Guests outfitted in embroidered scarlet suits, fishnet tights, cowboy hats and iridescent bikinis made Gucci Beauty’s first-ever pop-up in Los Angeles last week all the more entertaining. The dance club-style party featured an elaborate three-tiered cake topped with pink-and-gold mascara tube candles, flashing visuals, ear-blasting music and plenty of options for the selfie-obsessed.
The Gucci Beauty Network Studios ran for two days on March 6 and March 7 in a 20,000-plus square foot party space on Los Angeles’ Melrose Avenue. The event, held in partnership with Sephora, also celebrated the February launch of Gucci’s $35 Mascara L’Obscur.
A large image of red-painted lips of musician Dani Miller, parted to reveal her unconventionally imperfect teeth, sprawled across the exterior of the building where the event was held. The punk rock singer, part of Brooklyn-based band Surfbot, is the face of Gucci Beauty. Gucci’s global makeup artist, London-based Thomas de Kluyver, was also in attendance.
Walls brandished dozens of screens playing out the latest Gucci Beauty campaigns, before opening out into a space with make-up stations staffed by artists offering touch-ups.
Guests included model-actress Zoe Bleu Arquette (daughter of Rosanna Arquette) and actress-singer Rainey Qualley (daughter of Andie MacDowell). Some danced to music from The Human League and Whitney Houston, others checked out the Instagrammable set pieces; a red velvet boudoir here, a floral-bedecked suite there. Images of butterflies fluttered across mirrored walls, and sedate book shelves stacked with blue books slid apart to uncover hidden rooms for the Gucci Memoire d’une Odeur library. The Gucci Guilty diner adjacent to the bar provided a respite from the dancing.
For the two-day event, no merchandise was sold on-site. Instead, products could be purchased on sephora.com via QR codes and iPads that were placed around the space.