BUTTERFLY BEAUTY: TRANSFORMATION & TRANSCENDENCE

“I confess that as an adult, I’m somewhat turned off by caterpillars. Their mischievousness and fuzz hold little beauty for me. As a child, however, I was fascinated by a caterpillar’s fluid movement and marveled that one day, this wingless, worm like species would transform into a colorful flurry, the butterfly.

The butterfly’s metamorphosis from crawling being into an enchanting beauty charmed not only my imagination- but the world’s as well. For centuries, the Chinese have deemed two butterflies fluttering side by side as a symbol of love, while other various cultures have upheld the legend that they will bring you good luck should one land upon you. The Greeks trusted that these insects represented human souls, and for Christians the miraculously transformed butterfly symbolized rebirth. Flying free and unrestrained, butterflies illustrate a new beginning and change, similar to the spirit, reborn. They’re a reminder that potential for change, transformation, is constant—the only constant.

Damien Hirst appreciates the butterfly’s natural beauty- with his trademark insolence. Attracted to the rich hues that grace their wings, Hirst brings these intoxicating colors to life in his art, imparting the opportunity for the deceased butterfly to transcend death. Sometimes, much to the enragement of animal activist, his work brings death to the species he’s celebrating, as well (as in the case of exhibition at The Tate, “In and Out of Love,” where 9,000 butterflies flew through two white rooms and many didn’t make it out)—an ironic twist in his memorialization. Kiki Smith’s work continually references butterflies, also – drawing parallel between the insect’s transformation and what it means for the female body to age, evolve, and reproduce. Japanese designer Sori Yanagi gave plywood simple elegance, drawing inspiration from the butterflies shape for his 1956 Butterfly Stool. Alexander Calder presented the butterfly in primary colored, lighthearted form—a simple lithograph to play contrast to his more well-known, large-scale kinetic sculptures.

The make-up artist, Pat McGrath, created “techno butterfly looks” across models’ faces at the Christian Dior spring 2013 runway show. Intense shades of fuchsia, orange, violet and turquoise were splashed across models’ eyelids, providing a freshly dramatic explosion of color. Crystals in equally striking hues further embellished the look, mirroring the rapid wave of a butterfly’s wings when the models blinked. Designer Gareth Pugh looked to draw inspiration from butterflies and thunderstorms—“the natural world” in unexpected form—to create deep purple, green and silvery shadows and glosses for M.A.C.

Perhaps it’s the summer weather that has me feeling a bit of butterfly nostalgia. When I discovered that Chanel recently launched L’Été Papillon de Chanel (Chanel Summer Butterfly), I was a little more than excited. The collection offers sublime shades of peaches and raspberry to fashion a flawless pout. Blues and greens illuminate lashes. Lightweight shadows in silvers and golds shimmer on flickering lids, creating looks that evoke the beauty of the collection’s muse, the butterfly.

You can take on Chanel’s pinks and platinums to transform yourself—into something a bit mystical, something outside your initial canvas. There are over 12,000 known species of butterfly: more than ample inspiration for looks drawn from the hues of their wings and the spirit of their self-transformation. There’s quite a bit of variety of beauty in the butterfly. And in the summer of the cicadas and most likely more than a few Madame Butterfly performances, it’s nice to channel something beautiful – the butterfly.

~Tracy Goodwin

Tracy Goodwin is a stylist with Keaton Row.

July 2013