Stylist: Jared Ellner assisted by Gen van Lent and @jessmcateee
Stylist Assistant on Fashion History research & look storyline: Isa Spies
Outfit: Louis Vuitton by Nicolas Ghesquière
Makeup Artist: Kelsey Deenihan using SolaWave, CeraVe, Bare Minerals
Hairstylist: Laura Polko using T3 Micro and Aquage
Colorist: Dafne Evangelista
Manicurist: Betina Goldstein using CND
Jewelry: Cartier
It took me two days to complete this article, and it was the very first time I had the chance to grasp who Emma Chamberlain is. As a fashion connoisseur, I obviously saw her attending Louis Vuitton shows, and I was instantly intrigued. Here is what she wore to this year’s MET Gala–enjoy.
Committing to circular creativity, Emma donned a beige Louis Vuitton crop top from the Fall 2016 Ready-to-wear collection paired with a white column skirt with a little bit of train.
The research behind a proper gown to wear for the occasion was pretty thorough, indeed the inspiration pieces present on her stylist Jared Ellner‘s mood board came from as early as approximately 1884 through 1890, to 1899.
Emma and her team changed the black pants from the original runway show, pairing the top with a white long skirt instead. As much as we would have loved to see the shoes, they were nowhere to be found, we just know that they were a pair of white platform heels because Emma said it during an interview for Access (the interviewer asked her to show them but it was too impractical, so she just described them and we have to take her word for it).
The jewelry was a whole other chapter, especially because of the necklace the youtuber chose to wear. We can start off by saying that there was a lot of misinformation regarding the choker, that many thought was stolen from the Maharajah Yadwindra Singh of Patiala. At the time I was gathering information regarding the matter, I couldn’t find clarity till I read what Sikh historian and art collector Peter Bance had to say about it and also what the account @ramblingofasikh explained in great detail:
“This necklace was once worn by Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Of Patiala (editor’s note: son of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala). Now for a little history lesson, this necklace isn’t the De Beers necklace that Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala had created at his request.
Bhupinder Singh of Patiala bought the seventh largest diamond in the world, the De Beers diamond in 1889, when it was exhibited at the Paris Universal exhibition. This diamond was mined in South Africa in 1888 and that’s how the famous story of the lost Patiala Necklace begins.
Bhupinder Singh of Patiala was 34 when he decided to turn the De Beers diamond into an heirloom piece and commissioned Cartier to make a ceremonial necklace with the 234.6 carat De Beers diamond being its centerpiece. The necklace was finally made in 1928 and it came to be known as the Patiala Necklace. It has five rows of platinum chains embellished with 2930 diamonds and weighing over 1,000 carats, it was enhanced with Burmese rubies. This was the most expensive piece of jewelry ever made in history and it would have costed some $30-$50million today in its original form. You can see it adorning the chest of Yadavindra Singh.
It was in the year 1948, that the diamond necklace–the De Beers necklace–was broken up and distributed amongst the 52 sons of Bhupinder Singh, the choker was passed to one of them too. It formed the dowry for many of their wives. 32 years later the De Beers diamond reappeared at Sotheby‘s auction in 1982. It was just the diamond without the necklace. A part of a necklace was then seen in an antique shop in London. → Cartier later bought the necklace and replaced the missing stones with replicas. The necklace Emma Chamberlain is wearing is the choker (seen on Maharaja Yavindra Singh), which was sold back to Cartier. Not stolen!
This has been confirmed by Captain Amrinder Singh (direct descendant of the Patiala family) via a journalist from India who I’m working with to write an article on this.”
Pretty incredible and interesting story, if you ask us. We hope you now understand how–allegedly–things went down.
Other important pieces Chamberlain adorned herself with were a diamond and platinum kokoshnik-style vintage 1911 Cartier tiara, Cartier High Jewelry earrings in platinum and diamonds, Cartier 1895 earrings in platinum and diamonds, Cartier 1895 earrings in 18k white gold–as mentioned before, the Patiala necklace was from 1928.
The makeup was astonishing, thanks to the precise artistry and expertise of MUA Kelsey Deenihan who “wanted to complete the look with soft romantic colors and a pop of gilded glamour using gold leaf for the makeup”. Here you’ll see the visual inspirations for the look:
And of course we have a product breakdown, courtesy of Bare Minerals and Deenihan herself:
SKIN
– SolaWave – Red Light Wand;
– CeraVe – Hydrating Toner;
– CeraVe Ultra-Light Moisturizing Lotion with Sunscreen;
– CeraVe – Eye Repair Cream.
MAKEUP
– Bare Minerals – BAREPRO Performance Wear Liquid Foundation in ‘Sandstone‘;
– Bare Minerals – Original Liquid Mineral Concealer in ‘Light 2N‘;
– Bare Minerals – Well-Rested Under Eye Brightening Powder;
– Bare Minerals – Original Mineral Veil Pressed Setting Powder in ‘Medium‘;
– Bare Minerals – Endless Glow Highlighter in ‘Free‘;
– Bare Minerals – GenNude Blonzer in ‘Kiss of Rose‘.
– Bare Minerals – Mineralist Lasting Eyeliner in shade ‘Garnet‘ smudged along the lash line with a brush;
– Bare Minerals – Mineralist Palette ‘Burnished‘, using ‘Heat 2‘;
– Bare Minerals – Mineralist Palette ‘Rosewood‘, using ‘Wildflower 5‘, ‘Burnt Rose 2‘;
– Bare Minerals – Mineralist Palette ‘Treasured‘, using ‘Golden‘;
> Process: ‘I applied a mixture of Heat 2 and Wildflower 5 to the lid, crease, and below the bottom lash line and blended with a medium blending brush to soften the edges. Then, to deepen the inner and outer corners of the lid, I applied Burnt Rose 2. Next, I pressed Golden in the center of the lid and inner corner of the eye. For a touch of gilded glam, I added a dab of lash glue at the center of the top lash to finish and applied a touch of 24k Gold Leaf’.
– Bare Minerals – Mineralist Hydra-Smoothing Lipstick in shade ‘Insight‘;
– Bare Minerals – Mineralist Lip Gloss-Balm in the shade ‘Adventure‘.
What about the hair? Well, Emma expressed her desire to have a short blonde bob and it took her colorist Dafne Evangelista 7 hours (according to what Chamberlain revealed to E! on the red carpet) in the hair salon to achieve it, moreover it complemented the look perfectly, apart from it being not the first time the famous youtuber went blonde.
Hairstylist Laura Polko styled the blonde beauty’s hair in the aforementioned short bob, here is a little tutorial from the haircare brand Polko used for the occasion, Aquage:
“The hair was prepped with the Aquage Uplifting Foam to allow for volume;
– hair was dried using the T3 AireLuxe hairdryer. Since Emma‘s hair was recently bleached, Laura used the dryer’s customizable settings at a 5 heat and 2 fan setting to protect hair from damage.
– Her hair was trimmed into a short bob working to create bulk at the ends by adding extensions;
– the T3 Lucea flat iron was used to touch up the ends;
– Aquage Transforming Paste and Dry Texture Finishing Spray was used to set the hair, before a vintage tiara was placed into her hair.
– In order to keep the tiara in place, two rows of baby corn rows were braided at both sides where the tiara was being placed and was secured using a clear Scünci elastic. The tiara was then sewed into place with a thread and needle.
– Some finishing touches were put into place using the Aquage Finishing Spray and then she was off to the Gala!”
To conclude, it’s time to talk about nails. During a conversation with Vogue, stylist Jared Ellner said that a lot of Gilded Age fashion felt like it was architecturally inspired, so Emma‘s nail tech Betina Goldstein had the idea of doing 3D molding when Jared and Emma showed her the references. In this particular instance, Chamberlain revealed how she prefers a collaborative experience with the people around her, rather than telling them what to do–she confidently trusts the professionals.
Goldstein wrote on her Instagram that the inspiration behind the look was the elaborate Cavetto Molding that crowns the tops of grand buildings from the Gilded Age. The result was a coffin-shaped nail in a warm ivory tone with 3D details.
Here are the products used, thanks to manicurist Goldstein, Nailpro.com and CND:
– Long coffin-shaped press-on nail tips as base;
– two coats of CND™ Shellac™ in Cream Puff;
– follow with CND™ PLEXIGEL™ Builder and a detailing tool to create the 3D lace molding, cure to achieve the 3D effect;
– paint over it with Cream Puff and use CND™ Shellac™ in Rubble for shading, giving the nails a more vintage feel;
– finish with CND™ Shellac™ Matte Top Coat before curing for the final time.
TOOLS:
– Doublemoss Arte – Arte 2 Brush;
– Doublemoss Arte – Arte X Brush;
– Doublemoss Arte – Artist Palette Ring.
Here are some close-ups of the nails, since they were not that visible in the photos from the red carpet.
More behind-the-scenes videos and some straight from the red carpet.