Dior Puts on a Show

Don't walk too fast the next time you visit the Forum Shops at Caesars. You might miss the newest kid on the block. Parfums Christian Dior -- the first-ever stand-alone Dior beauty boutique in the United States -- occupies a whopping 360 square feet. With three vanities, a handful of makeup artists and two walls of cosmetics luring passersby like a panting doggie in the window, it doesn't take much to fill the space to maximum capacity.

"The design concept gives the feel that you're backstage at a (fashion) runway show," said Marlina Reveles, Christian Dior account executive.

In case the black strip that runs through the center of the store doesn't immediately convey the runway idea, a floor-to-ceiling-length television screen should do the trick. As shoppers hunt through eye, lip and face embellishments, pouty models draped in Christian Dior gallop alongside them and John Galliano takes an occasional bow at the back of the boutique -- compliments of the digital age.

Considering several of the women who browsed the store last Monday afternoon donned some kind of physical allegiance to the Dior brand, the expected clientele should appreciate the connection to the high fashion world. "The people at Dior (the clothing boutique) said they're so happy we're here because it's the first thing people ask when they're shopping: 'Do you have the makeup?' " Reveles said.

Before Parfums Christian Dior, the fashion line's cosmetic extension could only be found in department stores and Sephora. Like Dior clothes, the makeup doesn't skimp on color or luxury. Eye shadow palettes ($52) combine lush hues and rely on a highly concentrated, triple-pressed pigment formula to allow high definition in one application. They can be used wet or dry. Even the color black gets special treatment. Dior's Blackout ($23) uses coal to provide a black mascara that the company claims provides a shade 15 times blacker than competitors'. (Its massive brush came about after Dior makeup artists finally dipped a toothbrush in mascara to accomplish the thick lashes Galliano wanted for his runway models.)

Dior's Airflash ($60) is another fan favorite. The foundation in a spray can lets users throw out their sponges and foundation brushes to instead close their eyes and spray until the desired coverage is accomplished.

Aside from cosmetics, the store also designates a wall to its Sharon Stone-represented skincare line. While it's been on Europeans' radars for ages, Americans have just started warming up to it. The L'or de Vie line of anti-aging creams ($195 to $350) is the arguable star here. According to store manager Carol Hassan-iel, the products contain the highest level of anti-oxidants possible without a prescription and use grape ingredients from Chateau d'yquem, a Dior-owned vineyard.

"I used it for one week and people were asking me what I was using different because my skin looked amazing," said Mary Pergoda, who paid the boutique a visit as a (40-something) birthday treat to herself. With Dior wraparound sunglasses pushed atop her head and a Dior handbag grazing her hip, there's no question where Pergoda's brand loyalty lies.

While Dior devotees certainly make up a large part of the new boutique's clientele, the makeup, skin-care and nine fragrances manage to reach beyond that demographic. In the span of a half hour the store drew in two tiara-sporting girls in their 20s, a young Asian couple, a 60-year-old Texas woman and two mothers wearing Uggs and pushing strollers. Their one common denominator: a love for luxury cosmetics.

"The Dior woman is really fashion forward," Reveles said. "She's not too buttoned up. She has an edge to her but she's not a crazy MAC girl."

Contact fashion reporter Xazmin Garza at xgarza@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0477.