Tattoos: The New Fashion Must-Have

With the latest issue of French Vogue styling their editorial shoot on multi-tattooed Amy Winehouse, and John Paul Gaultier sending his couture models down the catwalk complete with tattooed shoulders and legs (well, tights), it looks like the fashion industry is all for getting inked this season. A recent article in the NY Times also points to the current appetite for temporary tattoos as an adornment to an outfit- from the cute childhood ink transfers to more elaborate unique designs applied by make-up artists. In a time where many feel individuality is losing out to high street hegemony, tattoos are losing the social stigma once connected and seemingly helping fuel a return to self-expression:

“Temporary tattoos are back,” said Michael Benjamin, the president of Temptu, a New York supplier of mock tattoos and body paints. In more than a decade as Temptu’s chief executive, Mr. Benjamin has seen their status wax and wane. He said that in the last year or two, his business has doubled. And these days, he has an armful of competitors, companies like Funtoos, Tattoo Shock and Body Graphics.

Danielle Fonseca, who applied ink-transfer tattoos to a gaggle of models at Mr. Jacobs’s party, views them as a faintly kinky adjunct to traditional makeup. “They offer a kind of branding,” she said, “a way people have of defining themselves.”

“Tattoos add personality and character,” said Donald Simrock, a makeup artist who has fashioned a variety of fakes for fashion shows and advertising campaigns. “Like that vintage car you buy, they can be an extension of your personality.”

Tattooed for a Day, Wild for a Night