This season, larger than life make up has been a popular
tool for evoking the drama that every memorable show requires.
Viktor & Rolf saw red for their flame-faced femmes, while multi
coloured polka dots ran amuck upon the faces of Louise Gray's
ladies. But leave it to Vivienne Westwood to smear her models faces
with what can only be described as war paint - more fear inducing
and awe striking than anything else we'll see this Fall. As she
flounced through a downpour of golden confetti, Westwood took her
bow whilst surrounded by women who would look more comfortable at a
carnival freak show than a runway. Though never one to shy away
from bold, theatrical make up, Westwood has truly outdone herself
with black on white, chaotic punk-warrior face paint.
Once again enlisting the aid of make up extraordinaire, Val
Garland, the resulting looks were darker than ever - and what else
would we expect from the First Lady of Punk? With skin painted a
pasty white, it quickly became apparent that these were nothing
less than blank canvasses. The MAC Cosmetics team was on hand to
apply ink using paintbrushes and paper, while haphazard shapes were
scrawled across faces, vaguely worked around the outlines of
models' features. Combined with mirrored nails by Sophie Robson,
the beauty for this collection was nothing short of
art.
Unsurprisingly, when Garland was asked about the make up artistry
involved, she said, "We wanted to take it a little Tim Burton." The
dark, wispy shapes that crept across features had suggested as
much, reminiscent of Burton's animated masterpieces such
as Nightmare Before Christmas
and Corpse Bride. Despite the obvious link, this
was not the most popular cultural reference to Westwood's warrior
women. As the last model strutted down the glitter-strewn runway in
a bright white bridal gown and flourishing a bouquet, eyes were
focused on her blacked-out eyes that bore striking similarities to
Natalie Portman's costume makeup in 2011
blockbuster, Black Swan. Making a stark contrast
to her snowy white dress as she blew air kisses to the audience,
the resulting effect was positively ghoulish - and the perfect
finale for a show, which boasted make up artistry at it's most
effective.
Words by Lore Oxford.
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