Temporary tattoos: Trendy or Tacky?

temporary tattoos on the catwalk

Earlier this week Dior announced the release of their latest form of accessories, temporary tattoos made of 24 carat gold leaf. Tattoos in general are often a topic that causes controversy within the fashion world, like Marmite many either love them or hate them. Stereotypically tattoos are not associated with the upper class designer label wearing crowd and are rarely seen paraded on the catwalk but could Dior be about to change that?

Dior’s latest offering are ‘jewel-like’ resembling delicate charm bracelets, rings and ornate arm cuffs, designed by Dior jewellery designer Camille Miceli and named the ‘Grand Bal Golden tattoos” they are retailing at around $120 per set, a costly sum for an accessory which will inevitably disappear after one outing! Surprisingly Dior are not the first high end designer to develop temporary skin art, last March Chanel revealed their collection of black temporary tattoos which mimicked their earlier Spring collection designs; strings of pearls, swallows and of course the unmistakable Chanel logo. Originally hand drawn by Chanel make-up director Peter Phillips the tattoos sold at a slightly more reasonable fifty pounds a set however the questions still remains, since when did temporary tattoos become fashionable?

Alarmingly, a quick Google search for ‘temporary tattoos’ directs me to the Amazon toys & games page and I can’t help but notice the frequent mention of kids in many of the results. I’m sure that for many of us our first tattoo was a temporary one, I know for sure that I often sported one on my upper arm…when I was seven. Temporary tattoos were a 90’s gimmick that could be found hidden in the wrappers of bubble gum so what has prompted Dior to release them for adults?

Those looking for a tattoo that is not so permanent may have heard of Inkwear, a recently established brand who offer their interpretations of celebrity tattoos for a fraction of the price. Examples include Rihanna’s falling stars design and Angelina Jolie’s ‘know your rights’ quote, but are people seriously buying these and wearing them out in public? In my opinion temporary tattoos seem just a little bit childish and I would much rather save my money for a real necklace than pay $120 for one that might rub off when someone hugs me..