Dirty Pretty Things: The Inspiration

In the new February ie of Vogue, we've paid homage to spring's trend for pretty goths. Goths in spring? Well, yes. The dark side of make-up has unexpectedly emerged on the catwalks, with velvety-white powdered faces, blood-stained lips, lashings of black liquid liner and layer upon layer of mascara. Case in point: Marc Jacobs, a forever-pivotal show, where inspirations were named as Martha Graham; the musical Cabaret and couture, theatrical make-up, to name but a few. Francois Nars, make-up artist extraordinaire, informed us that he and Marc, "wanted to surprise his audience with a graphic but romantic look. Dark lips and dramatic eyes are fun for spring because they are not obvious or expected". The key to this season? Throw out the rule-book and put experimentation on a pedestal.