It was in about 1500 department stores across the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. Other stores followed, including Neiman Marcus, with its legendary beauty department.Ī post shared by Fashion Fair its most profitable, in 2002, Fashion Fair earnings were about $56 million. Audrey Smaltz had a personal contact at Bloomingdale's who picked up the brand. She wanted the glamor and cachet of a high-end department store. "We would practice on our own employees!"Įventually, Fashion Fair was poised to go out into the world-but where? Eunice Johnson had already decided theirs would not be a drug store brand. "We had all shades of colors, from the darkest girls to the lightest and everywhere in between," Smaltz remembers. They tested the makeup on women in the JPC offices.
So Fashion Fair cosmetics became another part of the Johnson Publishing Corporation (JPC).Įunice Johnson chose pink as the line's signature color, in part to differentiate it from Estée Lauder's chosen color, blue. Originally, she brought the idea to a few large mainstream companies, like Revlon, but they passed. Johnson hired a chemist to create the formulas that would become Fashion Fair cosmetics.
Once they decided they were going into the cosmetics business, Mrs. Eunice Johnson was nationally known for being well-and expensively-dressed. A real Picasso hung on their living room wall. They owned a double penthouse condominium that overlooked Lakeshore Drive, in one of Chicago's fanciest neighborhoods. Fur! Smaltz's lively narration added spice to the experience: "What to wear on Sunday when you won't be home 'til Monday!" she'd purr, as a model in Bill Blass cast a coy glance at the delighted audience.Īnd they could, because the Johnsons had money. A beaded gown that shimmered and floated. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen!"Īnd for the next two hours, the audience-usually dressed to the nines, in homage to (or in competition with) the models-was entranced by a parade of couture clothes. "Audrey Smaltz is my name and fashion is my game," Smaltz would begin as the lights went down. Models strutted onto the sage, paced by the tunes of a three-piece jazz combo and introduced by the show's announcer, a six-foot stunner named Audrey Smaltz. The show traveled with its own stage sets and a music director. And it was one of the first vehicles to bring high fashion to the masses. The Ebony Fashion Fair was a way for the Johnsons to raise funds – eventually some $55 million dollars – for Black charities. (At its height, Ebony had more than 1.2 million monthly subscribers and was viewed as an essential part of many Black households.) JPC's flagship publication was the famous Ebony Magazine. It was part of the Johnson Publishing Corporation, a media empire started in 1948 by Eunice and John H. Yves Saint Laurent goes to Detroit and Alabamaįirst, some history: In the beginning there was the Ebony Fashion Fair, a traveling fashion show that brought couture collections from places like France and New York to cities all over the U.S. That company was – and is again – Fashion Fair cosmetics. Then, how it reentered the market just last fall, when what it had once offered was no longer unique. This is the story of an African American company that was formed to fill a niche market how that company soared to success and then became complacent about its success. Step into any big-box beauty store, like Sephora or Ulta, and you'll see a dazzling array of foundations from palest bisque to deepest, darkest brown.
GIRLS OF PENTHOUSE MAGAZINE SKIN
Today, if you are a woman of color and you're searching for makeup that will complement your skin tone, you have plenty of options.