Beauty and The Brand: Inspiration for my Catwalk Shoots

For my catwalk shoots, I have taken a lot of inspiration from past Givenchy catwalks, as well as the Spring/Summer Trends. I have used many images as reference to my designs, which have helped push my imagination. I knew that I wanted my designs to feel part of their SS 2016 Catwalk, so this was my first reference point. This look was extremely complicated, but also now widely recognised as the face of the Givenchy Catwalk, thanks to Pat McGrath. I thought about how I could use these techniques and style of look to re-imagine a design that I could create, however, I did not want to take the design completely and copy it. I thought about how I could use these textures within the makeup and items that I could apply to the face, and where exactly I would place them. I knew that if I were to create a whole masked face look, it would be unoriginal and too similar to this design. Givenchy have already used a whole face of lace, pearls and even jewels so I knew that it would be too similar. I wanted to challenge myself, so I decided that instead of masking the whole face, I enhance the features of the face with materials. I thought that if I were to line the eye, block in the brow and part of the lip, it would still be within the same style that I needed it to be, but also create the focal point of the look. It would enhance the model's features, rather than conceal them. I also thought about how I could use lace within my look, as this is a material that features throughout Givenchy's designs. I then decided that it would be interesting to have the lace placed on the cheeks of the model, and into the hair. This would bring the hair into the look more, as well as add a little more extravagance to the design. For both designs, I looked at the third image, to reference to when I was deciding on the styling. I think it is important to incorporate materials into the catwalk looks, and found this image interesting. I thought about how I could use this within my designs, and ended up choosing this use of strings of pearls to make a statement neckpiece, to tie in the makeup with the 'clothing'. For my everyday look, which is a lot more subtle than the evening look, I used the pearls as more of a texture to recreate within the makeup. I wanted the makeup to look pearlescent, not necessarily glittery but more of a shine to the skin. I also used the second image to reference to in terms of the skin, which also helped me to picture how a pearl-like skin would work. I particularly liked the use of the wet, glossy eye, so I have decided that this will feature within my design, especially now that it is also a Spring/Summer Trend. I really liked the dewy skin look, and I have previously struggled with this, so I wanted to challenge myself and my skills. The fourth image was inspiration for the day look, as this consisted of a clumpy eyelash look. I thought that this would pair nicely with the wet, glossy eye, and be the statement of the look. I also thought that a bleached brow would comply with the S/S 2016 trends, but also contrast the darkness of the clumpy, spider lashes.