retrobeauty

Nobody could have Mia Farrow With Vidal
summed up the Sassoon on the set of
feeling of the 60s Rosemary’s Baby
better than Bob
Dylan when he sang The Times This season’s catwalk
They Are a-Changin’ in 1964. looks are inspired by the
The decade of change that was most influential decade
the 60s also brought with it in hair – the 60s, by
the second-wave of feminism, Jessica O’Sullivan.
which swept across the US,
eventually reaching the rest CHANEL COUTURE
of the Western world and CHANEL COUTURE
beyond. The 60s heralded a
new era of female freedom
– a delayed reaction to the
renewed domesticity of women
following World War II, which
continued into the 50s. A baby
boom meant that a woman’s
role grew into maintaining her
appearance as well as domestic
bliss in order to please her
husband. And just like in the
20s, a decade when women
opted for the chop in an act
of rebellion, women seeking
liberty in the 60s – influenced
by music, independent cinema
and fashion – expressed the
change in the social mood
via their locks. This season,
stylists gave a nod to the
60s on the catwalks, with
modern interpretations of the
hairstyles that defined the
much-imitated decade.

GroovySTILL FEELIN’
THE CROP

Just as the orchid bob defined the look of the 20s and created more
controversy in hair than any other decade, short hair was at the forefront
of the hair revolution in the 60s. When it came to new cuts, British
hairdressers valiantly led the way. Vidal Sassoon was a rising star and
created iconic geometric, asymmetrical styles inspired by Bauhaus art
design, and one of his first devotees was style guru and inventor of the
mini skirt, Mary Quant. Actresses Audrey Hepburn and Liza Minnelli all
went for a Sassoon chop and imitations of this sharply angled bob were
seen at the most recent Chanel couture show. Stylist Sam McKnight cut
and shaped wigs prior to the show into different lengths and angles. Under
the wigs, hair was tightly swept up on top, to give a little height at the
crown, to push the angle of the cut towards the face in a more exaggerated,
futuristically modern manner.

TWIGGY
RAG & BONE
RAG & BONE

Famously, Sassoon was paid £5,000 to fly to the TOP TIP
set of Rosemary’s Baby in the US, where he cut When styling a
Mia Farrow’s hair into the iconic pixie crop that faux crop, tuck
was to herald a slew of copycat chops. At Rag & hair behind the
Bone, faux pixie crops were recreated on the autumn ear closest to the
winter catwalk in looks that hair stylist Paul Hanlon
described as having attitude and were inspired by parting.
“Milla Jovovich in the Fifth Element or Joan of Arc,
punk.” To create the illusion of the haphazard Mia CHANEL CHANEL
Farrow pixie cut without actually chopping off your
locks, Hanlon twisted sections and placed the ends
on the forehead in an uneven pattern using Does it
All Styling Spray (€27) by Bumble and bumble to
keep things in place. He then flattened it down with
hairnets, and dried it off with a hairdryer to create a
matte finish. “It’s almost like a bird’s nest,” he says.
“It’s all about the hairspray, lots and lots of hairspray.”

VIONNET VIONNET

TOOL KIT Another British stylist who influenced the shorter ‘do’ was
Leonard of Mayfair. After training for a year with Sassoon, he
Rough.Rider Strong Hold Matte went on to develop a softer cutting technique to Sassoon and
Clay (€23) by Kevin.Murphy is credited with launching the career of model Twiggy, thanks
to the new haircut she received from him on a whim in 1966.
Shine Flash Semi Di Lino Leonard considered hair, “a totem of youth and freedom in
02 Glistening Illuminating itself,” and Twiggy-esque styles with a deep side parting were
Mist (€17.75) Thermal Protector recreated in very different ways on the catwalks for autumn
(€14.95) by Alfaparf 2015. At Vionnet the look was soft and elegant. Models’ hair
by Redken was ironed straight and pulled into a ponytail, which was
then tucked under to create the illusion of shorter hair. The
look was finished with high shine hair spray. While on the
Chanel ready-to-wear catwalk Sam McKnight, gave the ‘boy’
models waxed crops by slicking hair back into ponytails,
complete with faux sideburns.

Platinum hair straightener (€215) by GHD

“He believed
that women
should avoid
having long
hair because
it is ageing
and unless
one had a
symmetrical
face, a centre
parting
was to be
avoided”

THE BOUFFANT Here and below left:
The First Lady, Jackie
There were, of course, some Kennedy, sporting her
ladies who still favoured a trademark bouffant locks
high glamour voluminous
look, which also set the styleBURBERRY PRORSUM On the autumn
standards of the era. Though the
bouffant can trace its heritage back winter Burberry
to the court of Marie Antoinette
– the story goes she had thin hair Prorsum
and wanted to create the illusion of
fuller locks – the modern bouffant catwalk, hair
as we know it can be credited to
flamboyant British stylist Raymond was more
Bessone who styled Jacqueline
Kennedy. Hair on top of the ‘done’ than usual, with some models
head was raised, using a comb to
backcomb and then the style was giving a nod to the Jackie bouffant whilst
lightly combed over the top to give
a neat look. Bessone was Britain’s also riffing on hippie subculture. The
first celebrity hairdresser and
trained Vidal Sassoon. He believed style memo said loose and relaxed. Stylist
that women should avoid having
long hair because he considered Christiaan Houtenbos chose a natural
it ageing and he was also of the
opinion that unless one had a look with the slightest of defined waves,
completely symmetrical face, a
centre parting was to be avoided. straddling the mid-ground between

high glamour and unfussiness. The First

Lady herself moved away from the very

set look as the 60s rolled on thanks to

her new stylist Mr Kenneth (Batelle),

heralded as New York’s answer to Vidal

Sassoon. He firmly put to bed the helmet-

head style favoured by ladies at the time,

creating a softer, pretty look. When he

BURBERRY PRORSUM felt Jackie’s cut was too
BLUEMARINE
short and curly for her

tall proportions and

prominent cheekbones, he

stretched her hair out by

setting it with big rollers

and allowed a few wisps

to fall away to make her

hair look less set. He

styled all the big names

in Hollywood including

Lauren Bacall, Audrey

Hepburn and Marilyn

Monroe, styling her hair

the day she sang Happy

Birthday at JFK’s 45th

birthday rally in 1962 and

Semi di Lino even styling her hair for

Magnifying Eco- her last photo shoot which
Mousse (€14.95) featured in Vogue.
by Alfaparf

Prim and proper was the order of the day this season Hair Shake Princess Grace of Monaco
at Prada where tousled locks were swapped for Liquid to
groomed, ladylike updos reminiscent of Princess Grace Powder (€25) Meanwhile at Fendi and Chanel ready-to-wear, high
of Monaco. “This season, we’re seeing a more ‘done by Joico volume glamour was given a make under as seen
approach to hair,” says Guido, Redken’s global creative below. At Fendi, models wore sporty 60s leather
director and stylist at the Prada show where he created headbands with plenty of volume at the crown to
a pinned-up, ponytail look. “It has a slightly 60s kind accessorise loose knots and ponytails at the nape of
of feeling, which is always Prada-like, but it is still very the neck. While at Chanel Sam McKnight adorned
modern and sort of futuristic.” To get the look Guido undone French twists on the ‘girl’ models with black
applied Stay High 18 High-Hold Gel to Mousse (€23) hair ribbons and hair slides with intertwining Cs.
by Redken to damp hair and blow-dried it flat against
the head and away from the face. Hair was gathered “We’re seeing a more
into a high ponytail, with a small section of hair ‘done’ approach to hair.
wrapped around the band. Hair It has a slightly 60s
near the elastic was backcombed kind of feeling, which is
to create volume and flipped over always Prada, but it is
to one side and secured with a still very modern and
crystal barrette. “The loose ends sort of futuristic”
of the ponytail give you that
feeling of youth and easiness,
which adds to the modernity of
the look.” Finishing Treatment (€50) by

Rahua @ Dylan Bradshaw

PRADA

CHANEL
PRADA
FENDI

beautyfeature

FRESH FACE

CALVIN KLEIN This autumn, the catwalks saw
two interpretations of the 70s.
TWOWAYS On one hand, models were given
dewy, healthy complexions,
TO DO THE70S groomed brows, flushed cheeks
and nude lips complete with retro
No need to choose your 70s persona – the autumn winter catwalks beachy waves as seen at Chloé,
have blended flower power with full-on disco diva beautifully. Public School, Sonia Rykiel and
Blugirl. Following on from the
PUBLIC SCHOOL late 60s, flower-power trend –
CHLOÉ which leaned towards a more
SONIA RYKIEL natural, less-is-more look, and saw
products with the tagline ‘barely
Excess Shimmer there’ come into fashion in the
Eyeshadow in 70s. On the other hand, designers
such as Carolina Herrera and
Crystal (€7.99) by Rodarte amped up this look
Max Factor to include accents of shimmer
and glitter rather than full-on
Brow Powder in sparkling eyes – the ultimate
Dark Blonde (€17) desk-to-disco transformation.
by Bare Minerals
WANT TO WEAR IT?

Global makeup artist for Rimmel,
Kirstin Piggott says, “A lot of
people still don’t appreciate the
power of the white kohl pencil to
give that wide-eyed ingénue effect.
Apply it softly to the waterline,
and blend it out. This gives it a
soft-focus effect. Dot a hint of
creamy shimmer to the inside of
the eye as well. And finish with
a slick of lengthening mascara. If
you like more definition on the
eye, apply a very thin line of gel
liner to the upper lashline.”

Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Liner in
White (€4.69) by Rimmel

Volume Million Lashes Feline
mascara (€16.99) by L’Oréal Paris

JOIN THE GLITTERATI TEMPERLEY LONDON

Fresh meets fierce with an elegant adaptation TEMPERLEY LONDON
of intense girly glitter. Go forth and sprinkle.

New Year’s Eve, 1970s New York. Anyone who is anyone is reeling in the New
Year at infamous nightclub Studio 54. As the clock strikes midnight, guests
shimmy onto the floor and the club is flooded with four tonnes of
glitter. Even two months later, if you happened to notice glistening specs on
the clothes of your brunching partner, you knew exactly where they had
spent their New Year’s Eve. Get your party on in a similar, if not-
so-messy fashion by upping the ante on shimmery shadows and
embracing sheer glitter, artfully applied of course.

TADASHI SHOJI Eyeshadow in
Backfire (€18)
by Urban Decay

At Carolina Herrera,

makeup artist Diane Kendall

interpreted Herrera’s ‘just out of

the water’ brief by embellishing

models’ eyelashes with glittering

droplets, having prepped lashes with

eyelash glue and sprinkled sparkling

TEMPERLEY LONDON silver glitter on top. At Temperley

London, makeup artist Val Garland RODARTE

got sequin happy in the best way

possible and introduced it onto

models’ lids winging it out almost to

the brow depending on the models’

face shape – with that kind of bare

beautiful dewy skin, groomed brows

CAROLINA HERRERA and nude lips, it’s a much softer rock

WANT TO WEAR IT? and roll look. At Rodarte’s runway
disco, James Kaliardos settled for
Piggott says, “When you do wear strips of Swarovski crystals under
glitter you will be amazed at the the lower lash line in place of liner.
compliments you get.” While Widening the eye and playing with
shimmery products can work to the eye shape. The key to this look
enhance the features of the face, is to keep the rest of your makeup
“it is more sophisticated to focus clean and simple so as to accentuate
on the eye or lip area. It’s always the glitter highlight on your eyes.
good to have either one as the

focal point.” The key to getting it Couture

right is technique. “If you don’t Palette
want to use big pieces of glitter, Collector
apply it through your smokey eye Metal Clash
(€55) by YSL

– the glitter should come through

in the darkest colour. Sometimes

when you try to add it on top of Eye Dust

shadow, it can fall everywhere, so Pigment in
it’s better to do your eyes first and Galaxy (€12.95)
by Fuschia

your face second. Use foundation Eyeshadow in
Sideline (€18)
or primer around the eye and
by Urban
blend it in. Then apply your eye Decay

shadow and take the base off with

an oil-free eye makeup remover or a micellar water. If you find there are still

a few sparkles, use the wand at the end of your eyebrow brush to take it off

or use masking tape before applying your foundation again. You can always

use wet-to-dry products if you struggle with mess. Another way to wear it is

to use a kohl liner with shimmer. Apply it across the upper lashline and then

blend it upwards so you get a soft sparkling smokey eye.” Hypnôse Star mascara in Gold Irresistibly Charming Pigments and

(€27.50) by Lancôme Glitter Holiday Kits (€35 each) by MAC

beautyfragrance

SCMEakNingTS

&MEMORIES

Iconic fragrances that have shaped the last ten decades.

Lizzie Ostrum is a of an era, a portent of unrest, of revolution.
commentator on all things Fashion demonstrates ideas about self-
perfume and goes by the alter expression and acceptability. But perfume?
ego of Odette Toilette. She is A bit trivial, isn’t it? What could it possibly
also the co-host of the popular have to say? We are told that olfaction is
podcast Life in Scents. Here the magic key to unlocking memory, and
she stirs our nostalgia with sometimes we do have a vivid picture
an extract from her new title connected to a particular smell. If we are
Perfume: A Century of Scents lucky, it might be from an idyllic moment in
as she shares the history of childhood, when we had our own treehouse
Ssome of the most iconic and and hosted a tea party for the squirrels; if
enduring fragrances.cent is the silent and we are unlucky, it could be the classroom at
invisible companion school where we got thumped.
that marches through
our history. Sprayed It is in understanding how we respond to
or dabbed on in the scent that we can begin to
mornings as we blink out tell the story of the role this
the sleep in our eyes, and invisible reference point has
more emphatically in the played in the 20th century. A
evenings when it is time to perfume that was the height
be noticed as we go out to of daring 50 years ago and
play, it comes with us as we go about our which stood for everything
lives. Some scents cling, koala-like, to their risqué now moves towards
owners for decades, until death do them frumpiness as the people
part. Others are not so fortunate, getting a we associate with that sort
few years or months, before the next one of smell advance from being
knocks them over the head and steals their Gigis to grannies. It is similar
place. Some become fossilised into a certain to rewatching television
life-stage: My first perfume; college; travel; programmes made 10 years
living in that damp flat that got burgled; ago, which, once so crisp
that weird six months we don’t talk about. and fresh, now look fuzzy and dated.
Scent, depending on who is wearing it
and why, can mean power, emancipation, Scent reflects what is appealing and
beauty, perversion, belonging or escape. It exciting in an era, and our
focus – the
can stand
for a movement, a tribe, a sub- turbulent 20th century – was crucial
culture. Even after a person’s
death, scent in forming fragrance as we know it
offers a resurrection of sorts: We cannot today. It was the century in which we
speak to our loved
one again, but we can decided to
spray scent on our skin
smell their perfume on their clothes, as
if as opposed to our handkerchiefs. It
they have just taken off a favourite jumper. saw certain
smells become gender-
When it comes to the initial sales pitch, specific, defined, and understood
this most puffed-up of products, often as being
suitably ‘masculine’ or of what is commercial and current, or on
commanding eye-watering prices, is ‘feminine’. And it was a century account of regulatory pressures, or because
certainly boastful about its potential. It of escalating chemical innovation. ingredients once readily available are now
needs to be. After all, this is alcohol with Instead of a limited palette of harder or more expensive to obtain.
added bits. natural materials
and fragrance
When we are sold perfume, we are types, perfumers found at their From the visionaries of the 1920s who
accustomed to also being sold the idea of disposal hundreds of
new molecules packaged up perfumes for the Bright Young
a life we will never have. But with models to play with. This led to an explosion of Things – their thrilling, illicit behaviour
lying draped across a lawn, chaise longue, novel smells
and odour effects, such as in olfactory form – every decade of scent
bed or cliff-top, it also sells a mood that the aroma chemical Calone – also known has something to say. Even scents that are
is carefree, untroubled and peaceful. In as watermelon ketone – which in the unfamiliar may be recognisable in the role
enticing us towards this state, 1990s gave rise to all those marine
scents they played during their time. For me, The
there is a nonsense logic all too promising snorkel dives amid the seaweed. Body Shop’s White Musk was the coming-
familiar from screen commercials We may not know the names of these of-age fragrance; for someone 15 years
with their bizarre moodscapes. To materials, but we know their smell once older, that might have been Aqua Manda by
pastiche: ‘She knew his essence. It nestled in a composition. Goya. Whether we’re scent fiends or casual
was theirs. Their moment.’ users, we can all look back and consider
When it roams into la-la When we speak of the 20th century, what we’ve worn and when: the smells that
territory, perfume risks becoming we speak of our own nostalgia. An evoke a person we were dating; a scene we
the next emperor’s new clothes, archaeological dig through the scents of the were once part of. The story of the 20th
more snake-oil even than bottled century through perfume is also the story of
mineral water. Music is the pulse past offers the opportunity for our own personal century of scent.
us to rake over the ones we wore Perfume: A Century of Scents by Lizzie Ostrom is
and perhaps still enjoy, the ones available 22 October by Hutchinson in hardback
our mothers and fathers and
friends have worn, and the ones
we wanted to wear but never
dared. Many of my choices
that are still manufactured
today have been reformulated
– whether discreetly or
dramatically – so they can keep
in step with the market’s notion

beautyfragrance Zen by Shiseido, 1964

No5 By Chanel, 1921 It was 1964, the year in which the Olympics were staged
in Tokyo. Orientalism was back, and this time it was being
Coming up with something original to say about larded with the
Way of Zen, one of the emerging cultural
Chanel No5 is a bit like trying to say something and philosophical interests
of the 1950s and 60s. Cosmetic
original about Hamlet. It is the Everywoman’s products, and in particular fragrance, had long appropriated
choice, becoming whatever is required of it. Eastern aesthetics to sell a beguiling notion of beauty
No5 has the precision of well-cut clothes. founded in ancient rituals and secrets. What was different
Even though it features a basket of familiar about 1964’s Zen was its development by a company that
materials topped with those famous crisp, actually originated in Japan, a company that had a history
aliphatic aldehydes – lemon, bergamot, of cross-cultural inspiration. Zen, a green, rosy incense,
rose, ylang-ylang, jasmine, musk, vetiver which smells uncannily like Granny Smith apples, was
and sandalwood – it is one of the most
difficult to deconstruct into its constituent created specifically for
parts and is more easily compared to other Western markets as a
indulgent products like Champagne and distillation of Japanese
bubble bath, or to gold. beauty culture. Its
point of difference was
Tweed by its muted amplification:
Lenthéric, 1933 A quiet perfume to sell
notions of tranquillity,
Tweed is cut from a different cloth to loftiness and purity.
most other perfumes of the 1930s. In
contrast to all those glamourpot scents – L’Air du Temps by
Passionnement, Indiscret, Shocking – Tweed Nina Ricci, 1948
is practical and hardy, the thing to wear
for a drive with Toad of Toad Hall and a In the 50s L’Air du Temps was to be
picnic hamper of trout pâté and adorned with that famous Lalique cap
oatcakes in the boot. It walks comprising two intertwining doves
us in the opposite direction of – so awkward, and somewhat painful,
the cigarette-fuelled cocktail to wrench off the bottle, but so iconic
party and deep into a rugged of post-war peace and reconciliation.
landscape of mosses, rocky This perfume was certainly not one of
outcrops, dirt and a chill in the those raunchy 1930s scents which
air, which inspired the scent. screamed illicit sex. Instead, L’Air
du Temps was a faithful romantic. A
Opium by Yves soft, wafting, spicy carnation – with
Saint Laurent 1978 a peppery quality – designed to be
discreet and create a subtle aura about
Opium is cannonball of hot, tingling spices and the wearer. Unthreatening, welcoming:
dry, crackling woods that shoots into your nostrils. L’Air du Temps has somehow become
What first set Opium on its path of wickedness the fragrance that says ‘motherly’. Enough
was a carefully constructed image straight out of people wore it and loved it for it to become
Narcotics Anonymous, bolstered by the excesses of stuck on a generation.
its promotional activities. Andy Warhol famously
regretted being out of town for Opium’s coming-out Diorissimo by
party, for which a New York display ship was got Christian Dior, 1956
up like an opium barge and stuffed with 800 guests
including author Truman Capote as captain. The Diorissimo is one of the most famous of
notorious club Studio 54 hosted the after-party. Christian Dior’s perfumes, particularly for
invoking an accurate representation of the
elusive lily of the valley, a scent which cannot
be extracted naturally. Diorissimo is one of
those quintessential spring aromas, as gauzy
as chiffon and poised between soap and sap. It
is a smell complementary to sprouting bulbs,
wet grass in the morning and the tweeting
of birds. This scent is what you might call
pretty and wholesome, not saucy at all, and
a perfect correlation to Dior’s clothing, which
was about modest, appealingly feminine lines.
Dior loved nothing more than his simple set-
up in Fontainebleau, which revolved around
cultivating fruit trees, making raspberry
liqueur and treading through his favourite
lilies of the valley in the woods.

beautynews

DEREK LAM EARTH
GODDESS
Take inspiration from the winter landscape and
use it to elevate your smokey eye from staid to Eyeshadow in Scene
soft. Your cue comes courtesy of Derek Lam’s (€16.50) by MAC
desert-inspired palette, where makeup artist
Tom Pecheux for MAC used earthy, gravel Eyeshadow in Coquette
tones culminating in a “soft and graphic” look (€16.50) by MAC
to seduce on the catwalk. To recreate this look,
Pecheux says, “I used Scene and Coquette eye
shadows mixed together and gently packed
over the lid to create a soft, almond-shaped
wing. The shadow was then dragged through
the outer corner of the lower lash line to
elongate and subtly lift the eye. Lashes were
curled and left beautifully bare.” Lips take a
back seat with this toned down look. “Use a
concealer pressed into moisturised lips with
fingertips to mute natural lip colour to finish.”

RED FLAG
We’re a total sucker for drool-worthy
MBEAUATYKEUP packaging and the new lipstick collection
from shoe designer, Christian Louboutin,
The best of what’s new. By is certainly a conversation starter
Jessica O’Sullivan. powdering your nose in the ladies. The
Lip Colour Collection (€80) offers
IT TAKES TWO DECADENTTOUCH Louboutin’s signature red shade as well as
two other rouge beauties in a sleek case
In an exciting collaboration, nail experts If you have yet to dip your toe into the Marc Jacobs fragrance that mirrors his iconic stiletto. Louboutin
Nails Inc and fashion label Alice + Olivia collection then pop your cherry with Decadence says, “With its slow, circular application,
have come together to bring us two covetable (EDP 30ml/€62.20). This is grown up, opulent and entirely lip makeup becomes a rich and sensual
nail collections for autumn winter 2015. The different to anything he’s done before. The rose and plum gesture. Whether accentuating or
single shades (€17) tick two very important notes give it a sweet feminine hit at first mattifying the lips, this little object has
boxes: They’re on trend and are everyday sniff, but as it dries down, woody notes mix the ability to transform the entire face.”
wearable. Tones are rich and romantic and with amber and vetiver to elevate it to a This collection is not to be missed.
work well together if you fancy attempting more sophisticated level. It’s the finishing
this season’s chic take on nail art. A reverse touch you’ll want to add to your LBD. Three new...
French mani in aubergine with a creamy latte
tip? Sounds divine. Creative designer at Alice DULL MOMENT PERFECT PRIMERS
+ Olivia, Stacey Bendet says, “This season the
collection is about personal expression, bold Greige may not sound like the most 1The Eyeshadow
femininity and glamour.” You can also pick up exciting of colours, unless of course Bobbi Primer Potion (€23)
a kit of four mini polishes (€35). by Urban Decay really
Brown sprinkles her own brand of magic has no equal and now it’s
over it. In her new Greige collection, got nifty new packaging.
a variety of earthy shades, from You like? Pop this on and
golden ivories to forest browns expect indestructible,
and greens, complete our autumn all-day eye makeup.
update. The stand out product?
The Intense Pigment Eye Liner in 2Airbrush Away Primer
(€22) by No7 has a
Forest (€33.50) offers the perfect lineup light-diffusing base with
of winter hues. Wear powdered and soft, or wet hyaluronic acid to lock in
your liner brush to sharpen and define your line. moisture. Not only does it
erase pores but it plumps
your visage too.

3Kill many birds with
one stone with the
HD Corrective Primer in
yellow (€26) by Inglot. A
hard-working multi-tasker,
this smoothes skin, absorbs
oil, neutralises redness and
hides purple undertones.



beautyfeature

MThOe DERN

CLASSIC
REVLON ADVERT, 1949 DUTY CALLS
BLUGIRL
In ancient Egyptian times, the colour
Nails are going back to basics with classic trends polish a person wore on their nails
from the golden era of nails – the 30s, 40s and signified which class they belonged
50s – on everyone’s tips this season. Jessica to – lower classes often wore light
O'Sullivan looks back at what’s informing today. nude shades while the rich wore,
you’ve guessed it, red. Much like
Even back in 3,000 BC, painted nails were a sign of style and red lipstick, the classic red nail has
sophistication. Members of the royal dynasties of China always been in fashion, and from the
favoured painting their nails red, black and even gold. But 30s to the 50s most women would
it wasn't until glossy car paint was created in the 1920s and never be seen outside the home
Michelle Ménard, a makeup artist working at Revlon, had the brilliant without their preferred accessory
idea to apply it to nails, that nail polish became the phenomenon as we – red polish. In the later half of the
know it today. Up until the 20s, nail polish was transparent, but in 1932, 30s, as movies were rolled out in
Revlon launched a groundbreaking new polish that used pigments instead vibrant Technicolor, women longed
of dyes to colour the nails, which allowed for a new opaque lacquer to emulate the signature glamour of
and the high-shine red nail was born. Like most catwalk trends today, screen sirens such as Rita Hayworth,
inspiration comes from the past and this season nail artists are taking whose rounded red lips and long red
inspiration from the classic styles favoured in the years that spanned the talons defined beauty in the 1940s.
30s to the 50s. “For the last couple of years, over-the-top nail art has But, to some nails weren’t merely a
been the biggest story, but in answer to that women are now looking for means to keep up with the Joneses.
something more pared back and a little more sophisticated,” says Rita During World War II women were
Remark, celebrity manicurist and Global Lead Educator at Essie. “If you encouraged and even applauded for
look back to the 30s and 40s, women had beautifully manicured nails continuing to wear lipstick and nail
and chose one signature shade which, for the most part, was red.” polish, while labouring in factories,
carrying out the work of the men who
RITA HAYWORTH IN 1 were away serving at the front. Their
BLOOD AND SAND, 1941 task: To keep femininity alive and
show the boys that the values they
1 Miracle Gel 2 were fighting for were still unchanged
Nail Polish at home. Not an easy task considering
in Red Eye supplies and cosmetic ingredients
(€13.49) by became scarce and many factories
Sally Hansen had to contribute to the war effort
2 Vernis in by making dye markers for the navy
Love Parisian and manufacturing hand-grenades for
Inspiration the army rather than polish. Even so,
by Caroline shiny manicured nails were a must
de Maigret for every woman seen to be doing her
(€19.50) by patriotic duty. While there’s no doubt
Lancôme that matte nails are having a moment
today, high shine is still what most
women want with the popularity of
Shellac and gel nails showing no sign
of abating. “Everyone wants that
gloss effect to their polish at home.
Shiny nails usually mean healthy
nails, so regardless of colour the shine
is what completes the manicure,” says
nail expert Pamela Laird. “For super
shiny nails at home try Sally Hansen
Miracle Gel range, which has just
relaunched its plumping top coat and
is activated by UV light.”

BLUGIRL FINDING SHADE REVLON ADVERT, 1943

SEEING RED It wasn't just variations on red that were
fashionable at the time. Coordinating your
Through these decades, women tips with your clothing was en vogue and the
sparkle of the roaring 20s Gatsby era saw
from every class and occupation silver and gold rise in popularity, echoed this
season at Mary Katranzou. From the 1920s,
endeavoured to maintain painted nails were worn long with an oval tip, a shape
that carried through to the 1950s, “In those
nails matched to lips in shades of days, nails were worn in the traditional ‘Cutex
advert’ shape which was long and oval,”
red and pink, wines and corals explains Laird. “If you want to try this shape,
keep your nails a medium length and curve
finished with a high-shine, colourless your free edge into a soft point. However, MICHAEL VAN DER HAM
today, metallics work really well on a short
topcoat. This trend was seen at square nail. There are a lot of textured polishes
coming through for autumn winter this year.
Blugirl at New York Fashion Week In fact, Chanel is launching a gold foil polish
as part of its winter collection.” As red took
where high-shine nails and lips were over as the colour to sport, deep pink hues
were also favoured as an alternative to the
matched exactly for double impact ubiquitous crimson shade. Moving into the 40s
2 and paired with retro curls. This as formulations became more sophisticated
and colour options grew, dark green, blue
red-on-red trend was tweaked at the and black were also on offer, should a women
want to match her tips to her evening gown.
Carolina Herrera show where Essie Today dark nails are still on trend – just look
to Proenza Schouler and Michael van der Ham
nails instead matched the red – but are to be worn short and sporty. “Short
nails have made a comeback in a big way,”
hue in the collection. “Your red says Laird. “For me, dark green is the new
black, so try Le Vernis Vert Obscur by Chanel,
lipstick and nail polish don’t which is a deep green, almost black shade

have to be an exact match, but to really go
modern-retro.
they should be shades that are Don’t think
perfection,
complementary. In the show, half think undone MARY KATRANTZOU
nails – looking
of the models wore a bight red, like not too

Forever Yummy, paired with a much effort
has been
raspberry red lip which worked made.”

4 really well together,” explained TATTOO ADVERT, 1947
Essie manicurist Michelle

CUTEX ADVERT, 1948 Saunders. “It’s a
modern take on a

classic look.”

1 Breathable Soft Matte PROENZA SCHOULER
Nail Enamel in 535 (€15)
by Inglot 2 Color Show 60 Seconds Complete Color Riche Le Vernis in
Nail Polish in Power Red Super Shine in Salon Manicure Nail Polish Vert Obscur
(€5.99) by Maybelline Your Majesty in Kimono (€23.50) by
3 Nail polish in A List in Spruce Up Empire (€7.49) Chanel
(€9.99) by Essie 4 La (€4.99) by (€8.95) by Sally by L'Oréal
Laque in Seeing Red Rimmel
(€10.49) by Bourjois Hansen Paris

CUTEX ADVERT, 1954
CHANEL COUTURE

GRAND DESIGN REBECCA MINKNOFF Nail Enamel Miracle Gel Nail Nail polish in
in Gold Coast Polish in Game of Allure (€9.99)
As all things art deco became au (€8.99) by Revlon Chromes (€13.49)
courant in the 20s, the favoured by Sally Hansen by Essie
geometric design found its way onto
nails in the form of the half-moon DELPOZO PAINTERLY WAYS
mani. To achieve this shape the middle
of the nail was filled out with colour, WES GORDON The negative space trend, whether it's a
while the tip and cuticle were left simple half-moon manicure or a square in
bare leaving a half-moon shape. This the centre of the nail, is here to stay.
trend was still very popular in the 30s “If trying this at home, make sure
and echoes of this effort to play with you choose a design that suits your
negative space were seen at the Rebecca nail shape,” advises Laird. “If you
Minkoff autumn collection, where have square-shaped nails, choose a
Essie manicurist Michelle Saunders square design and if you have round
painted nails nude, while tips were nails choose a curved design.” To
pointed and painted black and red in achieve the naked-moon mani Laird
a modern “naked-moon mani.” “Nail advises, “Choose a red like Rouge
art today isn’t about overloading the Pop Art (€24) by YSL. Leave a gap
nail,” explains Saunders. “It’s much at the cuticle when painting, then go
more sophisticated this season. It’s back with an old lip brush, dipped in
about playing with geometric shape some polish remover and sweep out
and colour in a minimalist way. Using in a semi-circular shape.”
negative space, which is the nude nail
underneath, and adding to it, such as
at Delpozo where I added a gold stripe
down the centre of the nail. Simple and
elegant, but with a hint of fun.”