The 1970s marked a dramatic shift in American beauty culture. Gone were the powdered faces and sculpted bouffants of the 1960s. In their place emerged a new ideal: sun‑kissed skin, athletic bodies and a lifestyle built around tanning, dieting and California‑coast vitality. Beauty was no longer something applied — it was something lived. This decadeContinue reading “1970s Beauty: The Era of Tanning + Dieting”
Category Archives: Beauty
The night Yves Saint Laurent Shocked Paris, and Re-wrote the Rules of Fashion w/ His 1971 Scandal Collection
On January 29, 1971, little did Yves Saint Laurent knew, he would be walking into the history books — and at the exact same time, straight into a firestorm. His Spring/Summer haute couture show, later known simply as “The Scandal Collection,” was unlike anything Paris had ever seen. It wasn’t elegant. It wasn’t polite. ItContinue reading “The night Yves Saint Laurent Shocked Paris, and Re-wrote the Rules of Fashion w/ His 1971 Scandal Collection”
House of Dior Fires Yves Saint Laurent: The Scandal That Shook Paris Fashion (Part One)
Imagine going to bed in Paris, knowing or at the very least thinking everything was right in the world, in Paris, in fashion, only to wake up to startling news. It was the kind of headline that didn’t nor should it belong in the world of couture — a world built on elegance and carefullyContinue reading “House of Dior Fires Yves Saint Laurent: The Scandal That Shook Paris Fashion (Part One)”
Second Empire Beauty + Empress Eugénie (1850s–1870s): French Beauty History
French beauty during the Second Empire was defined by spectacle — a world where appearance became a form of political theatre. No figure embodied this more fully than Empress Eugénie, whose influence shaped beauty culture across Europe. Her signature look — the luminous complexion, the smooth centre‑parted hair, the soft oval silhouette — became theContinue reading “Second Empire Beauty + Empress Eugénie (1850s–1870s): French Beauty History”
Chanel vs. Balenciaga: Two Masters, Two Methods
Chanel and Balenciaga stand as two of the most influential forces in twentieth‑century fashion, each re-shaping the industry through entirely different philosophies. Their legacies continue to define how designers think about silhouette, structure and the purpose of clothing. Chanel approached design through reduction. Her work was built on clarity, comfort and a belief that eleganceContinue reading “Chanel vs. Balenciaga: Two Masters, Two Methods”
Elizabeth Taylor: Beauty Icon Who Originated the Modern Cat‑Eye
Elizabeth Taylor didn’t just wear the cat eye; she defined it. Long before the look became a 1960s beauty staple, Taylor’s almond‑shaped, violet eyes were framed by a dramatic, elongated liner that became her signature. While the cat eye make-up look existed in Hollywood before her, Taylor transformed it from a make-up technique into aContinue reading “Elizabeth Taylor: Beauty Icon Who Originated the Modern Cat‑Eye”
