Style Watch

Coco Chanel's designs were famously influenced by everything from her Leo zodiac sign (expressed in lion-head buttons and jewelry) to her British paramour, the Duke of Westminster (who reportedly introduced her to tweeds). Her passion for Oriental art is less well known, but that may change with the recent unveiling of Chanel's fall make-up range. Inspired by the designer's Coromandel screens (she owned over 30 of these Chinese-made, lacquered folding screens, a collection considered the best in pre-war Europe), the range includes a gorgeous eye shadow and blush palette. Its intense colors—red ocher, gold and black—match Chanel's screens, as do its...