away, there was no time to reprint them on white paper. And the tablecloth…I wasn't expecting how wrinkled it was going to be when I unfolded it, so I didn't unfold it until right before I started installing the exhibition. Only too late did I realize that it was totally rumpled and had no time to iron it.
On a bigger scale, space is always an issue. Not necessarily a lack of space, but since the exhibitions are taking place in my home I am somewhat limited by the layout. The collage hanging in the back was really just a way to cover up the TV. The credenza that the exhibition was set up on is way too heavy to be moved conveniently, and there was also no place to move it without some of the artwork on the walls getting in the way anyway. So we had to leave that there. Same issue with the TV – too cumbersome to take off the wall, and too time-consuming to Photoshop out all the holes in the wall where the wires go in behind the TV. Overall, it was much more convenient and less expensive to make a collage out of ads rather than moving the TV or having a big poster designed and printed. However, I can assure you that if the Museum did occupy a real, public space and had unlimited funds, the backdrop for the table would be magnificent.
Speaking of funding, I would dearly love to re-stage the exhibition, possibly in a different space (don't know where) and hire a professional photographer. While the pictures are slightly improved from previous exhibitions due to my purchase of a new camera, they are nowhere near professional and thus do not capture the beauty of the objects and table setup.
I would have done more research and written a more thoughtful and polished essay about sweets-themed makeup and the relationship between women, dessert and cosmetics (would love to work in Janine Antoni's 1992 work Gnaw somehow). For a temporary exhibition I just couldn't put in the time, but maybe for the coffee table book I could do this, especially if I re-do the exhibition and have it professionally photographed.
In terms of curation, I was pleased with all of the objects. The only things I would have added would be the Creme Caramel Shimmer Powder and Caramel Swirl lip gloss from the Estée Lauder Chocolate Decadence collection, Steamcream's "Lola" tin, which is adorned with a cupcake illustration, and these gorgeous cupcake-shaped "bath bakes" from Miss Patisserie. I was going to order all of this and put the exhibition off even further, but then I decided it was probably going to be too much to fit on the table. Plus having too many objects negates the whole idea of curating – each piece in an exhibition is selected for a good reason.
If you've made it this far, thank you! And if you want to see more on the exhibition, check out my post on what went on behind the scenes and pictures from the exhibition opening. 😉
The Curator's little heart is breaking once again over international items she cannot purchase! I spotted this truly gorgeous compact a while ago but was frustrated to learn that you can only buy it in Japan. Like the Cosme Decorte Marcel Wanders compact, it must be pre-ordered from a department store.
Kanebo releases one of these compacts every year for the holidays. They form part of the company's annual Milano collection, featuring a unique theme for each year and, as you can see, extremely ornate designs.
I love that the picture on the outside of the compact is imprinted onto the powder. The exterior is amazing enough, but then there's the added bonus of the powder.
Kanebo's website lists all of the compacts they've released since 1991 (except, oddly enough, 1994 and 1995). Naturally I pored over all of them and cursed the powers that be for not allowing me to collect them all! Google provided me with rough translations so I was able to see the theme of each compact.
In studying them I sensed a strong neoclassical influence. Between the themes being represented by female figures and the designs themselves, these look straight out of a movement in European art in the late 18th and early 19th centuries known as Neoclassicism.
Take, for example, the Goddess of Glitter and Goddess of Glory.
The use of allegorical figures and the draping and poses of the figures are reminiscent of works from the Neoclassical period. Compare the compacts to the following images from that movement, including Ingres's Hope:
The billowy draping of these figures' robes (which are based on classic antiquity), the sense that they are floating in air amongst clouds and the sun's rays, and the use of allegory – all hallmarks of Neoclassicism – are also found in the Milano compacts.
Some of the compacts depict more literal allegories, like this compact from 1993 showing the goddess of beauty.
While it's not a neoclassical work, the reference for the design on the compact is clearly Botticelli's Birth of Venus.Update, January 2023: No, it's not Botticelli at all! Upon closer inspection, the 1993 edition looks to be inspired by several 17th and 18th century works, most notably Simon Vouet's The Triumph of Amphitrite, Michele Rocca's The Triumph of Venus, and Paolo Matteis's The Triumph of Galatea.
My only issue with these compacts is that the designs tend to be somewhat repetitive. The ones from 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007 all more or less have the same motif – a goddess reaching for or gesturing to a shiny orb radiating light.
More recently,Kanebo has shifted away from the goddesses and turned towards using angels or putti.
These are also a little repetitive theme-wise – the one for 2010 is called Angel of Blessing, while the most recent compact is called Angel Blessings (although this could be a function of Google translate not working so well!)
So while some of the designs and themes repeat a bit, I still want all of these compacts. The elaborate, expensive-looking motifs surrounding the main design in the center and the fact that one compact is issued for each year make them are ideal collector's pieces, and I enjoy the neoclassical air about them.
Which one is your favorite?
As with Stila's various Travel Palettes and Cargo's eye shadows, not to mention countless other collections dedicated to invididual cities, Catrice's fall 2012 collection, Big City Life, pays homage to three major metropolises (metropoli?): Paris, Shanghai and San Francisco. I found the sketches of the cities on each to be quite lovely – a blend between photographic and illustrative styles.
Each city has its own eye and cheek palette, along with a matching nail polish.
San Francisco:
Shanghai:
Interestingly, Catrice put out a collection last year with the same title, which included New York, Berlin, Sydney and London.
(images from catrice.eu)
Cities have captured the imagination of artists for hundreds of years. Makeup makes a perfect vehicle for representing urban spaces as well – not just in the packaging design but in the colors selected. Starting in the late 19th century, cities were perceived not just as the locus of commerce and work, but as centers of style, culture, sophistication and excitement. It's a notion that prevails today, as we see in the ad copy for both the 2012 and 2011 collections.
"Always with a finger on the pulse of
the times. The big cities Paris, San Francisco and Shanghai are sure to
captivate you – they set trends as the fashion on their streets offers
the inspiration for new looks on the international catwalks around the
world. CATRICE has captured this big city flair in unique make-up palettes to go with each city’s chic style – the Limited Edition 'Big City Life' by CATRICE reflects the most exciting facets of these vibrant metropoles."
"Sydney, Berlin, London, New York – each
metropolis stands out for its own personal charm and style. Trends are
born on the streets of these fabulous cities! This passion for life has
been interpreted four times – and captured in the most breathtaking
make-up palettes of the season: the Limited Edition “Big City Life” by CATRICE gives every city its own look. So when the big city calls, we can experience it and capture its style from October to November 2011…The Ultimate Nail Lacquer, which is
available separately, offers great coverage, durability and irresistible
shine as well as eye-catching color – the pulse of each city. And
thanks to the extra-broad brush, smooth application without streaks is
even possible during a taxi ride to exciting places!"
Marketing people aren't dumb – city-themed makeup collections, especially ones that contains items dedicated to particular cities, will always appeal to consumers no matter where they live. By infusing a makeup item with a certain city's vibe, whether through illustrations of the city itself or through the shades chosen, people using the makeup will feel as though they've actually experienced the city in some small way. They become, just for a short while, one of the inhabitants. That's incredibly powerful for those of us who don't travel much or who fantasize about being a trendsetting big-city dweller. And for those customers already living in a big town, a cosmetics collection devoted to it is tempting simply because of the familiarity (sort of like how I enjoy watching The Wire despite the downright depressing content – it's interesting to recognize various landmarks).
But perhaps the best part of city-themed collections is that they make excellent fodder for future museum exhibitions. Ones for Paris and NYC are in the works. 😉
(Thanks to Rouge Deluxe for the heads up on this collection.)
I'm more of an Anglophile than a Francophile, but I do still like anything reminiscent of Paris and the incredibly fashionable women who inhabit the city. Fancl's French Chic collection for fall 2012 consists of two palettes featuring beautiful gold sketches of the City of Light imprinted onto the makeup. While I'm not sure whether these totally capture the "je ne sais quoi" allure that French women seem to have, they're nice to look at regardless.
(images from imomoko.com)
I can't quite make out the buildings, but perhaps if I order them for use in a Paris-themed exhibition I will be able to. 😉
Once I saw this Elegance palette at A Touch of Blusher I knew I had to have it for a Halloween post. While I didn't receive it in time to include in the fall exhibition, it will make it in next year.
It's available in other shades (no. 27, which features beige, rose and green shades) – this is no. 26.
