How Brazil’s Biggest TV Star Conquered Her First Paris Fashion Week
Janelle Okwodu
How Brazil’s Biggest TV Star Conquered Her First Paris Fashion Week
In Paris, I like working with the hairdresser Cyril Auchère, who is never "afraid" to reinvent curly hair like mine. On the contrary, he seems more and more excited and always comes with a passionate suggestion.
Photo: Courtesy Iude Richele
Make-up artist Rebecca Muir and I decided to keep the make-up more relaxed because it’s daylight, and the hair and clothes were so prominent. We used a face oil to create radiant glow as if coming from within the skin; “chili” red colored lipstick with an orange eyeshadow, pressed over the top to make the lips even more matte. Last but not least, a little grease on the eyelid to continue the Parisian vibe.
Photo: Courtesy Taís Araújo
My big "problem" with Balmain is that everything fits so well on me, as my stylist Rita Lazzarotti says. For the show, I chose a set of Spring 2019 collection pieces with a silhouette that looked cut from stone. I love these angular shoulders that jut out from jackets. I almost picked a more dramatic look up, and then I thought its flapping wings might disturb my neighbors in the audience.
Photo: Courtesy Iude Richele
I love Balmain because it is a brand that speaks a global language and, at the same time, communicates with the vision that we, Brazilians, have of femininity. It is not fragile but empowering. It's sexy but in an intelligent way. Brand fans really feel like they belong to a “Balmain Army,” as designer Olivier Rousteing likes to call it.
Photo: Courtesy Iude Richele
I left my suite at The Peninsula Paris at 10:45 a.m., because I hate to be late, and the traffic in Paris is getting more and more chaotic. I Facetimed with my children in Rio before they left for school. My daughter showed me her costumes for Carnival. It starts this Saturday in Brazil, we’re all so excited.
Photo: Courtesy Iude Richele
With my friend Bruno Astuto, Vogue Brazil’s international editor at large.
Photo: Courtesy Iude Richele
At the show, I had the pleasure of sitting next to Shailene Woodley, who told me how Brazilian fans of Big Little Lies are so engaged on social media. Big truth: we are really passionate!
Photo: Courtesy Iude Richele
I really enjoyed the dresses with feathers and transparencies, but I fell in love with the jeans, which received an almost couture treatment with the layers of transparent sequins. Baggy pants also seem to be the big hit of the Parisian fashion season. I cannot wait to put some pairs in my closet: in jeans, vinyl, leather. I’ll be in them!
Photo: Courtesy Taís Araújo
Backstage, I met Olivier, who told me that he cannot wait to go to Brazil for the boutique's opening.
Photo: Courtesy Iude Richele
When I left the venue, I met this amazing guy, Abiah Superstar. It was impossible not to ask for a photo with him. I loved his style!
Photo: Courtesy Iude Richele
After the show, I rushed to my favorite bookstore, Galignani (227, Rue de Rivoli), founded in 1801. I have more and more been trying to read works signed by black female writers. They had historically been neglected by large publishing houses, but, fortunately, that’s not the case anymore. I bought a book I was dying to read: "Mouth Full of blood," a collection of essays, speeches, and meditations from one of the most celebrated and revered writers of our time, Toni Morrison.
Photo: Courtesy Iude Richele
Before going to the airport and back to Brazil, a little pause for lunch at Hôtel Costes. Cheers, au revoir!
Photo: Courtesy Bruno Astuto
Taís Araújo’s Balmain moment has been a long time coming. A fan of Olivier Rousteing’s work since he took the helm at the label in 2011, Araújo has always been eager to see one of the designer’s collections firsthand. But filming her hit show, Mr. Brau, and starring in the Brazilian adaptation of Katori Hall's award-winning play “The Mountaintop” left her with little free time. “I’ve always wanted to come to a Balmain show, but it never happened because of the intense schedule,” shared Araújo, who sat front row at his Fall 2019 show, in Paris. “After three years [performing] in theaters, I decided to take a short break that coincided with Paris Fashion Week—my first ever!”
Photo: Iude Richele
The well-deserved respite brought Araújo back to one of her favorite cities, and gave her a chance to practice her French. “Whenever I can, I come to Paris. I had tried to live here for a while to study,” says Araújo, who rented an apartment in Rive Gauche, on the southern bank of the Seine, before hitting it big. “I used to wander the streets aimlessly and eat in small, unknown bistros—they all serve great food! Unfortunately, 30 days after I got to Paris, Globo TV called me with a big invitation: to be the main character on primetime.” As the first black woman to ever get such an opportunity on Brazilian television, the role thrust her into the spotlight, beginning a career that would make her one of the most recognizable faces in Brazil.
As a boundary-breaker herself, Araújo identifies with Rousteing and his position as the first black creative director of a major French fashion house. “We’re all so proud of him,” says Araújo. “He breaks taboos and [challenges] prejudices in countless ways.” Impressed by both the Fall ready-to-wear and the refinement of the brand’s Spring 2019 Couture collection, Araújo is eager for the Balmain boutique to open its doors in São Paulo this May. Above, she guides Vogue through her fun-filled week in the City of Lights.
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