Achieving The Look of ‘The Artist’ Without Having To Be One
April 19, 2012
My husband and I settled into our theater seats for a little escape from reality (we have twin baby boys so an occasional escape is necessary) and were all set for the silent-movie phenomenon that is ‘The Artist.’ Of course, I ruined the vibe of silence the minute Peppy Miller (played by Berenice Bejo) made her entrance on screen. I instantly exclaimed, “I want to be her!”
She was so effortlessly beautiful with her head of silky curls and knee-high dresses. I’ve never paid much attention to the fashion of the 1920’s, outside the obvious flapper dress, but I absolutely fell in love. I knew instantly I needed to replicate these looks for my everyday (and not-so-everyday) life.
‘The Artist’ Hair
When I first saw Peppy, I initially noticed her makeup and her hair (which are also the easiest and cheapest for you to duplicate at home). She has these beautiful silky curls that are often tucked under a cloche hat (affordable and very easy to find) or tied up in a beautiful scarf.
I’ve got naturally curly hair that happens to be short so it was easy enough for me to achieve an everyday look of the 1920’s with a little glossing crème and a scarf I got from a local store.
For those of you born with that wonderful, straight hair, simply put your hair up in hot rollers. Focus on using the smaller rollers for tighter curls. Keep them in for half an hour, then carefully remove them and spray lightly with hair spray. Pull the curls out gently at the ends to get the most of your hard work. If you want to hide those curls under a cloche hat, be sure to pull some of them out from underneath, and forward, for a real 1920’s look. Otherwise, wearing a scarf (with or without the curls) is an easy way to achieve a 20’s look without working tirelessly to get finger waves. Be sure that a thick portion of the scarf shows, with the bow tied to the side in the back. Very flirty!
‘The Artist’ Makeup
Makeup should be slightly exaggerated with focuses on the following:
- A lined lip that extends slightly past the natural lip line. Be sure to emphasize the tips of your cupids bow with a lip liner.
- Shades from the 20’s that still resonate today include medium reds, rose, and raspberry colors.
- Eyes can be done in varying degrees of the smokey eye, with light grays for daytime and darker, more dramatic shades for evening.
- Cheeks should be an orangish-red but a bronzer stick will do the trick if you can’t find a blush that color.
- Make the circles on your cheeks somewhat prominent, with a pale face powder and long, thin eyebrows. If you have fabulous Brooke Shields-like brows, simply use a little concealer and blend in to your natural face color. Then use an eyebrow liner to pull out your regular brow a little longer. Keep the line thin and straight
‘The Artist’ Clothing
Obviously most of us don’t have everyday occasions for wearing flapper dresses and drop-waist dresses that the 1920’s are so famous for. You can still get a vintage look very easily by incorporating a few key elements. I mentioned cloche hats earlier and a few of these can easily transform any outfit into one from the 20’s. Brightly colored stockings worn under a simple knee-length skirt with a blouson-style shirt will give you a very 1920’s stylish look. Pantsuits were introduced during this time period and should be kept very simple with clean lines. Wear pastel shirts underneath with pearls and a cloche for a chic look.