I thought I’d give you a quick insight into the actual launch at Selfridges yesterday (8.30am!) which I think you can tell was organised chaos, captured perfectly by the main picture which is an illustration by Niki Groom (MissMagpieFashionSpy.com, @miss_magpie_spy). The store has given over their Market Place section to everything Pat McGrath, from the obvious (make up) to the curious (salted caramels) and designer collaborations so if you’re short a pair of gold Prada shoes you know where you can get them!
As you can see, there were loads of photographers – frankly, I see why they have to be there – to capture the event – but they really get in the way and I got my head bashed I don’t know how many times. Pat talked everyone through the make-up – she springs to life as soon as she starts talking about colour. I asked her which was her favourite product – if she HAD to choose – but she couldn’t choose, citing the 67 pieces of luggage she takes to every shoot as travelling light! I have a video on Instagram HERE that shows Pat talking about her colours. It’s clocked over 5K views and counting.
It was a really immersive launch – quite often, launches can be sterile and dry, but Pat was in the thick of things with other make-up artists applying to the models while she talked, swatching her lipsticks on everyone with a free hand and greeting the colours like friends. One of the things she mentioned is that her formulas are the perfect mix of science and pigments and she oversees all the formulations at the lab. When we talk about ‘stand-out’ colours, Pat’s take on that is that any colour in a palette that is ‘stand-out’ is the only one that’s right.. because every colour should stand out. Good point!
She’s in there somewhere!
The lip work is strong!
Selfridges is good at theatre – the space they’ve created is gold, gold and more gold. It couldn’t be more gold. They’ve also given over all their windows (almost unheard of) to the Mothership theme. They’re running bookable mini workshops HERE where Pat’s team can show you how to make a power lip or a winged eye. You can also get a Pat McGrath Labs manicure – curated by nail maestro, Marian Newman – think black and gold or crystals for this one!
Pat McGrath Labs is an industry disruptor – its arrival is going to put a lot of pressure on other brands (how long til the copycat palettes?) so from an insider perspective, it’s popcorn time! The Mothership is at Selfridges for three months at which time, I am fairly certain that there will be a permanent counter in place. Counters, especially big ones, don’t just appear so the chances are that another brand will be leaving Selfridges to make the space.
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