World Wide Web of Galliano
John Galliano’s pricey logo saddlebags and “ghetto fabulous” fashions for Christian Dior have made the luxury French design house cool again. And now, he is believed to be the first couturier to specially design a line sold exclusively on the Internet. The collection of casual sportswear--created for the online shopping site ELuxury.com.--is “highly covetable but 50% cheaper,” at prices of $110 to $650, said the Gibraltar-born designer when announcing his venture.
His swimsuits, T-shirts, pants, dresses and accessories have only been available for a couple of weeks, but they are already “doing really well,” according to a spokesman for ELuxury.com.
Over the years, Galliano has been known for his edgy shows, which have featured models clothed like Masai warriors and bag ladies. Using that imagination online, he has created “Galliano’s Girls,” animated, comic-book-type heroines drawn in a style reminiscent of an Antonio Lopez fashion illustration.
The Barbie-like figures lead customers through the designer’s online boutique and are incorporated into a colorful print--available in three colors--that has a digital look. Other pieces, such as a black turtleneck with lace sleeves, are more sedate.
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So many beauty books are “penned” by celebrities who usually have their makeup done by someone else or by professionals pushing products. One exception is “Beauty: The New Basics” (Workman, $19.95), written by Rona Berg, a journalist who has been covering beauty for 15 years for a variety of publications, including Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan and the New York Times Magazine.
The easy-to-read, 400-page guide is a no-nonsense primer that separates the real from the hype. Berg provides make-over pictures of real people, of all ages and ethnicities (who happen to work in her publisher’s office), and some science, such as how-tos for decoding ingredient labels, and a glossary of beauty terms from Accutane to witch hazel.
“What works for Tyra Banks and Cindy Crawford isn’t necessarily going to make an impact in my life,” Berg says, explaining her approach during a recent interview. “I want to show women how makeup can make them look more like themselves.”
Berg herself has an understated look. At 43, her pale skin is in such good shape that she could pass for a woman in her late 30s, and has. During her trip, a doorman at the uber-trendy Standard Hotel mistook Berg for 35-year-old actress Julianna Margulies. Her makeup doesn’t stand out, except for the red-stained lips (Bobby Brown’s “Fierce”) and a couple of small, under-eye mascara smears, no doubt brought on by the humid L.A. day.
Berg has a heavy-duty makeup box filled with every product imaginable--props for her book tour. But her personal, purse-sized beauty kit is more tightly edited. In the book, she may emphasize that drugstore brands can work as well as department-store brands, but most of her personal choices are designer lines. Powder is one thing worth spending money on, she says, patting a cloud of her Shiseido pressed powder on the back of her hand. The more expensive ones, she says, can last as long as two years because the powders are packed tight.
Another worthy investment is Kiehl’s eye cream, which should always be applied with the fourth finger. “It tugs the least,” Berg said. Laura Mercier’s “secret camouflage” under-eye concealer (about $20) has “total staying power.” When in doubt about an expensive product, she suggests sampling--most cosmetic counters provide samples when asked.
Instead of blush, Berg likes to carry a Nars multiple-use stick in “Malibu,” which can be used to give a sheer, healthy pink glow to lips, eyes and cheeks. When she does wear lipstick, she fills in her lips with lip liner first--the secret to making color stay put. For lip and eyeliners, a drugstore brand such as Wet n’ Wild is fine, she said. “They aren’t quite as emollient as department-store brands, but they’re 99 cents.”
No room to carry both lipstick and lip liner? When Berg totes a tiny evening bag, she gets by dabbing some lipstick onto her MAC lip brush at home and only taking the brush with her. (Just make sure the brush has a cap.)
The tips just keep on coming about hair care, plastic surgery, spa treatments, skin care and more. Things that only stay on the face for a few seconds shouldn’t cost a lot, Berg insists. Cetaphyl (about $5 at drugstores) is a good cleanser for most skin types, and masks can be made at home from recipes in the book.
Exfoliation is the missing link for most women. Scrubbing the face a few times a week helps skin absorb moisture, evens texture and removes surface debris, Berg said. As for scientific-sounding alpha-hydroxy acids, peels and Retin-A’s, only women over 35 need bother. They all essentially do the same thing as scrubs anyway, Berg said. Exfoliate the body every day with a dry brush and you can skip body lotions altogether, Berg said. “You are stimulating the oil glands to naturally moisturize.”
