Colour of Allure: Inside CHANEL Beauty’s vision of the past, present and future
L’Officiel Malaysia was flown exclusively to London for the special exhibition.
What exactly is the colour of allure? Is it red, the symbol of confidence and empowerment? Is it pink, the symbol of softness and femininity? Or is it white, the symbol of purity and clarity? CHANEL Beauty’s latest exhibition, The Colour of Allure, delves into the question, exploring the essence of beauty while celebrating the history and innovation of its makeup collection. L’Officiel Malaysia was invited to experience the immersive experience firsthand.
There’s no denying that colour plays an integral part in everything we do, and in beauty, it’s no different. From the shades of your eyeshadow and lipstick to the polish on your nails, hues serve as a statement, a medium for storytelling, and a means to express individuality. Gabrielle Chanel once said: “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different”. The first step towards that distinction? Picking the right shade. “Choosing a colour is always the result of a creative spark, of momentum and movement,” states CHANEL Beauty.
Held atop a building in the heart of London, with a skyline view of iconic landmarks like the London Eye and Thames River, the retrospective began with a room showcasing some of the Maison’s most memorable makeup campaigns, and the accompanying products that defined them. Highlights include the L’Eté Papillon de Chanel look, created in 2013, where bold blue mascara with a tinge of yellow mimicked butterfly wings. “At a time when navy blue was a norm, under the sign of audacity, blue landed on our eyes. It dressed us in a disrupted way.”
Meanwhile, the Les Beiges campaign, highlights the pursuit of naturalness, as the voiceover plays: “All the invisible elements are as important as the ones that we can see”. Le Rouge, arguably one of CHANEL Beauty’s most popular products, also took centre stage — aside from the range of reds which was first introduced in 1924, the space also displayed its first advertisement from 1954.
Next up, we were brought into a room where the brand shifted the limelight towards the Cometes Collective — its curated group of emerging talents that will work hand-in-hand with the CHANEL Makeup Creation Studio. Made up of three makeup artists Ammy Drammeh, Cécile Paravina and Valentina Li (for now), the community will contribute to the development of new collections and shape the future of beauty. When asked about what they think of the Gen Zs' approach to makeup, Valentina Li says: “The way they experiment and react to colour is really positive, and how they leverage social media to push it forward is admirable.” This, she affirmed, embodies the very essence of allure.
The exhibition’s final room offered a definitive answer to the question of allure. As immersive screens displayed diverse talents striking poses — both nonchalantly or intently — in CHANEL Beauty looks, capturing the spirit of individuality. The conclusion? Allure is the assertion of one’s singularity, and colour is the ultimate expression of it. We concluded the evening by exploring CHANEL Beauty’s full makeup collection as night fell, and the London skyline came alive with its dazzling lights. It was the perfect ending to an event that celebrated individuality, creativity, and the transformative power of colour — a true testament to the art of being yourself.
