Givenchy Counter

I wanted to try out the products I would be advertising to help me design a look and get a feel for the textures and how the products worked on the skin. I visited the Givenchy counter in Bournemouth, but unfortunately they had already sold out of their Spring La Revalation Originelle Collection that I am basing my daytime shoot around and no longer had any at the counter I could try.  Unfortunately I have already planned my day look, otherwise I would have chosen products from a collection I knew I would be able to get a feel for. However I tried out several of their other products, to help me decide what to focus my evening advertisement on.

I loved the formula of the Ombre Couture Cream Eye Shadow, in the shades #7 (Charcoal Grey) and #N19 (Graphic Bronze). Both of these shades had lovely creamy, pigmented formulas that were blend able yet set down and lasted for hours on my hand. I thought one of these shades would be great to use for my evening ad campaign as both fit in with the other colours I am using in this project, as well as being dramatic enough for use in the evening.

I also tried out the new Blush Memoire Le Forme's from their new Summer collection. These liquid/gel blushes feel like water on the skin. I loved the formula of these blushes, the light texture is perfect for Summer and blends into the skin to look like a natural flush. Even though the colours are bright, they don't look too intense when applied due to their sheer formula.

Another product I am considering for my evening ad look is their Rouge Interdit Vinyl Lipstick. The formula is a shiny, balmy consistency that is glossy and sheer while still providing a lot of colour to the lips. I swatched the Rogue Rebel shade on my hand as red lips were seen at the shows this season so thought this might be a nice shiny take on a relevant trend.

Givenchy Logo

Givenchy has two logos, their brand name in a distinctive font and their instantly recognisable signature of the four G's - seen below. Created by Hubert de Givenchy in 1970, this logo is easily recognisable and has particular associations with Givenchy Beauty as it features on the packaging and is embossed in to their products. I will be using both logos in my project.

Givenchy sales, deals, coupons & promotions Singapore (2015) Available at: https://www.alady.sg/brand/givenchy (Accessed: 25 April 2016).

Catwalk / Givenchy S/S16 NYFW

Givenchy's S/S16 Collection was shown at New York Fashion week to celebrate the opening of a new store and to pay homage the 14 year anniversary of the terror attacks of 9/11. The ready to wear collection itself is very monochromatic, with strong bridal influences coming through in the white lace gowns and embellishments. Texture was clearly key with a huge variety of fabrics being used and additions such as feathers helped to create the ethereal feeling of the show. This softness was balanced with a more industrial setting, the set of the show was made entirely from recycled materials which created a very contrasting enviroment for the designs to be seen. 

 For one of the make up looks seen on the catwalk, Pat Mcgrath created these amazing lace masks to go over the top of the model's already made up faces, which I think give a very fierce yet also ethereal feel to the look. All of the lace masks were different as you can see from the first picture above, but my favourite has to be the mask pictured bottom right. I love the way the pearl design visible underneath is almost tribal in pattern, but the way the lace sheaths it adds a softness to the face. There were definite hints of metallics, in particular gold in the embellishments and jewellery and some of the white dresses even had champagne coloured detailing.

 

This heavily embellished look is the second created by Pat Mcgrath for the show. Metallics and Embellishments are very on trend for spring and summer and these studded masks pick up on the gold accents in the collection perfectly. Pat says that 'Riccardo wanted a softness, but also a strangeness' which I think it achieved in this collection through a new, weird take on a bridal, ethereal look. 

The models without masks seen on the catwalk were kept very simple with just a little concealer, brown mascara and a smudge of greyish brown on the lids. The models brows were bleached to give a slightly supernatural effect and the end result is somehow delicate yet not too pretty. Only two models wore a dark, vampy vinyl lip colour - one of the only pops of colour in the collection. This is something I absolutely love from this show, the berry lip works perfectly with the mostly monochrome theme of the collection and I love the sunken definition of the taupe shadow in the sockets. 

Makeup artist Pat McGrath on the story behind Givenchy’s extraordinary face masks(2015) Available at: http://www.vogue.com/13334646/givenchy-spring-2016-face-masks-beauty-pat-mcgrath-backstage-models/ (Accessed: 18 February 2016).

Young, K. and Director, B. (2015) Fierce face lace at Givenchy SS16. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/make-up/beauty-Givenchy-SS16/ (Accessed: 18 February 2016).

Edit reference

Hybrid beauty: Of jewelled faces and masks(2016) Available at: http://www.webelieveinbeauty.com/belleza-wwbb/cat-belleza/981-hybrid-beauty-of-jewelled-faces-and-masks.html (Accessed: 18 February 2016).

Riccardo Tisci

Riccardo Tisci was born in 1974 in Taranto, Italy. After studying at Design Istituto d’Arte Applicata he went on to study at London's Central Saint Martins Academy before graduating in 1999. In 2005, he became the Creative Director for Givenchy womens haute couture and ready-to-wear lines, before being handed the menswear and accessories lines in 2008. Tisci has a fascination with space age minimalism which I find really interesting as I love minimal style and design. He is also known for adding Gothic touches to all of his collections and the two concepts together have made for some very exciting designs. Since taking over Givenchy, he has pushed the brand creatively in a more youthful, avant garde direction while his use of fabrics and gothic touches keep the collections classically recognisable as Givenchy. Givenchy is know for it's usually cool toned and monochromatic palette and in Tisci's opinion, 'Black is always elegant. It is the most complete colour in the whole world, made of all the colours in the palette.'

Riccardo Tisci (2016) in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riccardo_Tisci (Accessed: 25 April 2016).
top, B. to (2016) Riccardo Tisci x NikeLab – ‘Training Redefined’ (Novas Imagens). Available at: http://thehypebr.com/categoria/lifestyle/ (Accessed: 25 April 2016).

Nicholas Degennes

Nicholas Degennes is the Artistic Director of Givenchy Beauty. His love for art and beauty began at age 16, in Paris. His route into the industry came from working as the make up artist for the band On Stage. He was then hired by a French TV Channel, Canal + and was promoted quickly from head make up artist to artistic director for the channel. His philosophy about make up is all about having the freedom to express yourself and be who you want to be, something that is obvious from the wide range of elegant but fun campaigns he has worked on for Givenchy. His biggest inspirations come from travel, particularly from Asia and Morocco, saying that his Spring 2009 collection was heavily inspired by the colours of Bollywood. He describes beauty as ever changing, which is why he is also inspired by Sci Fi influences and recent innovations. This is seen clearly through is work with Givenchy and the release of the innovative Phenomen' Eyes mascara.

Nicolas Degennes: Beauty interviews (2014) Available at: http://beautyinterviews.com/interviews/nicholas-degennes/ (Accessed: 18 February 2016).
Articles à propos de Nicolas Degennes sur bioutibox.be (2011) Available at: https://bioutibox.wordpress.com/tag/nicolas-degennes/ (Accessed: 18 February 2016).

Givenchy La Révélation Originelle for S/S16

LET THERE BE LIGHT...

AND THERE WAS LA RÉVÉLATION ORIGINELLE!

WITH THIS NEW COLLECTION, NICOLAS DEGENNES TELLS THE STORY OF HOW AN ANGELIC BEAUTY IS CREATED. AN IDEA OF INNOCENCE WITH UNIVERSAL VITALITY. THE GIVENCHY WOMAN WILL DEFINE HER OWN AURA, LIKE AN ENHANCING HALO TO REVEAL HER ZEST FOR LIFE. THE LIGHT OF THE DIVINE, THE LIGHT OF THE DIVA.

This is the description of the collection from Givenchy's website. I love this the look of this collection and while some of the colours used (the yellow cream shadow) aren't to my personal taste, the blue in particular is in keeping with S/S16 trends. I particularly love the idea of etherial beauty for Spring and I can see a clear link between this collection and the make up used on the catwalk for the Ready to wear show. I would like to focus on the highlighting powder as the theme between all of my looks with be the glowing, freckled and natural skin that was seen on all the the catwalks this season. The idea of using greys and browns to define the eyes really appeals to me as it is softer and less harsh than black. 

Givenchy's latest beauty collection La Révélation Originelle for S/S16 consists of: 

Givenchy Le Prisime Blush: A quad of blush colours (peachy orange, soft pink, bubblegum pink and coral) that can be used individually or blended together. 

• No.41 Lune Rose – peachy-orange, soft pink, bubblegum pink, coral

Givenchy Poudre Lumiere Originelle: A highlighting powder designed without shimmer, to give a fresh pearlescent glow to the skin.

Givenchy Mister Scrub: A lip scrub in stick form.

Givenchy Mister Gentlebalm: A tinted balm to protect your lips from the sun and moisturise while enhancing the natural colour. 

Givenchy Ombre Couture: Cream shadows released in on trend colours for this Spring/Summer, pale blue and vibrant yellow.

• No.15 Bleu Celeste – light blue
• No.16 Jaune Aurora – citrus yellow

Givenchy Liner Couture: A defining liner in a soft brown shade.

• No.2 Brown – brown

Givenchy Phenomen' Eyes Mascara: Givenchy's cult classic mascara released in a grey shade for Spring and Summer.

• No.3 Deep Grey – dark grey

Givenchy Le Vernis: A rose tinted polish for fresh pastel nails. 

• No.29 Rose Halo – soft pink

YSL savage escape summer 2016 collection(2015) 21 December. Available at: http://www.fashionisers.com/perfumes-makeup/givenchy-la-revelation-2016-makeup/ (Accessed: 18 February 2016).

Tavia (2016) Givenchy Smokey eye makeup. Available at: http://chicprofile.com/tag/givenchy (Accessed: 18 February 2016).

Tavia (2015) Givenchy la revelation Originelle collection spring summer 2016. Available at: http://chicprofile.com/givenchy-la-revelation-originelle-collection-spring-summer-2016 (Accessed: 18 February 2016).

Ethos of Givenchy

The ethos of a brand is their identity, what they stand for, what they want their brand to say. This plays a huge role in the selling of products, as it helps a consumer identify with and idolise the brand, meaning that the brand will obtain a prestige reputation and the products they create will sell themselves just by carrying that brands name. We submerge ourselves in the image of that brand, it creates a way for the consumer to feel 'included' in the lifestyle the brand is promoting.

Since it was established in 1952, the Givenchy brand has evolved and been under the influence of some of the worlds most celebrated designers. When the brand began Givenchy's vision was that of light separates collection featuring floor length skirts and light blouses, including one named after model of the moment Bettina Graziani. In 1954, Givenchy was the first to present his own luxury couture line. The ethos of the brand is clear when looking over past collections, you notice that at the heart of everything is classic, French style and elegance. Although over the past decade Riccardo Tisci has pushed the brand creatively and has begun to bring avant-garde elements into the design of the clothes and make up, the fundamental shapes, colours and fabrics used and the feel of the collections is still in keeping with Hubert de Givenchy's original vision. Knowing the history of the brand has proved invaluable as without this knowledge it wouldn't have been possible for my designs to fit in with the brands usual aesthetic. When looking over the Givenchy brand as a whole, I took several things in to consideration. I looked at the colours, fabrics and shapes that the brand is famous for, as well as analysing the different sides of the brand, some more elegant, some more grungy, some modern and pop punk inspired.The aim of the Givenchy Beauty line is to provide luxuriously packaged, high end cosmetic products that are innovative and on trend, featuring the latest colours and textures from each season. Givenchy Beauty is all about having fun with your make up and fragrance which the brand demonstrate with their creative seasonal collections and ad campaigns that reflect current trends.