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| Heidi Morawetz, Creative Force in Makeup Industry, Is Dead at 79 | Heidi Morawetz, Creative Force in Makeup Industry, Is Dead at 79 |
| (10 days later) | |
| Two days before its 1994-95 “Fall Winter Ready-to-Wear” show in Paris, the fashion house Chanel was missing a small but crucial element for the collection: the nail color for the models. That was when Heidi Morawetz, director of the house’s makeup-creation studio at the time and an expert on color, stepped in. | Two days before its 1994-95 “Fall Winter Ready-to-Wear” show in Paris, the fashion house Chanel was missing a small but crucial element for the collection: the nail color for the models. That was when Heidi Morawetz, director of the house’s makeup-creation studio at the time and an expert on color, stepped in. |
| In Chanel’s studio kitchen, Ms. Morawetz and Dominique Moncourtois, the company’s international director of makeup creation, set about mixing red and black pigments until they came up with Rouge Noir, a blood-red varnish that would become a sensation throughout Europe (it sold out in Britain) and the United States. | In Chanel’s studio kitchen, Ms. Morawetz and Dominique Moncourtois, the company’s international director of makeup creation, set about mixing red and black pigments until they came up with Rouge Noir, a blood-red varnish that would become a sensation throughout Europe (it sold out in Britain) and the United States. |
| “Rouge Noir became this ridiculous global phenomenon,” Anna-Marie Solowij, a British beauty journalist and co-founder of the online shopping site BeautyMART, said in an interview. “It was such an outrageous color.” | “Rouge Noir became this ridiculous global phenomenon,” Anna-Marie Solowij, a British beauty journalist and co-founder of the online shopping site BeautyMART, said in an interview. “It was such an outrageous color.” |
| Known as Vamp in the United States, the nail polish was said by Peter Philips, who worked with Ms. Morawetz at Chanel, as well by as others in the makeup industry, to have been worn by Uma Thurman in Quentin Tarantino’s movie “Pulp Fiction” in 1994 — although others say that the shade Ms. Thurman wore, while similar, was created for the movie and was not the color Ms. Morawetz helped create. | |
| Madonna reportedly wore the color in her 1995 music video “Take a Bow.” | |
| Rouge Noir was just one of many successful creations by Ms. Morawetz, one of the most influential figures in the makeup industry in recent decades. She oversaw Chanel’s beauty line for almost 30 years and before that worked directly with Yves Saint Laurent (he had personally recruited her) in launching his brand’s first makeup line. | Rouge Noir was just one of many successful creations by Ms. Morawetz, one of the most influential figures in the makeup industry in recent decades. She oversaw Chanel’s beauty line for almost 30 years and before that worked directly with Yves Saint Laurent (he had personally recruited her) in launching his brand’s first makeup line. |
| Ms. Morawetz, whom some credit with helping to turn makeup into an industry in its own right, died on Aug. 9 in a hospital in Senlis, France, about 30 miles northeast of Paris, a Chanel representative said. She was 79. Her brother, Rüdiger Morawetz, said the cause was bone cancer. | Ms. Morawetz, whom some credit with helping to turn makeup into an industry in its own right, died on Aug. 9 in a hospital in Senlis, France, about 30 miles northeast of Paris, a Chanel representative said. She was 79. Her brother, Rüdiger Morawetz, said the cause was bone cancer. |
| Before creating wildly successful makeup products, Ms. Morawetz collaborated as a makeup artist with many celebrated fashion photographers, including Helmut Newton, Bruce Weber, Guy Bourdin, Patrick Demarchelier, Sarah Moon and David Bailey. | Before creating wildly successful makeup products, Ms. Morawetz collaborated as a makeup artist with many celebrated fashion photographers, including Helmut Newton, Bruce Weber, Guy Bourdin, Patrick Demarchelier, Sarah Moon and David Bailey. |
| Ms. Morawetz saw makeup not so much as a means to transform a woman, but rather as a way to complement her. | Ms. Morawetz saw makeup not so much as a means to transform a woman, but rather as a way to complement her. |
| “Fashion is one thing, but personality is quite another,” The New York Times quoted her as saying in 1992. “A woman must always adapt makeup and trends to her own personality and use them to be more herself.” | “Fashion is one thing, but personality is quite another,” The New York Times quoted her as saying in 1992. “A woman must always adapt makeup and trends to her own personality and use them to be more herself.” |
| Heidi Morawetz was born in Vienna on Feb. 8, 1939. Her father, Rüdiger Morawetz, was a lawyer, and her mother, Eleonore Böck, worked in fashion. Her parents died when she was young, and she and her brother were taken in by their grandfather Hans Böck. | Heidi Morawetz was born in Vienna on Feb. 8, 1939. Her father, Rüdiger Morawetz, was a lawyer, and her mother, Eleonore Böck, worked in fashion. Her parents died when she was young, and she and her brother were taken in by their grandfather Hans Böck. |
| Her brother said in an email that perhaps Ms. Morawetz had gotten her creativity from an ancestor, Josef Munggenast, a prominent architect of the Baroque period whose works include the Melk and Zwettl abbeys in Austria. | Her brother said in an email that perhaps Ms. Morawetz had gotten her creativity from an ancestor, Josef Munggenast, a prominent architect of the Baroque period whose works include the Melk and Zwettl abbeys in Austria. |
| She spent her childhood in Vienna and her holidays in Gloggnitz, a mountain town in Austria, where she was buried. | She spent her childhood in Vienna and her holidays in Gloggnitz, a mountain town in Austria, where she was buried. |
| Ms. Morawetz graduated from the Hetzendorf Fashion School and attended the Academy of Applied Arts, now known as the University of Applied Arts. But she never studied makeup. | Ms. Morawetz graduated from the Hetzendorf Fashion School and attended the Academy of Applied Arts, now known as the University of Applied Arts. But she never studied makeup. |
| It was Mr. Bourdin who got Ms. Morawetz into the makeup business. The two met through a friend of hers, who was dating Mr. Bourdin, shortly after Ms. Morawetz moved to Paris. | It was Mr. Bourdin who got Ms. Morawetz into the makeup business. The two met through a friend of hers, who was dating Mr. Bourdin, shortly after Ms. Morawetz moved to Paris. |
| By her account, Mr. Philips said, Ms. Morawetz was having trouble finding work when Mr. Bourdin told her, “Well, if you can paint on paper, you must be able to paint on a face.” | By her account, Mr. Philips said, Ms. Morawetz was having trouble finding work when Mr. Bourdin told her, “Well, if you can paint on paper, you must be able to paint on a face.” |
| Mr. Bourdin went off to shoot for Vogue and took Ms. Morawetz along, her close friend Dominique Miceli said in an interview. Mr. Bourdin told Vogue that Ms. Morawetz was a “big makeup artist from L.A., and I only want to work on her for this shoot,” Ms. Miceli said. | Mr. Bourdin went off to shoot for Vogue and took Ms. Morawetz along, her close friend Dominique Miceli said in an interview. Mr. Bourdin told Vogue that Ms. Morawetz was a “big makeup artist from L.A., and I only want to work on her for this shoot,” Ms. Miceli said. |
| Ms. Morawetz continued to collaborate with Mr. Bourdin, not only doing makeup for his shoots but also helping with outfitting. | Ms. Morawetz continued to collaborate with Mr. Bourdin, not only doing makeup for his shoots but also helping with outfitting. |
| Besides her brother, she is survived by her husband, Samih Tabbara. Their marriage of 37 years had ended in divorce, Mr. Tabbara said, but they had remained close and remarried this year as her illness worsened. | Besides her brother, she is survived by her husband, Samih Tabbara. Their marriage of 37 years had ended in divorce, Mr. Tabbara said, but they had remained close and remarried this year as her illness worsened. |
| Ms. Morawetz preferred to remain out of the spotlight, Mr. Philips said, but she had an independent streak. | Ms. Morawetz preferred to remain out of the spotlight, Mr. Philips said, but she had an independent streak. |
| “One of the things she always told me was, ‘If we listened to a marketing team, we would have never created Rouge Noir,’” he said. Mr. Philips took over Chanel’s makeup division after Ms. Morawetz retired and now works at Dior. | “One of the things she always told me was, ‘If we listened to a marketing team, we would have never created Rouge Noir,’” he said. Mr. Philips took over Chanel’s makeup division after Ms. Morawetz retired and now works at Dior. |
| Ms. Solowij, the BeautyMART founder, said Rouge Noir “was the start of the nail boom and the recognition that you could create such excitement with nails.” She recalled bringing back boxes of the color to London after her visits to the States. | Ms. Solowij, the BeautyMART founder, said Rouge Noir “was the start of the nail boom and the recognition that you could create such excitement with nails.” She recalled bringing back boxes of the color to London after her visits to the States. |
| But Rouge Noir was not the only revolutionary aspect of the Paris ready-to-wear show for 1994-95. Ms. Morawetz also introduced the “short, boyish nail, not the longer talons we saw before that,” Ms. Solowij said. | But Rouge Noir was not the only revolutionary aspect of the Paris ready-to-wear show for 1994-95. Ms. Morawetz also introduced the “short, boyish nail, not the longer talons we saw before that,” Ms. Solowij said. |
| In the 1990s, Ms. Morawetz brought Ms. Solowij to her favorite ribbon store in Paris, Mokub. She would use ribbons and fabrics as the basis for the colors she wanted to make. Mr. Philips said, “Heidi would have drawers full of pieces of fabric, ribbons, texture, colors to help communicate with the lab.” | In the 1990s, Ms. Morawetz brought Ms. Solowij to her favorite ribbon store in Paris, Mokub. She would use ribbons and fabrics as the basis for the colors she wanted to make. Mr. Philips said, “Heidi would have drawers full of pieces of fabric, ribbons, texture, colors to help communicate with the lab.” |
| And she was not afraid to experiment, he said, even if it meant making mistakes. Ms. Morawetz once told him about a shoot with Mr. Bourdin along the Atlantic Ocean in which she kept tossing blue pigments into the water to get the color he wanted. | And she was not afraid to experiment, he said, even if it meant making mistakes. Ms. Morawetz once told him about a shoot with Mr. Bourdin along the Atlantic Ocean in which she kept tossing blue pigments into the water to get the color he wanted. |
| Mr. Philips recalled her saying, “There are no mistakes, because mistakes can bring surprises.” | Mr. Philips recalled her saying, “There are no mistakes, because mistakes can bring surprises.” |