Dior & I

  

Today I did something I’ve never done before. I visited the cinema solo, I use the word solo rather than alone because I really didn’t feel alone. The screen room had big seats like sofas and solo cinema goers were dotted around happily waiting for the film to begin, they were playing a Louis Armstrong tune and I felt so at home.

  

Then the film started and I was enraptured from start to finish, Dior and I gives us an insiders view of the ateliers of the house of Dior at 30 Ave. Montaigne in Paris. Everything from the premier atelier cracking open a tub of Haribo to relieve a bit of tension, to the first meeting with new creative director Raf Simons to his first haute couture collection sauntering down the orchid lined runway in 2012.

  

 

There are moments of creative madness like the scene where the designer has a toile spray painted black to get a better visual for the final look and moments of pure inspiration… Raf Simons has the controversial artist Sterling Ruby’s paintings painstakingly printed on fabric using the same methods that Christian Dior used for his amazing prints.

  

I expected a formal film, I expected the nitty gritty to be masked, but the fact that you get to see all of the highs and all of the lows makes this film a small masterpiece like each and every one of the looks in the collection.

  

The ateliers joke that the ghost of Christian Dior roams the place at night, checking their work and I think they might be right as every piece looked exquisite. Raf Simons couldn’t stop exclaiming how sublime everything was, like he was in awe of the haute couture artistry involved in creating his very own designs. 

  

We see a last minute change and a group of ateliers all silently unpicking the sewing work on one dress, we see a final celebratory glass of champagne on the final night before the show, the nerves, the excitement, the arguments, the inspiration, everything. 

My favourite scene from the film is when, moments before the debut show Raf is found alone on a sunny balcony by the show director who tells him there are more cameras, press and celebrities there than ever. Raf asks ‘Isn’t it always like this? I can’t believe it’. Then all of a sudden 8 weeks of settling in, designing a collection, producing it from start to finish, being excited, happy, under pressure, proud, anxious and totally exhausted he throws his head back and tears roll down his cheeks. They’re good tears though, ones that spring from your eyes involuntarily because you’ve ran out of room in your body for all of the wonderful emotions you’re feeling.

  

Such an amazing collection and such an amazing insight, see Dior and I if you can. You won’t regret it.

Love

H

x

Marion Cotillard Lady Dior Fall 2014

Anyone who knows me, even just a little, will know that I tend to crush on anything with a bit of a Parisian vibe but my love for Marion Cotillard verges on infatuation.

She is so unbelievably beautiful in a completely timeless, elegant, classic way. The new Lady Dior Fall 2014 ad campaign is no disappointment, three of the most mesmerising photographs of Marion in the city of lights in the magical night time. The lights of cars speed by and it seems as if the busy city carries on around Ms Cotillard who is frozen in the most exquisitely serene, terribly fashionable moment of fierce womanhood.

The new ad campaign has got me thinking about Marion Cotillard’s long relationship with the impeccable fashion house and here is a little look back at some of her triumphs since 2008.

I hope you enjoy the flashback as much as I do!
Love
H
x

My Minimal Daily Makeup

I’ve made a vow to stop wearing foundation on working days, I don’t like the idea of my pores being clogged up for all those hours. I’m going for a much fresher look and Think it suits the colder weather for my skin to look a little fairer with healthy glow in my cheeks.

I use Mac Pro Longwear Paint Pot on my eyelids and to cover any dark circles beneath my eyes, the colour I use is Soft Ochre and it’s the perfect match for my skin. It gives me a radiant eye look, even on Monday mornings and is a great fixing base under eyeshadows.

To give my brows a bit of shaping and fulness I use a Sleek Brow Kit in Dark that has a pigmented wax and a setting powder. This kit has a really great tone and helps frame my face really well, it also comes with a slanted brush, blending brush and mini tweezers for any stray hairs.

I love this Diorshow mascara by Dior and picked it up at the duty free before a flight to Amsterdam, it’s big soft brush makes application really easy and it makes my eyelashes look full of volume.

Sometimes I wear a flick of black liquid liner on my lids and while I adore that look it’s sometimes a little harsh. When I want a softer eye look I tend to go for shadows and bought this little Champagne Fizz trio from Collection because I love the dusky olive green shade. I apply it to the creases and lash line for a subtle hint of colour.

I always curl my eyelashes to open up my eyes and although I’ve tried more expensive curlers I find these cheap ones to give me the best curl, they can be found in Superdrug, Boots and chemists.

My makeup is not complete without a little dusting of blusher, this shade is called Pixie Pink by Sleek and a little goes a really long way! The shade is very pretty and used sparingly, gives a nice subtle flushed look.

Intense Care Baby Lips by Maybelline is my lip saviour, especially when the weather turns bitterly cold. It’s formula is soothing and not sticky at all, this one has a neutral scent so would be great for the boys too.

Finally, I finish off my pared back look with a couple of coats of Not Just A Pretty Face by Essie, the most perfect pinky nude that never makes me look like I have mannequin hands!

Love
H
x

Raf Simons for Christian Dior

John Galliano spent 15 dramatically wonderful years at Christian Dior, every show a spectacle, every dress an inspiration, in the end though it would seem you can have too much drama. After his last show in a Paris bar in 2011 there would be no more Galliano for Christian Dior.

Enter new head creative director Raf Simons, even with no haute couture experience the fashion world could not wait to see what he would do with our beloved Dior and what he did was really rather beautiful.

 

Raf Simons trawled the Dior archives in preparation for his first show and the vintage influence is clear to see, I love 1950s styling so it really could not have been more perfect for me! If only I could wear gowns like these every day.