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CNN Live Saturday

Interview With Tom Pecheux

Aired February 16, 2002 - 14:16   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Turning our attention now to fashion week and the cutting-edge styles unveiled on New York's catwalks this week. For the last eight days, designers have been previewing more than 100 men's and women's collections for fall. Some diverse visions from the likes of Prada, Donna Karan and Ralph Lauren, with some common threads. One key word that's been repeated all week: romantic.

Focusing on the art of makeup and the latest cosmetic trends, we go to expert Tom Pecheux, who is in New York. Thanks for joining us.

TOM PECHEUX, MAKEUP ARTIST: Hi, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So it looks like romanticism of fashion is back in terms of the threads that we're wearing. Well how about on our faces? How do you transpose that into the makeup we'll be wearing?

PECHEUX: Well, I think "romantic" is the key word for the winter season. But starting from romantic, we can play around and it can be a romantic (UNINTELLIGIBLE), romantic glamour, romantic casual. It depends on the designer, basically.

But for Donna Karan, I did a very kind of a punk look, but it was very romantic because I use lavender color. For the Bush (ph) show, it was more of a smoky eye shadow, which is (UNINTELLIGIBLE) product for winter, but very see-through.

And for Ralph Lauren it was all about the new burgundy (UNINTELLIGIBLE) mascara and burgundy eye shadow as well. And very transparent lips, almost like a stain, very humid (ph). So you get many, many different romantic looks.

WHITFIELD: So it's always in the eyes. The eyes, you know, say it all. Eyeliners, eye shadows, that seems to have been the central point of trying to get the right mood, the right fashion style on the face, right?

PECHEUX: Well, for my opinion, I love working on the eyes, because really I love sexy women. I love women to look very beautiful. And when you give smoky eyes, you make the -- you make always the woman look really, really sexy.

And basically when you do a strong lipstick, you really don't want to destroy this look, you don't want to kiss those lips. So it's sexy, but it's a very cold sexiness.

So I prefer -- I prefer the romantic looks. And for Donna Karan, for DKNY, I used (UNINTELLIGIBLE) color, with -- actually very fun, because it was romantic but with an edge, with a fantasy.

WHITFIELD: So I notice there on the picture -- so if you have a smoky eye, a real strong eye, then you want to kind of have quiet lips and vice versa.

PECHEUX: I do prefer to not have eyes and lips very made up together, because it becomes really a little bit old fashioned, except if you play with very bright and fantasy colors.

But you know, sometimes, creativity kills the beauty. And when I do makeup I want to keep the beauty, because that's what is important, you know, women to wear makeup to look beautiful and not to show that they are spending a lot of money on makeup.

WHITFIELD: So you mentioned lavender is a color that you prefer for the eyes. What are the hot shades that we're likely to see on the lips and cheeks?

PECHEUX: Well there are a lot of kind of a bluish color, like burgundy, lavender. All these colors were -- were going to kind of red, but the red-blue. I think it gives -- you know, it's not black, but it's -- they are powerful colors, but in a very subtle, very soft, very see-through way.

WHITFIELD: So on the runways this past week in New York, fashion week, we find that, you know, the face, the makeup, the hair, kind of took backstage to the fashion threads. Or are we trying really hard to kind of pull the two together so that you kind of have a, you know, an even kind of look or style sense?

PECHEUX: Well I think, you know, when -- I'm not sure that I -- sorry, I'm French, so I'm not sure that I did understand your question, but...

WHITFIELD: Did it seem that the emphasis was on the fashion, the clothes that you're wearing and less of the makeup? Or is this an age of trying to pull the two together so that you're as complete in the face as you are from, you know, neck to toe?

PECHEUX: No, I think, you know -- well, when you -- we are working on shows, what is important to -- as a makeup artist I'm not working -- I don't like to work for a designer, I like to work with a designer. And since the last few seasons, really makeup becomes a fashion accessory. So we cannot talk about fashion without talking makeup, like we can talk about a handbag or a belt or a pair of shoes. So makeup is really part of fashion and you cannot do anything without makeup, I think, or hair.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks very much. More than just an accessory, but a real tool in trying to pull the whole fashion look together, right?

PECHEUX: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Thanks very much. Tom Pecheux, joining us from New York this morning as we now try to step into fall in a complete fashion sense. Thanks a lot.

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