Dior Takes Marrakech With Hair and Makeup Hacks to Beat the Heat
From the streets of Old Havana to the contemporary art museums of Rio de Janeiro, Cruise shows have become studies in production one-upmanship. For her latest resort collection, sandwiched between Christian Dior’s Fall, Haute Couture, and Spring shows in Paris, Maria Grazia Chiuri raised the bar ever higher by bringing the French house's faithful to Marrakech, taking over the impressive ruins of the 16th century El Badi Palace. Shailene Woodley, Lupita Nyong'o, and Jessica Alba sat front row. Diana Ross played the after-party. And almost 100 models walked around the clay courtyards as fire pits raged and the sun dipped below a few passing rain clouds.
Just hours earlier, the same model corps arrived for hair and makeup, which needed to withstand 95-degree weather and the blistering sun. “We’ve been here since 11,” makeup artist Peter Philips revealed backstage between occasional flips of a handheld fan. Tasked with preserving an unadorned application of Dior’s Backstage Face & Body Foundation for what he called “a beauty statement, not a makeup statement,” Philips pulled out a professional product mainstay to beat the heat.
“I kind of forget about primer,” Philips explained, sharing the sentiments of pretty much every woman in the world. “But it really helps your foundation stick,” he continued of Dior’s forthcoming Backstage Face & Body Primer, a gel-like, blurring formula that he paired with a swipe of waterproof mascara—another melt-proof beauty hack —and little else. Guido Palau echoed the same ease in the hair, which was meant to “celebrate each girl,” according to the hairstylist, who kept curls curly and braids neatly plaited while fashioning a handful of “easy, messy” knots punctuated by thick pieces of the locally made fabrics used in the collection.
“Maria Grazia worked with a lot of African and Moroccan artisans,” Philips noted, emphasizing how important it was to the designer to embrace Marrakech’s makers culture when conceiving the show. With its bustling souks filled with towering baskets and jars of loose pigments and kajal stick eyeliners, the city’s rich beauty traditions are similarly inspiring. And there was a moment, Philips admits, when the idea of smudging a thin rim of black pigment around models’s lids did come up in conversation. “But it would have become a different story,” he continued, deciding instead on a more natural look that showcased Chiuri's stunning dresses in bright prints and delicate lace. He did make sure that half of his team was made up of local makeup artists, however, and that the final look was designed to put the focus on the show’s casting. “There are girls from all over walking,” said Palau, a statement that wasn’t lost on the girls themselves. “I never thought a show would come to Morocco,” exclaimed London-based model Nora Attal, whose parents are both from north of Marrakech, near Tangier. “It feels good to be here,” she continued. “I feel like I’m home.”
