Armani's summer 2012 collection is the lead inspiration for the Museum's upcoming summer exhibition, but Paul & Joe's summer collection captured my imagination as well. Midsummer Nights evokes the whimsical qualities of fairies and forest nymphs while still managing to feel grown-up.
"Just close your eyes and dream…'cause all the world's a stage…and this season you're the lead player! 'Midsummer Nights' is a sumptuous, enchanted dreamscape of colors, textures, and tones that will convince you that all your secret Paul & Joe dreams and wishes have come true. Join us on this magical adventure to discover how fantasy becomes reality with Paul & Joe."
First things first: I'm in love with the minty green packaging as it's one of my favorite colors.
The cases remind me of jadeite:
I like how the Paul & Joe website cleverly separates the collection into play acts, and each item has a little description and quote. They're also beautifully photographed against an enchanted forest-type background. Act 1, "Fairy", describes the pressed powder: "Softly shimmer like moonlight on a fairy's wings with this exquisite, spellbinding, 3D shimmering powder designed to captivate and charm." (As with Armani's collection, there's the fascination with light reflections). The quote is directly from the play: "Tis almost fairy time".
The pressed powder features a pink butterfly, outlined in green, against overlapping rose and pale pink winged creatures (the one in the upper right looks like another buttefly, while the one at the bottom looks like a dragonfly). While the butterfly may not be so detailed in terms of color, the cutouts on the wings are impressively intricate, showing why this palette can definitely be considered a collector's item.
With flash:
Green dots splash across the powder – I like to think they're dewdrops, given the website picture with its fresh blades of grass and soft rays of morning light:
(image from paul-joe-beaute.com)
I also picked up one of the Face Colors, Nymph. I couldn't resist the cheery flowers springing upwards – they look like they're greeting you.
With flash:
Finally, I just had to pick up the nail polish in Fairie Queen, since it would be "like imaginary fairies dancing on your fingertips." That description pushed me to buy it – who wouldn't want to have fairy-like fingertips?
All in all I think Paul & Joe did an excellent job with this collection. It represents the spirit of fairies and summer magic while remaining sophisticated and, dare I say, high-brow – after all, it was based on a Shakespeare play. 🙂
What do you think?