Chanel celebrated 100 years of makeup creation with a gorgeous, multi-sensory retrospective called The Color of Allure atop a building in the heart of London with an epic view of the city’s landmarks including the Thames River and London Eye.
An Immersive Experience
Global beauty influencers and editors — including Grazia USA’s beauty director — flocked to the immersive space, which featured archival makeup products and enormous blow-ups of images from past makeup campaigns throughout the history of the brand. Innovative “sound showers,” with spoken historical details about each photograph, could be heard as viewers stepped close.
Many of the images seen in the exhibition are also in a retrospective book, Chanel: The Allure of Makeup, by Natasha A. Fraser, out now from Thames and Hudson USA. Page after page offer a visual anthology of the iconic brand’s color cosmetics, from the launch of a lipstick collection, powder and blush in 1924 through the 20th century and beyond.
The Future of Makeup Creation
The current creative team behind the makeup collection, the Comete Collective, were on hand to share their vision for the future of color and formula direction at the legacy brand. Makeup artists Ammy Drammeh, Valentina Li and Cécile Paravina discussed their shared passion for collaboration and their dreamy process of unbridled creation.
Guests were also treated to a sneak peek of a new product range that will be unveiled in the spring of 2025. We promise to share the scoop as soon as we can!
London Calling
So why was an event for a French heritage brand held in London? The answer lies in the history of Gabrielle Chanel’s romantic endeavors. Mademoiselle met Hugh Grosvenor, the 2nd Duke of Westminster in Monte Carlo in 1923. The two dated for several years, and during this time, the Duke gave her extravagant gifts, among them a home in London’s tony Mayfair. Perhaps this relationship and her travails in English society inspired her to create makeup, which debuted in 1924.
The book Chanel: The Allure of Makeup, contains a multitude of details that help explain the evolution — and deep meaning — of cosmetic shades and campaigns for the brand, which continues today via the Cometes Collective.
Scoop up the book, $175, here!
