Consider Billie Eilish a Gen-Z take on the classic Chanel darling. For tonight’s Met Gala, Eilish embraced the evening’s theme by taking detailing favored by Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel to an exaggerated space, the over-the-top irreverence a playful antidote to the more pared-down approaches to the event inspiration.
“Whenever I think of Lagerfeld, I think of black bows,” says hairstylist Benjamin Mohapi, who leaned further into Lagerfeld’s aesthetic with a ponytail foundation. Rather than sleek or subtly finger-raked, Mohapi’s tie-back was all about texture, the better to play up Eilish’s sheer and bedecked Simone Rocha dress. The hairstylist wound Eilish’s long plaited pony in onyx ribbons, the braid blurring into the details of Eilish’s dress. “I finished the look with barrettes stacked into the loose texture of the hair pulled back,” says Mohapi. “This invokes the same punk spirit Lagerfeld injected into Chanel and mirrors Billie’s own nonconformist attitude.”
Makeup artist Emily Cheng played into the noir theme, rimming Elish’s eyes in a deep ebony. “When we do a rim around the entire waterline, the contrast against her eyes is striking,” says Cheng. “Just before leaving for the carpet, I dabbed a balm over the lids for that element of texture.” Though excessive in accessories, the look was far from overwrought. Timeless above-neck notes say hello to the reigning generation.
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