Less Tends to be More in Award-Winning Beauty of Late

From fashion to fragrance, FIT’s Marianne Rosner Klimchuk says minimalist beauty is gaining top billing from consumers.

WRITTEN BY: Marianne Rosner Klimchuk

AUTHOR BIO: Marianne Rosner Klimchuk is the associate chairperson of the packaging design department at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Millions of viewers watched that celeb extravaganza called the “Oscars.” Beyond the fashion, the hair, the dresses and tuxedos, one visual stuck out beyond all others. It was the jarring contrast between Suzi Amis, the current wife of James Cameron, director of “Avatar,” and his ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow, director of “The Hurt Locker.” As the camera panned the two competing directors, both sitting within a row of each other, it was hard not to notice the stunning differences in the appearance of these two women.

Ms. Amis, in any non-Hollywood plastic environment, would appear as the striking poster woman for timeless perhaps even sustainable beauty. Her radiant, strong facial features were framed by a fuss-free hairdo projecting an overall attractive yet low maintenance appearance. In contrast, Ms. Bigelow represented the conservative yet perhaps synthetic side of Hollywood glam. An equally striking woman, her perfectionist appearance from the carefully blended makeup, the high neckline, taupe tone dress that accentuated her fit arms and figure and a hairstyle that was the ideal compliment to the attire. Ms. Amis made a statement that was likely lost on the rest of the world audience, but was nonetheless powerful. She had chosen to wear a recyclable, eco-friendly dress made of zero waste silk derived from cocoons that don’t kill worms and created by a Michigan State University senior, Jillian Granz.

In an audience filled with nips, tucks, lifts and plasties, Ms. Amis stood apart the way that an organic fruit, natural in its color and shape, with visible flaws and imperfections, stands out from the others. We know which one tastes better, but we are so conditioned to seek out visual perfection that we delegate to the artificially grown, enhanced, an element of desirability. This, not withstanding the additional resources needed to produce the artificial, more glamorous product.

The new fragrance, Maison Martin Margiela eau de parfum called (untitled), a collaboration between L’Oreal and the fashion designer Martin Margiela, is another example of contrasts. The packaging design, created by Fabian Baron, represents the arresting contrast of a brand with a straightforward sense of place in a consumer category that is often highly decorative. (untitled) is a vision of classic simplicity. The bottle is reminiscent of a 19th century perfume receptacle with a cap formed in the appearance of a glass stopper; the white graphic labeling has a subtle sensibility of the most well designed bodice on a Vera Wang dress, and the type treatment for the branding is the pinnacle of simplicity. This is one of those rare designs that looks entirely effortless, no artificiality, a design to withstand time and trends. This kind of designed consciousness could only be worn, in this case by the fragrance itself, by a person or a brand with a bold, confident and clear sense of self.

The dichotomy between natural beauty and the manufactured beauty, particularly evident recently, will always exist. However, whether a result of the economic downturn or a change in aesthetic sensibility, there seems to be recognition on the part of consumers that synthetic beauty is not sustainable whereas natural, minimalist beauty is lasting.