eyesing

The Conclusion Of Pat McGrath Week

This is it the final Pat McGrath Christian Dior post... are you excited? I am.

Christian Dior Spring Ready to Wear 2007

I wonder if all the models and makeup artists are all, "Thank f#@k I won't walk out after this job covered in tiny triangles of glittery adhesive paper" when they do a natural look.

Christian Dior Spring Couture 2007

So John was up to his old clash of the cultural titans (Madame Butterfly and Dior) trick again... I've talked about this masterpiece of a collection here

Christian Dior Fall Ready to Wear 2007

Brows and lips fit for a Hollywood diva.

Christian Dior Fall Couture 2007

This collection celebrated the 60th anniversary of Christian Dior at Versailles. For clothing that meant lots of references to the wasp-waisted New Look. For makeup that meant an unbelievable array of individual looks. And the hats such glorious hats... Reminds me of the Christian Dior turban I almost owned.

Christian Dior Spring Ready to Wear 2008

Meh... although how can you top the Fall Couture collection?

Christian Dior Spring Couture 2008

Colour! Colour! Colour! Sequins! Sequins! Sequins! Feathers! Feathers! Feathers! All stuck to the models faces.

Christian Dior Fall Ready to Wear 2008

Dior does Valley of the Dolls. Green dress means green shoes, green handbag, green eyeshadow and great thumping big falsies. Blue dress means blue shoes, blue handbag, blue alice band, blue eyeshadow and you know the rest. Repeat.

And that brings us to the conclusion of our Pat MGrath for Christian Dior retrospective. I hope you've enjoyed the show.

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. That's the sound of me taking a bit deep exhalation.

More Pat McGrath 2005 - 2006

Spring 2005 Ready to Wear

Instead of the usual ethnic hypercolour on crack garb, Galliano produced a collection of "wearable" clothing this season.

Christian Dior Spring Couture 2005

Say goodbye to global crazy and hello to tasteful Edie Sedgwick and Josephine does dinner with her hubby Napoleon.

Christian Dior Fall Ready to Wear 2005

More tasteful, wearable fashion means almost wearable makeup...

Christian Dior Fall Couture 2005

Galliano's tour through the Christian Dior archives led Pat McGrath on a historical makeup journey.

Christian Dior Spring Ready to Wear 2006

Veeery simple, pretty faces to go with a softer look for Dior.

Christian Dior Spring Couture 2006

It's all a bit Marie Antoinette after a few months widow capet.

Christian Dior Fall Ready to Wear 2006

Now it's Marie Antoinette as a rock chick.

Christian Dior Fall Couture 2006

Hello plundering French history for well-dressed women of note. This time it's Joan of Arc.

Pat McGrath Month - Installment 4

Christian Dior Spring Couture 2004

I've yapped about this breathtaking collection before.

Christian Dior Fall Ready-to-Wear 2004

Galliano's mode melange for this season? According to style.com "illustrated Vogue covers from the 1900s, using them as a route through to the Edwardiana/teddy boy revival of the 1950s." And fashion scribe, Sarah Mower gave him a rap over the knuckles for being predictable...

Christian Dior Fall Couture 2004

With the Austro-Hungarian Empire as inspiration for zee clozzez, the make-up was more Marie Antoinette than kabuki-player-goes-krazy-with-krayola. Still got the exaggerated eyebrows, but no glitter explosions or cardboard stuck on faces.

Pat McGrath Month - Installment 3

There's a pattern here...

Christian Dior Fall 2003

Descriptions of Christian Dior and resultant Pat McGrath makeup consist of a stream of unrelated ethnic or historical references with a "multicoloured" or "technicoloured" thrown in... Example A, style.com review of the 2003 Fall Ready to Wear "fetish queens in Kabuki face paint, going crazy in multicolor Asian-slash-18th-century clothes."

Christian Dior Fall Couture 2003

Flamenco showgirls in bedazzled hats perform hypercolour kabuki lunacy

Christian Dior Spring 2004

An exhibition of Marlene Dietrich's clothing inspired this collection. "It was Marlene," explained the designer. "But then I thought, who would she be today? Marianne Faithfull, Janis Joplin, Courtney Love, Patti Smith!"

Pat McGrath Month - Installment 2

Christian Dior Fall Couture 2002

John Galliano's road trip around the US inspired this collection. After ransacking Hollywood movie studio archives the designer asked himself, "How would Kate Moss wear this? To me, she’s today’s equivalent of the great Hollywood glamour icons." For makeup that meant Tinseltown sequins, Marlene Dietrich lips and fight-scene smoky eyes

Christian Dior Spring Ready to Wear 2003

The makeup for this collection is all about glamour glamour glamour... sound familiar? Magnificent none the less, and the exaggerated eyebrows, sequins and feathers are starting to feel like signatures.

Christian Dior Spring Couture 2003

Research trip to China and Japan this time, which meant Chinese circus performers opened the show, there was a run on turquoise brocade in Paris and the make up was Betty Boop geisha on acid.

When John met Pat they made beautiful glitter babies together

I'm declaring today Pat McGrath Day, a national holiday in honour of John Galliano's right hand lady of false eyelashes, Pat McGrath... although I have so many pictures of her work it may end up being Pat McGrath Fortnight or Pat McGrath Month.

I'd also like to add that I thought it necessary to recognise McGrath's amazing talent. Considering she's one of the world's top make up artists, I suppose she doesn't actually need my help. Regardless, I do find it quite galling when people speak/write in irreverent tones about how beautiful runway models are. Newsflash! All they did was get born, say no to a second helping of cake and walk in a straight line with an air of confidence. If it wasn't for the creativity and skills of hair and makeup people like Pat McGrath, all we would see is a bunch of skinny teenagers with good cheekbones clomping about.

I feel like I'm being a negative, but whatever.

My plan for the next however many days is to post as-many-as-is-digestible-in-one-sitting shots of Pat McGrath's runway make up for Christian Dior. After a while the "Your daily Pat McGrath" category will give deliver a big dose of McGrath glitter-dusted goodness. End result? You'll be gagging for a fancy dress party and checking your diary for available dates.

Christian Dior Fall Couture 2001

Galliano's "Barbie Goes to Tibet" Collection. Can you see it?

Christian Dior Spring Ready to Wear 2002

More globetrotting Galliano, firstly a romantic take on safari chic complete with mosquito net, followed by gold-encrusted Aztec glamazons.

Christian Dior Spring Couture 2002

What you would get if a technicolour cossack KGB agent and a geisha fell in love.

More on Pat McGrath
Time interview
NY magazine Q&A
Teen Vogue in brief
Afrobella props
Pat McGrath is Creative Design Director for Proctor & Gamble