Photo: Courtesy of Violette_FR
Designer Alexandra Golovanoff and makeup artist Violette Serrat share a love of all things color. Both were recently fixating on the elusive shade of rouge noir, or the oh-so trendy “black red,” so, they teamed up: Serrat’s beauty brand Violette_FR and Golovanoff’s eponymous clothing label launched a fashion-and-beauty pairing centered around the deep red shade and its association with Parisian nightlife.
Adding to its library of 15 matte and shimmering hues, Violette_FR is launching two new shades of its liquid eye shadow and liner, Yeux Paint: Paris La Nuit, a bold metallic red; and Café Serré, a deep coffee brown. Priced at $32 each, the shadow-liner hybrid boasts a long-wear, crease-proof formula meant to be applied sans primer. While both shades lean into Serrat’s French roots, her inspiration specifically comes from memories of late nights in Paris during her teenage years, followed closely by a morning pick-me-up espresso shot.
Photo: Courtesy of Violette_FR
Photo: Courtesy of Violette_FR
“I have these incredible memories of spending the night out with friends, laughing, feeling happiness, and then coming home with my head out of the taxi, going by the river and seeing all these red lights and then not caring about sleeping, just had to go to work,” Serrat tells Fashionista. “So I hate coffee, but I will have this very short coffee I will chug to get awake.” The resulting shades visually capture the same story: Paris La Nuit highlights the city’s red lights through sparkling red and gold pearls, while Café Serré delivers an energizing coffee brown.
As for the fashion side of the collaboration, Maison Alexandra Golovanoff matches Violette_FR’s Parisian nightlife inspiration by introducing its own new shade, a rich burgundy hue called Rouge de Minuit (Midnight Red). Available now on its website, the brand is offering a capsule collection in the new colorway, featuring cashmere sweaters, cardigans, corduroy pants, a velvet skirt and more ranging in price from $287 to $1,261. Golovanoff says the shades can make the wearer feel like “the queen of the night.”
“There is a mystery at night when you can become somebody else, you dare more,” Golovanoff says of her inspiration for Rouge de Minuit. “Parisian nightlife is more into these type of colors of velvets. […] There is an underground life, but still very, very chic in Paris. The underground is not shabby at all. It stays sophisticated, and [Serrat and I] had this moment in common.”
Photo: Courtesy of Maison Alexandra Golovanoff
Photo: Courtesy of Maison Alexandra Golovanoff
When it comes to navigating brand collaborations, Serrat says she is focused on “authentic friendship” within her potential partners. Golovanoff echoes Serrat’s sentiment: “It has to be sincere. I wouldn’t do anything with someone I don’t feel comfortable with, and it has to be the reflection of something deep and real for me.”
The collaboration — both Violette_FR’s new shades and Maison Alexandra Golovanoff’s Rouge de Minuit pieces — debuted on Thursday at the New York location of The Webster, a multi-brand retailer founded by Laure Hériard Dubreuil. It will be available to shop in-person there through Oct. 29 and can also be found online at alexandragolovanoff.com, and at violettefr.com beginning Oct. 30.
Source: Fashionista.com