Elizabeth Taylor is inimitable, but much to the dismay of naysayers,there are similarities between the Hollywood icon and Kim Kardashian that cannot be denied. The unapologetic glamour. The high profile relationships. The most-famous-woman-in-the-world stardom. And, of course, the exotic beauty—both women make us #bowtothebrows.
And lest you forget, it was Kardashian who conducted Taylor's last interview, a candid conversation for Harper's BAZAAR about men, jewels, and existential wisdom. The feature was accompanied by a shoot in which Kardashian channeled Taylor's famous role in Cleopatra (1963). Now, Kardashian is emulating the Egyptian queen again, this time with a beauty-centric spread lead by the makeup artist royalty Pat Mcgrath for Violet Grey's The Violet Files.
"I love Elizabeth," Kardashian said in the interview. "Pat and I have had conversations about how iconic she is, and how iconic Cleopatra is. I would have done anything — I would have trusted Pat's vision no matter what she wanted—but I was really excited that it was the Cleopatra vibe."
In the close-up portraits, Mcgrath gives Kardashian's famous visage the bold Cleopatra cat eye—and then some. From the gilded treatment to meticulously bejeweled à la Gaga , the reality star's eyes and brows are radically transformed, a nod to the past, present, and future.
"Elizabeth Taylor's makeup in Cleopatra has been reenacted countless times, but for Kim I wanted to create a version that has never been done before, a futuristic 3D version," McGrath said. "I wanted to portray a luxurious decadence by using elements of ornate facial jewelry constructed into shapes that pay homage to Egyptian culture, and of course to the rich exotic character that Taylor played in this role."
Mission accomplished, to say the least.
View the stunning images from the spread, below, and read the full story here.
