PARIS – L’Oréal Paris turned on the sparkle for what has become its traditional fashion week show held under the Eiffel Tower.
The brand brought out some of its biggest beauty guns, with newly appointed ambassador Kendall Jenner making her show debut. Mom Kris Jenner was there to cheer her on from the front row.
Camila Cabello joined a dance crew that was on stage for a routine, before she strutted down the runway.
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Viola Davis also marked her first turn on the runway, supported by husband Julius Tennon on her walk and joined by daughter Genesis on stage.
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Helen Mirren, Andie MacDowell, Eva Longoria and Aja Naomi King returned, while French singer Yseult wrapped up a busy day after being the first plus-sized woman to walk in the Balenciaga show.
For Davis, the runway — while a little intimidating — was a moment of fun in what has been an extremely busy week for the EGOT winner. Last Tuesday the White House revealed she is joining its newly created President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement; on Friday she attended Amal and George Clooney’s Albie Awards to honor social justice leaders.
Having recently worked on “The Woman King” in South Africa, her second film on the continent, it changed her perspective on how to approach structural change. “It’s made me understand that one thing that’s missing is unity within the African diaspora, and there is so much that we can gain through unity in every aspect of all the issues that are systemically destroying us,” she said.
The lack of connection has meant a lack of information, and she hopes that joining the White House group will help generate ideas on how to bring people together on issues as well as kick-start some change.
Little changes can help humanity tune into new ways of working, she believes. “That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to change the frequency of humanity. And I want all of that to trickle down to the African diaspora because it has been in short supply.”
The Davises attended the Clooneys’ Albie awards, which honor philanthropists and activists. Awarding people outside of the arts and entertainment world is raising awareness and shining a spotlight on their work with the help of the A-list talent that attended.
“They’re risking their lives. We’re in a time period right now where we need those people who understand radical acts of service. Hopefully when we bring them to the forefront it can inspire others to do the same,” she said.
Davis said that knowing your worth can be as simple as showing up for yourself and knowing your boundaries. “I have to say that I’ve been doing a pretty good job lately, and it’s made me feel like I’m more present in my life, so I can enjoy these moments like L’Oréal.”
She had time ahead on stage to practice her walk, and strutting down the runway she laughed and waved at the crowds, who waved and shouted clearly enjoying the landmark moment.
Mirren took to the stage in an oversized frizzy updo — not quite as shocking as the blue hair she debuted on the Cannes red carpet, but an unconventional choice to be sure. The Oscar winner called the event “surreal and exciting,” with the walk under the Eiffel Tower in front of a crowd quite different than being on stage or screen.
Makeup is her way of both getting into character and just being herself. Mirren said she still did her makeup every morning of the pandemic. “It made me feel like I was still engaging with life somehow,” she said. Her husband Taylor Hackford didn’t notice, she joked, but that it was a way to get into her own skin every day.
“I did it totally for myself, and actually it made me feel right. It made me feel positive,” she said. It’s ultimately a personal act — except when on screen of course.
On set, she utilizes it as a tool in films that call for transformation. In the recently released “Golda,” in which she plays former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, it was key. “It was absolutely invaluable,” she said. “It was essential to look like her and in order to look like her I had to wear a lot of makeup…It very much depends on the role, but makeup and costume are the essentials of your tools as an actor.”
Costume might serve the same way, but it’s more about the way you carry yourself in clothing that makes the character — or the person’s confidence. She spoke of how, playing the late Queen Elizabeth II, the silks and other fabrics made her aware of how she should feel from the inside out.
From queen to prime minister — among a lot of other hard-hitting female leaders, Mirren is still keenly aware of the lack of women in true leadership positions. While it is changing, they can be counted on one hand.
“It’s just such a dreadfully unbalanced understanding of the way human life is and the needs for the requirements for civilized life,” she said. If people ask about Hollywood roles, she said she is much more excited to see women in top roles across careers.
“I get so excited when the the top marine expert in the biggest university in Italy comes on the screen and she’s a woman. It’s all those moments that are very important to me,” she added.
Still, Hollywood is shifting ever so slightly with more opportunities for older women, and getting more stories on screen as the market grows. “The advantage of getting older is to watch these extraordinary cultural changes and to be a part of them. It’s very exciting actually.”
Mirren walked on stage holding hands with Elle Fanning, connected by more than just their screen queendom. “It’s just fantastic, we support each other,” said Fanning of taking the runway together.
Fanning expressed her admiration for Mirren, from attitude to style. “She’s such an inspiration in so many ways, just the type of woman that she is,” said Fanning. She recalled seeing old interviews of Mirren where she would challenge male interviewers who criticized her looks. “She’s such a strong feminist, we all hope to be like Helen.”
“Female friendship could fuel the whole world, the energy that we put in,” she said, emphasizing the importance of a strong network of women.
Fanning, who has been in the public eye since she was a child, said that she has become more aware of the harms of social media and takes care to put away the apps as needed. It’s hard to stop the scroll, but she is trying to be more aware of how it can affect her and others.
“It’s tough to be a young woman in general, in any decade, but especially now with how we’re put on display or like we’re comparing ourselves to other women,” she said. “To be able to find a core group is important, and can help you navigate this landscape because it can be rocky terrain.”
Fanning explored this concept during a video that was broadcast before the fashion show, too. Both Fanning and Jenner recounted stories of feeling unconfident or inferior, related to comparison culture.
“We’re very honest and genuine about our mental health and our feelings. We’re not always confident all the time, and I think that’s what makes this brand special — that we are honest about that.”
MacDowell, who lived in Paris as a model in her early 20s, believes the industry has changed, as demonstrated by the L’Oréal show.
“I never remembered this much camaraderie from my experience. I think it’s really beautiful,” she said, of the women’s support for each other. “It’s a really nice energy. It’s gorgeous energy. I wish women were always like that. I wish women were always embracing each other and encouraging each other to that extent, because it does lift you up. And it does make you feel better about yourself.”
MacDowell walked the runway in a black bra top, and dropped her shoulder and played up every inch of the stage, laughing and flipping her hair.
She recalled her early days as an actor, and said that she’d often be alone or there would only be one other woman in the room.
“Things have gotten a lot better, but there is a sense of denial in America of just how repressed women really are. People like to pretend that we’re on the same level, but we still haven’t had a woman president and the idea of having a woman president seems so foreign to everyone. And I think that that is a statement. It’s a huge statement of a psychological divide and repression that exists,” she said, particularly notable in the upper echelons of business.
She said there has been change and that people are more aware and making efforts to change that. “I hope that doesn’t diminish, that we stay motivated to be more inclusive and supportive of women.”
MacDowell said women do have freedom of expression in fashion, and encouraged men to jump on the skirt trend.
“I think it’s changing a bit with the younger generation, if you look at the runway. I wonder what that will do to the dynamic of what is in play with the [gender] roles.”
French singer Yseult, who made her runway debut at L’Oréal last year, was the first plus-sized woman to walk in a Balenciaga show earlier in the day.
“I was so happy to work for this beautiful house and I’m so grateful to be able to work and collab with the brands and to be able to walk for them,” she said. “I’m so proud and it’s a big, big change, so I’m so happy. As an independent artist it’s so huge.”
She said she believes her appearance on the runway can be an inspiration to other young women. She added: “I would like to show that everything is possible if you work hard, everything is possible if you believe in yourself.”