Dior's Creative and Image Director Peter Philips Reveals Beauty Inspiration at the Haute Couture AW19 Show

Working alongside Maria Grazia Chiuri, Peter Philips crafted a beauty look that reflected the softly gothic, fiercely feminine collection. Speaking to A&E, Dior’s Creative and Image Director opened up on the concept behind the beauty look and how it came to be.

A&E's Editor In Chief spoke to Dior's Creative and Image Director Peter Philips backstage at the AW19 Haute Couture show

One of the biggest fashion houses in the world, Dior‘s Haute Couture show is always one of the most anticipated on the industry calendar. While the carefully crafted, mould-breaking and ofttimes political clothing collection takes centre runway, it’s every detail – from the scenic setting to the beauty aesthetic – that makes Dior’s presentations so memorable.

And for the latter of those, we have Peter Philips to thank, as the talented makeup artist innovator works to capture the essence of the collection with makeup.

Talking exclusively to A&E’s Editor In Chief backstage, Philips opened up before the show unfolded in Paris’s 30 Avenue Montaigne – Dior’s historic Maison – on the aesthetic he created.

Peter Philips created a smoky eye for the Couture AW19 show

Philips said: “Today we’re going for very natural looking skin and a smoky eye – it’s the ultimate classic Haute Couture look. It’s good for every girl, every woman.”

On turning to a classic beauty look for the AW19 presentation, he elaborated: “Actually the story is funny, because about a month and a half ago, just before we launched the Tri-Oblique palette, I had a few specially customised, so I had Maria Grazia’s named embossed.

“It was before the meeting for Marrakech [where the Maison held its Cruise 2020 show] and I gave her the palette and she was like ‘Oh my God!’ – like every woman when she gets new makeup. When she saw her name she was like: ‘This is amazing. Funny you would give this to me as I was thinking of doing a smoky eye for the Haute Couture show.’ She loves a smoky eye!

“So I said; ‘Oh, perfect, we can use the Tri-Oblique Smoky Canvas palette, and that’s how the look started.”

Philips created a softer look by leaving models's lashes mascara free

Philips created a softer look by leaving models’ lashes mascara-free

But for the look, Philips made a conscious decision to omit mascara from the look, often an item of makeup essential to the smoky eye, and one, in general, many women feel is an essential.

Philips, who has held his position with Dior since 2014, explained: “Mascara makes a big difference. If you use mascara, it suddenly becomes much more sexy; that’s a seduction kind of makeup where you have the fluttering of the lashes.

“So by not using mascara, it becomes a bit more poetic almost, a bit more softer, less harsh and a bit more cloudy. Almost like, left over.”

Taking to Instagram after the show, Philips divulged more about the products used to create the look. He wrote: “A huge thank you to my team, today at Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Dior Haute Couture Show we went for natural skin and a soft-edged but strong smokey eye. The new Dior Backstage Primer and some Backstage Face and Body foundation for the skin, and on eyes I used the black shade from the Dior Tri-Oblique Smoky Canvas eyeshadow pallet.”