I'll get to the fall exhibition in a hot second, but first I thought I'd kick off this week with the beautiful Guo Pei/MAC collaboration. I had been salivating over this collection since we got a sneak peek back in May and was very pleased I was able to get my hands on it since I was so afraid of it selling out. Like most people, I hadn't heard of Chinese couturier Guo Pei until Rihanna wore one of her dresses to the Met Gala earlier this year (which was, incidentally, when the MAC collaboration was announced).
But Guo Pei has been designing elaborate, painstakingly detailed couture gowns for over 15 years and is well-known in her home country, outfitting every A-list Chinese star as well as the ceremony dresses for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And when I say "elaborate" I mean it. Some of her creations can take up to 50,000 hours to construct and require assistance on the runway due to their weight. (The dress Rihanna wore weighed in a relatively manageable 55lbs). But why make such ornate pieces? The designer says, "The impression China gives to the world today is a rapidly developing economy, cheap labor, and fast production. But China has 5,000 years of history and is very diverse…I don't do this for profit. It is my responsibility to let the world know China’s tradition and past, and to give the splendor of China a new expression. I hope that people do know China in this way." While literally years of work go into her clothing, Guo Pei shuns the usual Chinese perspective of luxury, aiming to create pieces for her customers that they will love for years to come rather than appealing to those who simply want to flaunt the label. "I don't like the concept of luxury. In China, luxuries are seen as things you don’t really need and it conveys a negative feeling. In my opinion, luxury is products that are beautiful, elegant, and represent the culture. It’s born of love. Luxurious products should have an ability to grasp peoples’ hearts, and it is love that makes those products survive. I hope that people are buying my dresses because they love them and not because they want to show off."
Some of my favorites from 2012 and 2013. I love how skillfully she blends traditional Chinese motifs with avant-garde silhouettes.
As with some of MAC's other designer collaborations (such as Toledo), the collection came about as a result of MAC creating the makeup looks for Guo Pei's runway shows. "MAC has been doing the backstage for every one of my fashion shows," she told Refinery29. "In China, we pay attention to feelings — when you've got common feelings with somebody and there's something between you. With MAC, it was a happy collaboration."
What I liked about this collection is not only the gorgeous, unique pattern – it was sketched by the designer herself specifically for MAC – but that it also had a distinct theme. "The theme of the story is about happiness and the soul garden…the soul garden is full of fresh flowers, and it's up to you to tend to it and take care of that private space. A lot of people are very negative about life, and they don't pay that much attention to their inner soul garden."
I so wish I could have purchased the Night Sky quad, but it was the one piece that I wasn't fast enough for despite camping out in front of my computer and refreshing the MAC website every two seconds for the collection to appear. The reason I wanted that quad instead of this one is the significance of blue for Guo Pei in this collection. "In the garden of van Gogh near Paris, I saw the blue flowers. This flower, to me, is what's in my inner garden. They're the flowers of happiness…I don't like being with the seasons and [paying attention] to what's trendy or not trendy — I don't want to be constrained by the time frame. To me, blue is a color I like and the color of the soul. I think a touch of blue in the eyes is a smart color." She also told New York Magazine's The Cut, "The choice of the colors gives me a sense of power. I was inspired by the colors of the universe. Blue is a very important color because it is a color of the soul. It’s also the base color of the universe and our world. I chose pink and coral for the lip colors because I think they are colors of happiness. I want to affect the people around me with happiness."
Not only did she sketch the pattern herself, Guo Pei also made 8 dresses (!) as a sort of springboard for the collection's inspiration. She explains, "There is a Chinese saying, 'There is a kingdom in a flower; a wisdom in a leaf.' I always find the power of nature fascinating, especially when the flowers are blossoming. The idea inspired the creative process of the dresses for MAC. I finished my preliminary sketch in my study on one quiet afternoon without a break. However, while the drawings were beautiful, they lacked completeness. Then one day, my daughter showed me a set of extraordinarily beautiful pictures of the Milky Way. The intoxicating colors of the universe sparked a power of life in my soul… I captured the energy and created eight dresses for MAC – 'Garden of Soul.' Based upon the eight dresses, we developed this beautiful makeup collection." I was able to gather images of the sketches and dresses, which were revealed at a very fancy dinner on May 5, the day after the Met Gala.
The colors in both the dresses and the models' makeup are definitely well-represented in the MAC collection, while the heavy use of gold in each dress corresponds to the MAC packaging. I also really like that actual fabric was used in the packaging – being able to manipulate fabric in unusual ways is an essential skill for haute couture, so I liked the nod to fabric's importance in Guo Pei's work. Overall I think this is one of the prettiest collections MAC has done in the past few years, and unlike some designer collabs (ahem, Philip Treacy), the designer's work is reflected quite nicely.
What do you think of this collection and of Guo Pei's work?
For their latest fashion collaboration MAC teamed up with British milliner Philip Treacy to create a small collection based on the designer's renowned hats, a natural choice as MAC has worked with Treacy for over 20 years on his runway shows. The collection is divided into three parts to reflect the three chosen designs, with each one focused on a different part of the face (lips, eyes and cheeks): "A kind of futuristic Hollywood, one is all about color and the other is a kind of Gothic, modern future," Treacy notes.
This feathery number inspired the bright lipsticks in red and pink, while the black lace one served as a muse for the bold blue eye liners.
I think the most interesting one is this silvery arched hat, which I'm assuming is the "futuristic Hollywood" Treacy mentioned. He explains, "It comes from an image of Greta Garbo in a movie called Mata Hari, so I just ordered it to be made up a bit more 21st-century."
And let's not forget Lady Gaga. I believe she is the only pop star who can truly pull off his creations. Seriously, is this not a fashion-music match made in heaven?
Just for fun I decided to take a peek at Treacy's spring 2015 collection. These were my favorites – I imagine putting one of these on would be like wearing a garden on your head.
Getting back to the MAC collection, Treacy says the colors are a direct representation of his aesthetic. He also recognizes the joy a shiny new makeup bauble can bring. "It’s what Phillip Treacy make-up could look like – it’s about color, exuberance and beauty…you can transform yourself with beautiful make-up. It is an enhancer; people buy a lipstick to cheer themselves up. It’s about having fun with what you’ve got."
While I do think this was a well-edited and thought-out collection in terms of colors, I would have liked to see more design-wise. There was a huge opportunity here to recreate some of Treacy's designs in powder form, and I feel it was squandered. The highlight powder is nice but it doesn't necessarily scream "couture millinery" – unless you saw the accompanying promo image, it looks like just another pattern. And while I don't think copying a design exactly as it appears in fashion is always the solution, I think it would have been ideal in this case. (See Dior's Lady Dior palette as a good example of a literal representation of one of their most iconic pieces.) So I was a little let down by this collection, as I don't think it fully captured the range of Treacy's work from a design perspective.
I must say that upon first glance this collection didn't do much for me, or at least the packaging didn't. Then I started reading up on the fashion super duo behind MAC's latest collaboration and was so impressed with their work I had no choice but to purchase several pieces. Husband and wife team Ruben and Isabel Toledo are a force to be reckoned with and frankly I'm ashamed that I didn't know who they were until now.
Both Cuban-born, Isabel is a clothing designer while Ruben works as a fashion illustrator, producing delightful drawings not only for his wife's work but for a plethora of other projects. While I admire their work (I'll get to that in a sec) it was their long-term romance and partnership that made me connect to them, which you can read about here and here. As for the MAC collection, both were very excited for the opportunity, explaining that they had worked with the brand on other projects for several decades. "We were thrilled when M∙A∙C approached us to work on a collection together; it was a dream-come-true. We share a long history of 30 years with M∙A∙C, collaborating on many of the same charity projects. The opportunity to create objects of art and desire came together like a family affair, especially since M∙A∙C works brilliantly with artists and they have a global following of fans. James Gager [M·A·C creative director] and Jennifer Balbier [M·A·C VP of product development] gave us complete creative freedom and helped bring our vision to life."
I chose what I thought were the most iconic pieces in the collection. The illustrations on the packaging, of course, are Ruben's portraits of Isabel with her signature red lips. He says, "When creating the different illustrations for the collection I was inspired by the fluidity of the lines and the spur-of-the-moment feel of it. If I'm doing a portrait I start with the eyes. If the eyes don't speak to me, then I just start over again. I need to capture that one thing in the eyes where the mystery and the soul are. I love painting, the drawing of the lines and the graphics of it all. It is my passion on paper." Isabel is always his primary muse, however: “It’s the face I draw again and again and always. It’s just in the flow of my hand, Isabel’s face.” Awwww!!
As for the shades themselves, they might seem rather discordant, with no connection to each other at all. However, the variances express Isabel's early experimentation with color and also serve as a nod to her party nights at Studio 54. She says, "I love poetic colors, unusual combos, and nameless hues, all unexpectedly mixed in with the everyday. For me, it's much more about the tones than the actual colors. For instance, I love nudes with neon or a smoky mysterious eye with a bright and happy futuristic red lip. I love to see denim worn with just a t-shirt accompanied by deep operatic lips. Studio 54, disco, punk, and new wave allowed for a lot of freedom of expression in the way I dressed, danced, and presented myself. It was a great way for me to find my look as a young lady of 14 and 15! I went from wearing jeans and a tube top with smoky film noir makeup one night, to futuristic yellow brows paired with a nude mouth the next. Makeup moves faster than fashion, that's what makes it so fresh." Her take on unrestrained use of color definitely speaks to me, and I also was intrigued that she likens makeup to painting: "I see Ruben's watercolor paintings, and I wanted the freedom to do that on my face. I wanted to all of a sudden do my eyelashes in yellow or green with a matching eyeliner, something that's not natural. It's like having the ability to paint. And I mean, if you think about it, women paint every day standing in front of the mirror." Our philosophies on makeup are perfectly aligned!
I wanted to see what some of Ruben's other illustrations involve. Once again, I'm embarrassed I didn't recognize his name or previous work as he's landed some pretty huge projects, including Nordstrom catalogs:
Ruben also did illustrations for many fashionbooks, including one for Nina Garcia.
I included this picture from the book since the lipstick I purchased from the collection is named Opera, and Isabel references "deep operatic lips" as one of her inspirations.
I also wanted to see if he's drawn Isabel for other projects, and indeed he has. This illustration for the 2012 holiday issue of Bon Appetit looks very similar to the ones on the packaging for the MAC collection.
I also wanted to see whether there was any correlation between Isabel's fashions and the MAC collection. The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) offered a 2009 exhibition devoted to Isabel's work, and from there I got a better sense of her aesthetic. Much like her taste in makeup, it's all over the place – lots of bold color, unusual but not unwearable silhouettes, and there's definitely a penchant for experimentation.
More notably, how could I forget Isabel's pale chartreuse number that she designed for Michelle Obama to wear to her husband's inauguration? It's fashion-forward but still appropriate for a First Lady.
Overall I was glad I read a little more about the collection and eventually decided to bring some pieces home. It captures the essence of this husband and wife team in that they each contribute something different but the end result is even greater than the sum of its parts. As Ruben remarked, "We're so meshed, it's impossible to separate what we do."
I also feel like Isabel and Ruben are very creative and interesting people but have none of the pretentiousness that plagues most of the fashion world. From interviews with them as well as the MAC promo, they seem like fun-loving, down-to-earth people who don't really care about what's cool or popular – they just want to make their art. I could totally see me and the husband having dinner with them…he and Ruben could discuss illustration, while Isabel and I would play in my makeup stash and talk about shoes. 🙂
What do you think of the collection and of the Toledos' work?
Like many longtime Simpsons fans, I was extremely pleased to see this collection from MAC. I've been watching the Simpsons since I was 11 (even titling a previous blog post with a Simpsons quote), and while I've been disappointed in the more recent seasons, those first few were comedy gold. MAC's collection pays homage to Marge Simpson (née Bouvier), the long-suffering and very sweet wife of lovable buffoon Homer Simpson.
I'm amazed at the sheer volume of characters they were able to cram in on the outer packaging. However, I don't see my favorite bit character – can anyone spot Ralph Wiggum? He has to be on there somewhere, I just can't find him.
I picked up Pink Sprinkles blush, Nacho Cheese Explosion lip gloss (couldn't resist a shade in the signature Simpsons yellow!) and Itchy & Scratchy & Sexy lip gloss, along with Marge's Extra Ingredients eye shadow palette and the nail stickers.
While I liked the outer packaging, I was less enthralled with the plastic cases. Something about yellow plastic read very kindergarten to me – the rounded, raised corners of the eye shadow palette in particular made it look like a pencil case my 5 year-old niece would carry. Granted, it's difficult to execute sophisticated packaging for a cartoon-based collection, but it's not impossible (see MAC's sexed up Hello Kitty collection and these Simpsons/Mondrian-inspired wine bottles). It might have been better to do a black background for the plastic cases. I could be totally wrong though, as package design site The Dieline loved the concept.
I'm glad there was also an imprint of Marge's visage on the blush and eye shadows.
I can't bear to use these nail stickers but I'm certainly tempted.
(If you want to see swatches of all products and some great Simpsons quotes, check out this epic post at XO Vain.)
And now, I thought I'd share my top 5 favorite beauty and makeup moments from the Simpsons.
5. From "The Girly Edition", season 9. Bart has just wrapped up a super schmaltzy segment for the children's news show, Kidz Newz.
Lindsey Naegle: "Bart, look up here. This is where the tears would be if I could cry. But I can't. Botched face-lift."
3. From "Lisa the Beauty Queen", season 4. Lisa and Marge are getting makeovers at Turn Your Head and Coif, one of Springfield's leading beauty salons.
Lisa, as a stylist breaks out a blowtorch: "Isn't this dangerous?"
Stylist, donning a welder's mask: "Don't worry, I am well protected."
2. Same episode as above. Lisa and another contestant are at a rehearsal for the Little Miss Springfield pageant, looking at previous winner Amber Dempsey.
Pageant contestant: "She's about to bring out the big guns…eyelash implants."
What do you think of this collection? Are you a Simpsons fan? Overall, I thought it was nicely done, and the colors were spot-on.
Lopez at work while Juan Ramos looks on (image from latinoaids.org)
Like the stars of previous cosmetics collaborations (Warhol, Basquiat), the work of fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez (1943-1987) has been particularly popular of late. With an exhibition at SCAD this summer, along with a beautifully detailed monograph and accompanying exhibition last year, Lopez's art is enjoying a robust resurgence. The MAC collaboration honors this extremely influential artist and uses images that represent perhaps his best-known style from the early '80s for the packaging.
Born in Puerto Rico in 1943 and raised in Harlem, Lopez attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and landed a short-lived job at Women's Wear Daily in 1962. Within a year he left to become a freelance illustrator, and by 1965 he was earning $1,000 per illustration. Lopez spent most of the 1970s in Paris, where he befriended the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent. In the early '80s he returned to New York, continuing his work for magazines like Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Interview and Vanity. (You can read a brief bio here.)
So what made Lopez stand out from other fashion illustrators? For one, in the early '60s most fashion illustrations resembled very basic, catalog-like depictions of clothing. Lopez galvanized the medium, infusing representations of designer garments with an energy and movement they previously lacked. Secondly, Lopez understood how to both capture and evoke a particular era. André Leon Talley, Vogue editor and a former colleague of Lopez, remarks that Lopez "knew how to suggest the mood of the time." Adds East of Mayfair Director Janina Joffe, "The greatest fashion artists create desirable images that capture the entire spirit of an era and still remain timeless. Antonio Lopez was a definitive master of this skill."
Finally, Lopez's work disguinshes itself from from that of other illustrators in that it heavily influenced the designers – they took their cue from his work rather than the other way around. In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Mauricio Padilha, one of the authors of Antonio Lopez: Fashion, Art, Sex & Disco, had this to say: "Some of the models, he wouldn’t even put clothing on them. He would have the model standing next to the clothing in a leotard or whatever and he would illustrate how he saw the clothing onto the model’s body. It became something different and a lot of times designers would go back and then rework their outfits so it looked more like his illustrations." Indeed, Lopez's influence is still rippling through the psyche of various designers today. "[A] fresh crop of fashion designers, stylists and photographers seem to have been thumbing through Antonio's back-catalogue – the December 2012 issue of Vogue Italia featured a Steven Meisel covershoot titled 'High Gloss' that paid homage to the heady world of hedonism captured in Lopez's polaroids, eye-obscuring Jerry Hall mane and all. The same imagery – and that lop-sided hairdo – roamed Jonathan Saunders' spring catwalk in London…Antonio, of course, wasn't only about girls – his eroticised drawings of male models populated campaigns for Versace and Missoni in the eighties. Those exaggerated images – man as hunter-gatherer in buttery-leather and luxury knits, respectively – were fodder for Kim Jones' sophomore menswear collection for Louis Vuitton, where the emphatic shoulders, artfully wrapped capes and chiselled jawlines whispered of Antonio heroes past. Their feminine counterparts, the sketches of Jerry, Pat et al, inspired the disco diva bugle-beaded gowns of New York designer Jason Wu's 2013 pre-Fall collection, translating Antonio's pen marks into cashmere and chiffon," writes Alexander Fury at The Independent.
Getting back to the MAC collaboration, MAC Creative Director James Gager states that it was Lopez's "tremendous zest for living" that was the catalyst for the collection. He adds, “When you see the pictures and the drawings, you want to re-meet these people at a party or on the street. You want to stop them and say, 'You look incredible!'” I suppose if any company is going to launch a collection inspired by Lopez's hedonistic vibe expressed in bold colors and strong lines, MAC is appropriate. However, I would have liked if they could have indicated which models were in the illustrations that appeared on the packaging. The promo ad reunites three of "Antonio's Girls" (Jerry Hall, Pat Cleveland and Marisa Berenson), but it's unclear if any of them are in the illustrations that were selected. Plus, I stumbled across this image and thought it would have been perfect for a makeup collection:
Anyway, I prefer Lopez's earlier work of the late '60s to the flashier designs he created in the late '70s and '80s. The colors appear garish and incongruous, the lines harsh and severe. Of course, it could just be that I simply don't care for '80s fashion, and Lopez amplified the excess of the decade. If I find the '80s aesthetic to be unappealing, Lopez's work certainly heightened it (i.e., made it seem uglier than it actually was.) Conversely, if you love '80s fashion then Lopez's work sublimely elevates it.
What do you think, both of Lopez as an illustrator and of the MAC collection?
The final installment in MAC's 2013 Illustrated collection is brought to us courtesy of fashion designer and illustrator Rebecca Moses. This was a large Nordstrom-exclusive collection containing several lip color sets and brush sets, along with two color kits. I picked up the Brown Face Kit.
I liked seeing Moses' signature on the mirror.
About her illustrations, Moses states, "I think it is all about the ability to create color. There is a
dreamlike quality to watercolor. But in the past couple of years I have
fallen in love with markers and pen. But I have learned to blend
markers in a way to give me a similar movement of color that I do with
paint and now I use all the mediums together….Color is fundamental,
moods are exaggerated, body language strong, and the attitudes are
large…My work has become more humorous and spirited…I like being
able to laugh at oneself." In looking at her work, I find her assessment to be quite accurate. Bold yet harmonious color combinations and strong lines give Moses' women a certain intensity. At the same time they're distinctly feminine and sophisticated.
Moses cites Modigliani as one of her favorite artists, and I think there's a definite resemblance between the two artists' women, particularly in the slightly tilted heads and elongated oval eyes and necks. Compare this ad by Moses:
As for the MAC collection, this palette and other pieces showcase some comparable illustrations to Moses' previous work. Her signature swirling black ribbons appear in this illustration she completed to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Marie Claire Italia magazine, similar to those she drew for the MAC sets.
I don't know what client this particular design was for, but it's nearly identical to the pattern on the MAC palette – just sans lips.
And this illustration for Icon Magazine actually does include both lips and eyes:
While overall I liked the collection, I do wish it would have depicted fully-drawn women instead of disembodied eyes and lips. The level of detail that goes into most of Moses' patterns on the clothing worn by the women in her drawings and her use of color are the strongest aspects of her work, and it's unfortunate that the areas where she really shines were not included in the MAC collection.
What do you think? Did you pick up anything from this collection? And of the three artists featured in the MAC Illustrated series this year (Anja Kroencke, Indie 184 and Rebecca Moses), which was your favorite?
“Graffiti has taught me so much to not only put myself out there
even if what I do is not perfect but most importantly I learned how to
be fearless and just go for it.” – Indie
The second part of MAC's 2013 Illustrated collection features the work of graffiti artist Indie 184. Born in Puerto Rico to Dominican parents and raised in New York, her style combines vivid colors with a contemporary take on old-school New York City graffiti. Her indomitable spirit is fittingly expressed in her tag, a riff on the movie adventurer Indiana Jones, while 184 comes from the street she grew up on in Washington Heights.
The first MAC bag shows off Indie 184's unique spin on a more traditional, "bubble"-style graffiti.
The interior (which is the same design as the exterior of the other bag in the collection):
The design on the exterior is similar to the one that appears on a subway map she created for online gallery Etch-A-Sketch.net.
The second bag is more similar to her latest work on canvas. As she is an admirer of Basquiat and cites him as an inspiration, I can't help but wonder whether the halo and crown shapes are paying homage to him.
While I appreciate the "bubble" graffiti approach, my love of color means that I'm most captivated by Indie's bright, multi-hued paintings. She seamlessly translates her style from walls to canvas, weaving together images of famous women and phrases that convey their power. In her artist's statement, she writes, "My creative process usually starts by pouring out conflicting ideas or
emotions using words, images and color. When I create a painting, it’s
like a page of my personal diary – all the pieces are worlds of personal
declarations. Constant use of word play, found scraps of paper,
stencil, graffiti, graphics and photographs mixed with vivid colors…I use iconic female imagery provoking mood and expression
embellished with dripping paint juxtaposed with words…The
composed painting reflects power, motivation and with an undeniable
twist of feminism in my paintings." The feminist angle, I believe, comes partially from her struggle to be fully accepted as a genuine graffiti artist in a male-dominated environment. She says in an interview, "[A]s I got more into the culture, I learned
that NYC in the 80’s produced few active girls in graf. So any new girl
in the scene would stand out. But of course, that did not mean free
rides. I had to push harder to get down on walls. Most male writers
don’t take females writers, especially new ones, seriously. I did not want to stand out only because I was a female writer. I
wanted to make my mark and represent for myself. Even now, on occasions,
when I’m painting in the streets, some guy comes along and acts
surprised when he sees me working with spray paint."
The titles for some of these paintings – Powerful Creation, Call the Shots, Fearless, Knock 'em Out and Own Your Power, combined with Indie's signature hearts and stars – further drive home the idea of feminine strength. Some of her work is also a tribute to Latina women and a
demonstration of allegiance to her cultural heritage, as she
references figures such as Frieda Kahlo, Jennifer Lopez and Marquita
Rivera.
Call the Shots, 2012 (I love the nod to Warhol represented by the soup cans):
Looking at the dizzying array of flashy colors, it's no surprise to find that Indie's heroines include Jem and Rainbow Brite. I also find her work to be a true expression of her outspoken, feisty personality and thoroughly unselfconscious attitude. In an interview regarding her recently launched clothing line named Kweenz Destroy, she states, "Kweenz Destroy is for ladies who hold their
own and make an impact with what they do. They love to get their hands
dirty and don’t give a shit what people have to say…I
don’t feel like I have anything to prove to anyone…I am fulfilling my own desires,
not living other people’s ideal of what a graffiti writer should be,
because at the end of the day people are going to talk shit regardless."
Overall, I like Indie's work – it's brash, highly personal and has an exuberance and freshness to it while remaining forceful. And I was pleased to see she's left-handed, given my fascination with southpaws.
MAC began their "Illustrated" series last year, where the company teamed up with several talented graphic artists (Julie Verhoeven, Nikki Farquharson and François Berthoud.) This year MAC revisits the collaboration idea by working with three artists: Anja Kroencke, Indie 184 and Rebecca Moses. I'll be covering the latter two shortly but for now let's take a look at the bags designed by Austrian-born, New York-based fashion illustrator Anja Kroencke.
Kroencke's depictions of women are characterized by graceful, elongated necks and voluminous, often intricately detailed hair. These elements distinguish Kroencke's work from that of other fashion illustrators by harmoniously combining boldness and delicacy, romanticism and strength. Says the artist, "It's
a mix of all kinds of women I see on the street, in movies, in
magazines–but they are all strong and yet very feminine and vulnerable,
sometimes even fragile but showing a strength that comes from within,
the expression of the face, the pose, being in charge of their own life
not dictated by fashion, society or men."
I'm particularly drawn (haha) to the short, deft strokes she uses for the irises of the girls' eyes.
Kroencke cites artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Elsa Schiaparelli and Frida Kahlo as inspiration, and acknowledges the influence of her upbringing in Vienna and her parents' Scandinavian and Bulgarian aesthetics. She also states, "I was always drawn to a more graphic, bold style. I love simplicity,
which is actually very difficult to achieve, and developing tension in a
drawing or painting through a strong composition and color palette."
I picked out some favorites from her vast portfolio. I love the color combinations that appear in the ads for Claire's Accessories:
Her illustrations for high-end designers are imbued with her signature elegant necks and billowing tresses, while still retaining the clothing's original elements.
Looking at these you can definitely see how Kroencke's work has evolved over the years, particularly her use of color. "I always try to find interesting and rather unusual color combinations
that can translate to the mood of the illustration. My color palette is
very much influenced by what is happening at that time in design,
architecture and fashion…I remember in the late '90s it was all about
midcentury modern, lots of olive green, mustard and blue-grey; currently
I'm totally into black line drawings with sometimes only a few colors," she says in a recent interview. Indeed, her latest work, including the illustrations she created for MAC, display this gravitation towards a simpler color palette. She also notes that her work has gotten "darker in mood and in some ways, more personal, less commercial."
While this particular collection didn't blow me away, I think Kroencke's style is well-represented in the MAC bags – when you see them, you know the women are hers. What do you think?
In case you haven't had your fill of desserts from the Sweet Tooth exhibition, I'm bringing you more sweet treats courtesy of MAC's Baking Beauties collection. I picked up the two Pearlmatte face powders: In For A Treat and Pink Buttercream, which feature delicate, frosting-like floral designs. And for your viewing pleasure I put them on this positively adorable macaron wrapping paper from Paper Source.
Pink Buttercream:
I also love the promo image with its abundance of beautifully decorated cakes and a plate of macarons – the model is purely secondary to them! Incidentally, I think the green plate on the lower right is the same one I used to hold the Ladurée trio in the Sweet Tooth exhibition.
I can't look at cake displays without immediately thinking of Wayne Thiebaud's famous cake paintings, which he painted from memories of his work in restaurants rather than actual displays. Here is perhaps the best-known one, Cakes (1963). B'more is so close to DC – I should make a trip to the National Gallery to visit it again.
In my opinion, his work is very appealing because it conveys nostalgia and is completely unpretentious. An article by Cathleen McGuigan for the Smithsonian hits the nail on the head in describing what is so enjoyable about Thiebaud's cakes, and I think it could be applied to his other subjects as well (lipsticks, hot dogs, gumball machines, just to name a few.) "In a contemporary art world enthralled with such stunts as Damien
Hirst’s diamond-encrusted skull, Thiebaud is wonderfully ungimmicky. He
belongs more to a classical tradition of painting than to the Pop
revolution that first propelled him to national attention in the 1960s.
Then, the sweet everydayness of his cake and pie pictures looked like
cousins of Andy Warhol’s soup cans. But where Warhol was cool and
ironic, Thiebaud was warm and gently comic, playing on a collective
nostalgia just this side of sentimentality. He pushed himself as a
painter—experimenting with brushstrokes, color, composition, light and
shadow. The cylindrical cakes and cones of ice cream owed more to such
masters of the still life as the 18th-century French painter Chardin, or
the 20th-century Italian Giorgio Morandi, as critics have pointed out,
than to the art trends of the time." That's all well and good, but was the man just obsessed with desserts and food in general? Of course not. As McGuigan explains, "Over the years Thiebaud has repeatedly tackled the same subjects—not
to perfect a formula but to keep exploring the formal possibilities of
painting. 'What kinds of varying light can you have in one painting?' he
asks. 'Direct glaring light, then fugitive light, then green glow. It’s
a very difficult challenge.'…When Thiebaud paints an object or form, he famously surrounds it
with multiple colors, often stripes or lines, of equal intensity, to
create a halo effect—though you might not notice that unless you look
closely. 'They’re fighting for position,' he says of the colors. 'That’s
what makes them vibrate when you put them next to each other.'" Though some see a loneliness or melancholy in his cake paintings, I choose to perceive them as taking on a "celebratory" tone, as one critic states. Thiebaud himself has denied any sense of sadness in these works. In a PBS interview from 2000, he shares why it was risky for him to make paintings of cakes and pies: "It's fun and humorous and that's dangerous in the art world, I think.
It's a world that takes itself very seriously, and of course, it is a
serious enterprise, but I think also there's room for wit and humor
because humor gives us, I think, a sense of perspective."
I think the pretty designs on In For A Treat and Pink Buttercream would be right at home in a Thiebaud painting. :) Did you pick up anything from Baking Beauties? And do you like Mr. Thiebaud's work?
MAC seems to have the market cornered on cartoon/comics collaborations. In addition to numerous Disney collections, 2011 was the year they released a Wonder Woman-themed collection. This time MAC is back in the comics game with Archie's Girls, which is based on Betty and Veronica, the two girls who vie for Archie's heart.
I picked up one of the Pearlmatte powders.
With flash:
I also purchased the Jingle Jangle Coin Purse – I loved the lining!
In addition to the more general products, MAC offered individual Betty and Veronica collections. I selected one piece from each. On the left is lipstick in Boyfriend Stealer, whose vampy color is representative of Vernoica (according to MAC): "The envy of every girl, Veronica smoulders with a limited-edition colour
collection rich in deep, seductive tones. Lipsticks in violet, red and
blackened plum play up the va-voom while Lipglass shimmers in shades
certain to steal hearts. Nails lacquered in dark berry and navy crème
ready for a soda fountain catfight."
On the right is Kiss and Don't Tell from the Betty collection, which MAC describes thusly: "Beautiful Blonde-Next-Door Betty inspires a limited-edition colour
collection with a soft, innocent sexiness. Lipsticks in peaches and
pinks beam bright under layers of Lipglass in girly shades. Nail Lacquer
in Comic Cute and Pep Pep Pep to win Archie's affection."
Having never read Archie comics I can't say for sure whether MAC's character descriptions and subsequent color choices are accurate and appropriate, but from everything I've read online the shades seem spot-on for each girl.
As with the Wonder Woman and Hey Sailor! collections, the best part for me was the freebie MAC provided with my order. Oh, how I live for collectibles like this!
Overall I thought this was a fun, cute collection, but I probably would have enjoyed it much more if I were actually familiar with the comics.
What do you think? And are you a Betty or Veronica?
