Georgina Chapman and Karen Craig of high fashion brand Marchesa have created one of the most talked about nail collaborations of the beauty world, alongside beauty giant, Revlon. We talked exclusively to the designers about the ins and outs of the creation process, and they told us some interesting things...

Why did you feel nail appliqués were the right type of beauty collaboration for the brand?​
Georgina: Revlon’s heritage is in nails and it was important to us to start with a collection that spoke to the essence of both Revlon and the Marchesa brand. 

Karen: Each design is a work of art, and we love how it allows women all over to own a little piece of Marchesa.  

And how did you choose the desings to base the appliqués on?
Georgina: The designs of the nail appliqués were taken from some of our favourite dress designs of the past and present as we wanted them to be a true representation of the essence of our brand. 

Karen: We really approached this project in the same way we do with our collections – we wanted the appliqués to have the same bespoke qualities that the embroideries do in our dresses.

What do you think the Marchesa woman's approach to make-up is?
Georgina:  It really depends on the look. If a woman is going for drama, I would recommend a smokey eye or red lip. But sometimes pared down beauty is quite lovely as well. Soft skin and eye make-up, with a bold lip like we just showed on our runway last month. 

Karen: Beauty should be treated the same way as fashion is: you should have fun and experiment with it. It doesn’t need to be so serious. 

Was it hard to choose which 6 dresses to base the designs on?
Georgina: Of course – it’s like having to choose between your children! 

Karen:  We truly feel we found the best dresses to serve as inspiration for this collection. 

In an ideal world would the appliqués be matched to the dresses they're based on or do you prefer it not to be too match-matchy?
Georgina: It really is a personal preference. We think the appliqués should be matched to your personality and style and should be treated as a fun accessory.

Karen: We think that the nails are fun, and you should mix and match with fun prints in your wardrobe. The appliqués add an element of fun for day, then you can dress them up at night.

Did you work very closely with Gucci Westman on the look for the S/S14 show?
Georgina: Yes, we love working with Gucci and have admired her work for a long time.  She very much understands how to translate the inspiration behind our collections into the perfect complementary beauty look. 

Karen: It’s very important that the make-up reflects the mood and style of the collection. 

 

The Revlon by Marchesa collaboration is available at Boots, priced at £8.99. Click through the gallery above to see exclusive images of Georgina and Karen during the design process of making them.