Beauty Archivist: Devon Aoki La Couture Nature Editorial Vogue Paris 2000
Despite being supernaturally beautiful Devon Aoki still felt like an unlikely model. For the obvious reason of her comparatively tiny height of 5”5, but also she had the kind of main character energy that gave IT girl rather than clothes horse. This was a time when IT girls had very few channels to portray their IT factor, and none directly in their control, yet her personality was so compelling that, even without a social media narrative, Devon still inspired a cult fanship that felt very much personality driven.
The first time I remember being struck by an image of Devon was in this March 2000 shoot for Vogue Paris by Satoshi Saikusa. I loved her because she felt teenage and rebellious, grunge as well as glamour. It’s a weird thing to say about someone so beautiful but something about Devon also felt attainable to preteen me. She was impish rather than ethereal, someone I could try to emulate unlike the issue’s cover model Rhea Durham, who seemed so grown up and refined. A quick aside - one thing that continues to frustrate me is how long I have to spend researching to find out who did the makeup on these older shoots. On this occasion I literally had to buy the magazine on eBay to find and properly credit the makeup to James Kaliardos yet the photographer and stylist (Isabella Blow, of course) are listed everywhere online. Especially annoying when I think that the beauty work in this shoot is - although low key and naturalistic - an essential part of the myth making of Devon Aoki.
The makeup is a perfect reflection of the contradictions that make Devon so interesting. The complexion isn't porcelain, but freckled and suntan, an unexpectedly real life canvas for doll like features. In my favourite shot, her super long hair (by Serge Normant) falls in a static tangle. Her mouth is a deeply glazed blackcurrant, her top lip is not overdrawn, instead it follows the curve of her cupid's bow and the colour bleeds slightly outside of the lines. The berry tones are echoed in the blush that sits on the lowest part of her cheeks. The placement emphasises the softness and fullness of her face rather than her angles, like it would if it was applied on cheekbones. I love the subtlety of this decision, as well as the purple tone of the colour. Blood under the skin has a bluish red undertone, so whilst pink may feel like a safe choice for blush it's actually these berry tones that read as natural.
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These small but crucial aesthetic decisions may not jump out at first but they serve to compound the idea that Devon isn't highly styled, somehow she kind of just is this way. When I look at these images I feel strongly that I am experiencing the personal allure of Ms Aoki rather than an image that has been crafted by a team and projected onto her. Ironically it is the skill of Kaliardos that helps this illusion.
I think a large part of what makes a makeup artist great is their ability to see and understand a model's face, and here he brings out her charisma and personality in a way so successful it's hard to credit anyone but Devon. The purple smoke on her lids and lack of undereye concealer are the perfect elements of balance pulling this look away from being too baby faced. Sometimes things are working at their best when you cannot see the effort involved and this is one of those times.
Devon does serve a kind of baby faced sexy who’s troubling aspects are not totally lost on me for sure. But I think it would be missing something to condemn outright. Even though she has those super sweet cherubic features the directness of her look feels like she is looking straight at you with a little sneer. You don’t feel like she is the object of your gaze as much as you are of hers. As a weird unconfident preteen, Devon’s look felt like everything that being a little older but not grown yet promised.
P.S. I’m a bit surprised the recent Y2K revival didn’t include a large recirculation of Devon images! She was always the cooler choice compared to Paris or Nicole and had that slightly sulky vibe down to a T. I also think she is a great resource for beauty inspiration if you are stuck on makeup ideas because none of her looks are totally perfect; they are always served with give a fuck vibe which means all you need to recreate them is a little bit of self belief and a deadpan expression.
Words: Grace Ellington
