Inspired

It isn't very often I come across a magazine article that inspires me like the April issue of W magazine's Editor's Letter did last night. As I was trying to wind down after a long day, this article inspired me so much that I shared it with my closest girlfriends hoping it would do the same for them. We all flip through fashion magazine's or browse blogs, and at times what they consider beauty can blur our own opinions and principles. This article reminds us that beauty comes in all forms, although a little lipstick never hurts.  

The Beauty Principle

Today, the Universe of beauty encompasses far more than just pretty looks. It’s about making changes, taking risk, and, especially, about basking in the liberating power that comes from transformation. When we started discussing this issue months ago, Beauty Director Jane Larkworthy spelled it out for me. “Beauty allows you to express your inner self. Whether that means cutting off six inches of your hair, changing its color, experimenting with a red lipstick, or even just trying out an exotic new fragrance, beauty is a game women never get tired of playing.”

Case in point is our cover star, Jessica Biel. For years, Biel has had the reputation of being the squeaky-clean, all-American girl, but for W, she completely subverted her sporty tomboy image. In its place is a big-haired, confident woman who is clearly fully in charge of her body and sexuality. Her latest film, Total Recall, has Biel engaging with costar Kate Beckinsale in an intensely close physical fight. (“It could be two dudes,” is how Biel describes the scene. “We just happened to have long hair and looks and…other things.”) Be careful what you wish for, Justin!
Speaking of all-American, what does that phrase even mean anymore? American beauty is no longer a single, static idea but an ever evolving concept in which gender roles and race are continuously blurred. Looking back at 40 years of W magazine we realized that some of the most memorable images are those women who have made a statement with their unconventional looks. These It girls are socialites like the Miller sisters, models like Kate Moss, and most recently, movie stars like Michelle Williams, who has the ability to telegraph her innermost feelings with just a glance. 

What sets these women apart – and what all truly magnetic women share, as write Jim Lewis explains – is the ability to bring glamour into our lives.

Glamour has never been a problem for Nadja Swarovski, the very bubbly and blonde businesswoman who single-handedly transformed Swarovski’s stodgy image as a maker of glass figurines – not to mention road signs and rifle scopes – into a leading force in fashion and design. As writer Laruen Collins reports in “The Sweet Smell of Success”: “Catherine de Medici’s legacy was starting the Tuileries, Nadja Swarovski will be remembered as the cousin who saved the family business from bedazzled iPhone cases and crystal toucans.” Seeking a new achievement, Nadja is now delving into beauty with the launch of Aura, her first fragrance.

Last, but certainly not least, is the late, great, Eiko Ishioka, a woman whose name you may not know but whose work you’ve probably seen. Eiko designed fantastic costumes for films like the just released Mirror Mirror and Dracula (1992); outfitted performers for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in 2009, and worked on advertising campaigns for Japanese brands like Parco and Shiseido, among many other projects. While writing the piece, Eiko’s greatest achievement was to always be surprising and original. It’s a goal that W, and all the most interesting women of our time, can relate to.