I adore that Karl Lagerfeld goes so over the top every time he shows a new collection. With this latest showing, I’m not sure how he’ll outdo himself the next time around. For Chanel’s Resort 2013 presentation yesterday, Largerfeld chose Versailles as his backdrop. The location was perfectly fitting for the Marie Antoinette-inspired ensembles, which showcased embellishments, ruffles galore, and even voluminous pantaloons.
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For the past few seasons, Chanel’s polish videos have become as hotly anticipated as the shades themselves (well, almost). Remember this cute little number from last September? This morning, Peter Philips, Chanel’s creative director for makeup, released a brand new video exclusively with T Magazine that showcases the latest collection.
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The dynamic duo behind Beauty Bender, Kathryn Romeyn and Alexis Johnson, have an impeccable eye for deciphering up-and-coming cosmetics trends and finding experts to give the lowdown on how to wear them. (It must be the decade’s worth of magazine curating experience they have between them.) We can’t get enough of their gorgeous site, and happily, for a whole week they’re sharing all of their beauty insight on our blog!
1. Lip Balm
Still produced with the same formula as in 1899, when the company started, Bag Balm is our hands-down secret weapon. The emollient, antiseptic ointment is unparalleled for softening hands, feet, and most especially lips.
It’s hard to find a lip product that doesn’t just moisturize and plump, but adds the perfect tinge of color, includes SPF, and smells incredible—but doesn’t taste like anything. This balm contains technology that tints everyone’s lips differently, in concert with their distinct chemistry. Turns out, it’s addictive.
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Courtne Smith, a.k.a Queen Shmink, is a world traveler with extraordinary fashion and beauty sense. The Toronto-based blogger is one of our favorite ladies to follow on the Interwebz because she makes her impeccable style (fancy fur is her specialty) feel so accessible and easy to recreate. Plus, she always has a killer manicure. This week, she teaches us her secrets that keep her perfectly primped when she’s both at home or on the road with her bff, Drake.
I would definitely call myself a nail fanatic — I own over 85 bottles of polish in my growing collection. From drugstore to department store, if it’s pretty, it’s mine. While I’m a sucker for Deborah Lippmann’s lacquers, you don’t necessarily have to spend $20 or more to get the “color of the moment.” Here are a few identical hues I’ve come across in my nail polish hunt:
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Photos: zimbio.com
There is just something so badass about pairing edgy hair with really ladylike clothing. Chanel took full advantage of that juxtaposition during yesterday’s spring 2012 couture show, which showcased gowns and gorgeous frocks galore (not to mention, 150 shades of blue), all paired with aerodynamic mohawks. Some were more extreme than others, but we especially loved the pompadour-style looks, which are definitely wearable for a night out.
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Sometimes, our greatest inspirations for new looks come from the past. Which is why we love The American Vernacular, a recently launched (it started last November!) online vintage store with fantastic, bygone-era inspired taste. Each piece on the site comes with information about its brand history, written by TAV’s owner and founder, Bryn Lander. This week, Bryn shares her vintage style secrets with us and gives the downlow on how to score those glam, leading lady looks.
Top: Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor. Bottom: Grace Kelly, Dorothy Dandridge, Bettie Page, Doris Day
The ’50s was a transition period between the rigid and conformist World War II era to the individualistic, youth-oriented culture of the ’60s. Several distinct styles emerged during this time and helped define the style of the decade. Icons like Grace Kelly and Doris Day represented the demure and conservative feminine ideal while the glamorous and provactive look of Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Sophia Loren, and Brigitte Bardot made them sex symbols. Audrey Hepburn became a style icon and muse to many designers for her distinct easy elegance that was both classic and modern. She, amazingly, exuded the same graceful confidence in a turtleneck, pedal pushers, and ballet flats as she did in full-skirted lace gowns. Some of my favorite films that define the era are All About Eve (1950), Rear Window (1954), And God Created Woman (1956), Funny Face (1957) and Some Like It Hot (1959).
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Sometimes, our greatest inspirations for new looks come from the past. Which is why we love The American Vernacular, a recently launched (it started last November!) online vintage store with fantastic, bygone-era inspired taste. Each piece on the site comes with information about its brand history, written by TAV’s owner and founder, Bryn Lander. This week, Bryn shares her vintage style secrets with us and gives the down low on how to score those glam, leading lady looks.
(Row 1) left to right: Louise Brooks, Josephine Baker, Clara Bow, Claudette Colbert
(Row 2) left to right: Bette Davis, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Coco Chanel
The first truly modern era in terms of fashion and style was the 1920s to 1930s. Women were embracing their newfound freedoms and means of self-expression in the wake of World War I—not to mention the passage of the 19th amendment, which gave us gals the right to vote. Woot woot!
Get inspired by some of the great films from the early years of Hollywood’s Golden Age, like Clara Bow’s It (1927), Greta Garbo’s first talkie Anna Christie (1930), Marlene Dietrich and Anna May Wong in Shanghai Express (1932), and Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert’s romantic screwball comedy It Happened One Night (1934). Click through to see how to get style like these classic leading ladies!
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You may have noticed that here at Birchbox, we have a deep, abiding love for all things nails. Which is why nail artist extraordinaire Taryn Multack, a.k.a Miss Ladyfinger, is a great fit as this week’s guest blogger. Multack, who’s spent time working at fashion staples like Oscar de la Renta and W Magazine, uses trends and looks straight from the runway to create gorgeous, imaginative designs for her digits. The most impressive part? She does all of her art while keeping a day job in the fashion world. This week, she teaches us how to make our nails just as fabulous as hers.
Let me just first say that I am not a nail technician. I repeat: not a nail technician. I’m simply a fashion industry gal with a steady hand, but we all need to start somewhere, right? Miss Ladyfinger started out as the typical nail blog, swatching colors as I purchased them. (Side note: It’s embarrassing, but I admit to spending more money on polish than on clothes.) It wasn’t until I bought my first nail art pen that things got interesting. Like any art form, a blank canvas can be intimidating. Luckily, my day job requires that I immerse myself in fashion runway images to gain inspiration, so that’s exactly what I did. I’m here to tell — and show — you how you can, too.
Click through to get these Chanel-inspired nails in five easy steps — this is a tutorial created for nail art beginners!
Let’s start with beginner runway-inspired nail art. For this post I chose a simple Chanel look, because really, what girl doesn’t love Chanel? All you’ll need is a white polish and a black nail art pen. For this look I used Cotton by American Apparel and Sally Hansen’s black nail art pen, available at any drug/specialty store.
1. Prep your nail with base coat
2. Apply white polish to the whole nail
3. Using your nail art pen, apply a diagonal line starting from the halfway point of your nail bed to the halfway point of your nail tip.
4. Next, draw a smaller line parallel to the first one.
5. Complete the square by drawing lines down towards your cuticle.
6. Top it off with Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat, and voilà! Your very own set of sassy Chanel nails.
For more neutral colored polishes that work as a base for all your nail art needs, try these taupe shades from Zoya.
Photo: Trendhunter
Yesterday in Paris, Chanel debuted its 2012 Metiers d’Art pre-fall collection on a feast-themed runway. Candelabra, white tablecloths, and fancy silverware all played backdrop to Mr. Lagerfeld’s India-inspired garb. But as much as we loved the gorgeous sari-esque skirts and glitzy sandals, we couldn’t stop looking at the fake dreadlocks piled on some of the models’ heads! Counterintuitively, we thought the styles actually seemed sort of princess-like, especially when paired with the elegant jewels dangling onto their foreheads. Fancy dress and dreadlocks work — who knew?
Would do you think of this edgy, faux-dread look?
—Candice
If you’re interested in adding volume and texture to your hair, try Oribe Texturizing Spray.
