Sheer Genius

As I mentioned a few weeks back, designer Thakoon Panichgul is the latest designer to collaborate with Lancôme to create a Pout-à-Porter lipstick. The new lip color was unveiled on September 7th at the Thakoon Spring 2008 fashion show in New York.

Lancôme Artistic Director Gucci Westman describes her inspiration as, “a Japanese girl in Kauai—kind of a surfer look, but much more refined. Thakoon wanted something translucent in a cooler tone—not too light, not too bright. I picked up on the fuchsia from some of the clothes and decided to go with a stain effect. to get the right shade, I started with a beige undertone to neutralize any redness in the lip. Then I added a fleshy, pink tone and mixed it with a blue fuchsia. It’s a creamy stain—not a matte, dry one—with an almost satiny finish. I love that it’s a totally fresh, uncomplicated lip for spring.”

All the models in the designer's show wore the new shade, however they were definitely lacking in diversity – so I can’t say for sure that Thakoon’s contribution to the Pout-à-Porter project will be flattering to all complexions.

The limited-edition lipstick, which has yet to be named, will make its debut in stores in early 2008.

PS, I Love You

What will be on every woman’s lips this fall (the lucky ones, at least)? If beauty buzz is any indication, it’s bound to be Lancome Color Fever Lipstick in P.S. Kiss, the latest runway-inspired shade in the Pout-à-Porter series. Created by Lancome’s Artistic Director Gucci Westman and designer Peter Som for his Fall 2007 runway show, this gorgeous garnet lipstick will be the most sought after scarlet of the season.

“My fall collection was all about rich textures and deep saturated colors – P.S. Kiss is the perfect bold stroke to go with the clothes, but it is still elegant and easy,” says Som.

“Peter is such a gentleman and he’s so talented, so the process was really delightful,” says Westman. “I think the color we came up with is reflective of his clothes – modern and sophisticated, and very pretty.”

On October 1st, P.S. Kiss will be available in limited quantity exclusively at Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman, Lancome’s U.S. boutiques, and lancome-usa.com. The New York Times is reporting that the Bergdorf’s waiting list will open on September 1st, but those in the know have been calling 212.872.2740 for months – putting their names on the pre-waiting list, waiting list.

Thakoon is the next design house to create a Pout-à-Porter lipstick. Following in the footsteps of Proenza Schouler’s Proenza Pink, Behnaz Sarafpour’s Behnaz, and Peter Som’s P.S. Kiss, the shade will debut at the Thakoon spring 2008 runway show at New York Spring Fashion Week runway this September 7, and is due to hit counters early next year.

There’s not much room left on this beauty bandwagon, so if you find yourself sans Som – fret not. Three Custom Color Specialists will custom blend lipstick for you and ship it within a week.