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Le "No make-up look"

In the New York Times on Thursday, May 25 an article by Elaine Sciolino about a new vogue in French beauty--the "no make-up look", appeared.  It begins: "CHIC French women don't wear makeup. At least they pretend not to."  French Elle described the trend as "Le bare face," defined as "nude skin, shimmering slightly."  The adjacent photo is of a radiant Juliette Binoche, who is made up not to look made up.  I am not sure this is such a new trend in France, but it is a paradox that I had noticed.  French women tend to be very diligent about skin care--facials, serums, spa treatments and often invest a great deal in scientific-sounding products whose phyto-chemical laden molecules "penetrate" and "nourish" the skin.   But they are less interested in looking "painted" or in sporting lots of colors on their faces that are not found on human faces in the natural world.  This focus on the health of the skin rather than on the surface treatments used to cover it up makes good sense.   

Fall_beauty_1 The article goes on to quote French make-up mogul Laura Mercier, who says "It really astonishes me the way American women wear so much makeup.  In America, even teenage girls are overly made-up. And when you are overly made-up, you send out the message that you are overly sexual, that you want to be visible to attract men."  By contrast, Ms. Mercier said: "French women are not flashy. They must be subtle. The message must not be, 'I'm spending hours on my face to look beautiful.' "

Again, these statements ring true to my ear.  From what I have seen, Parisiennes tend to not to rely on fussy make-up and hairstyles in order to be attractive.  Rather they often seem to invest their efforts in their skin, their accessories, the cut of their clothes, and their bulge-free silhouette.  The bad news is that in order to look attractive with French understatement and subtlety, they do things that require more effort and are often more expensive than just slapping on some color.  Where does that leave nous autres, les Americaines?  Do we have to spend even more hours to send the message that we are not desperately spending hours on our faces to look beautiful? 

Kate_moss I don't entirely agree that so many of us prefer the vulgar, painted-doll look.  A lot of the young women I work with appear to eschew makeup entirely.  This would be hard for me, as without at least some definition around my eyes when out in public, I would feel naked.  Those of us who do wear makeup generally know that if you have relatively more eye make-up on, you might want to put less emphasis on the mouth, and vice-versa.  Nicole Richie and Britney Spears are cited in the article as examples of that "overdone" look.  No argument there, but thankfully, we rarely see see women who imitate them in real life.   

The companies that produce makeup also have skin care lines, and those treatment lines usually consist of many products and many steps.  Make-up removers, cleansers, day creams, night creams, eye treatments, firming serums for he face, firming serums for the eye area, different moisturizers for the face, the neck, the decolletee, pore minimizing creams, exfoliating scrubs, antioxidant serums, and the list is endless.  I was reading the label of a product by Clarins that is supposed to revitalize maturing skin at about $100 for a small bottle.  One of the two main active ingredients was an extract of the pueraria lobata, aka kudzu.  Yes, kudzu, that nuisance vine that is draped over nearly every tree in North America.  If I look outside my window, I can see that kudzu is indeed a prolific and hardy plant, but it's difficult to see how a product containing the extract of the ubiquitous kudzu vine could be so dear.  When confronted with all these products, one wonders how it would be possible to ever do enough for one's skin and is tempted to give up and just buy a new eyeliner pencil or some dental floss and go home.  Clarins

But a new form of consultation is available for French women.  Sciolino continues "Indeed, at the first "beauty cafe" in Paris, the talk is about respect, not transformation. For two hours on four recent evenings, the Columbus Café — a rival of Starbucks — transformed the second floor of its outlet near the Bastille into a place where women came for free lessons about skin care."  "Today beauty is not something only on the surface," Sandra Renzi, a cosmetologist with the Darphin skin care line, lectured to women over coffee and Perrier one evening. "It also comes from inside. Essential oils that contain tiny molecules that penetrate your skin must come first." 

Maybe the "inside" source of beauty actually springs from a place that even those tiny molecules can't penetrate.  Here is yet another take on the question of being a "painted lady" vs. creating at least the illusion of restraint.  "The most beautiful makeup for a woman is passion" is the famous quotation of the designer Yves Saint Laurent. "But cosmetics are easier to buy."   

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/25/fashion/thursdaystyles/25skin.html?ex=1149307200&en=3d9756552a95bd58&ei=5070

May 26, 2006 in fashion | Permalink | Comments (44) | TrackBack (0)

What's in a logo?

Vuitton_trunks_2 Logos are an interesting phenomenon in the evolution of fashion brands.  Are you attracted by the little alligator on Lacoste polos or the repeated motif of the initials "LV" on Louis Vuitton bags?  I am ambivalent.  In my younger days I frankly disdained logos.  Why be a walking advertisement for a corporation?   And why be such a conformist?  Are logo lovers not secure enough in their own taste?  But then again, it's easy for a penniless student to sneer at luxury objects they can't afford.  To take the example of Vuitton, he started out as a high-end trunkmaker in the 1850's.  In 1882 he introduced trunks with an iconic red and beige striped color scheme.   In 1886 the ubiquitous monogram was introduced.  The LV motif was both a signifier of the status and quality that come with an established luxury brand identity and an attempt to ensure authenticity. For decades, the familiar pattern on a brown Murakamivuittonhandbag2003_1 field appeared on luggage, handbags, and small accessories, carrying the message of quality while rather discretely displaying the wallpaper-like brand logo.   It is interesting to see how the Vuitton division of the luxury goods conglomerate LVMH has innovated to keep the brand's image fresh and vibrant.  (See Murakami's design on the right.) Young celebs in the public eye do not disdain these colorful accessories.  A certain very visible rapper is said to be covering the interior of his new home in the Vuitton pattern.   I admire the company's success in adapting the brand over the decades.  But I must admit to never having had the remotest desire to own one of these bags, although many of them seem quite practical and pleasing to the eye.  If I were to splurge on a designer bag, a classic Hermes sans blatantly obvious logos would entice me more than a Dior logo bag or a Vuitton logo bag.  Designer logos--do you lust after them or find them a turn-off? 

                                      

January 15, 2006 in fashion | Permalink | Comments (30) | TrackBack (0)

La Mode Made in France

Time to query my fashion-conscious readers.  Next semester I am teaching a new introductory one-credit course on French fashion.  I am trying to narrow down the main focus of the course to a manageable number of designers and influential figures--let's say five.  It's only a one-credit course so it will not be a full survey.  For those of you who are empassioned enough by by French fashion to hold opinions on such matters, I  pose this question:

Who are the five most influential figures in French fashion?  (Shorter or longer lists are OK.)

October 19, 2005 in fashion | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)

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