Your nails can be 'Mad as a Hatter' (black and glittery) with 'Alice in Wonderland'-inspired cosmetics

Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” has attracted designer collaborators such as Stella McCartney, Tom Binns and Sue Wong for accessories and a clothing line with Wong. Now, beauty brands OPI and Urban Decay have also gone down the rabbit hole for 'Alice'-inspired cosmetics.

In February, OPI will introduce four nail lacquer shades inspired by Tim Burton’s 3-D spectacle, which will be released on March 5: “Absolutely Alice” in blue glitter, “Mad as a Hatter” in black-multi glitter, “Thanks so Muchness” in shimmery red and a bold “Off with Her Red.” The OPI “Alice in Wonderland” nail varnishes will be available at JCPenney for $8.50.

Stella McCartney, Sue Wong and Swarovski join Tom Binns with 'Alice in Wonderland' tie-ins

Tim Burton’s digital 3-D “Alice in Wonderland” -- in theaters March 5 -- is already generating a buzz with its product tie-ins: But instead of McDonald’s Happy Meal toys, there’s cool stuff for grown-ups by Stella McCartney, Sue Wong and Swarovski, which join jewelry designer Tom Binns in issuing "Wonderland" pieces.

Anticipating 'Alice': A merchandising wonderland through the looking-glass

Next Tuesday, Snoop Dogg's new album, “Malice in Wonderland,” drops. That's just three days after the scheduled opening night of a $3.5-million musical about a modern-day descendant of author Lewis Carroll ("Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure") at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, and two days after the Syfy channel debut of  "Alice" a miniseries that re-imagines the titular character in a modern-day setting, (Alice is a martial arts instructor) and puts the Red Queen (Kathy Bates) in charge of a casino.  And, as our compatriot blog Hero Complex reported a few days ago, an original 1871 copy of the sequel "Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There," once owned by Alice Liddell (the inspiration for her fictional namesake) is expected to fetch between $100,000 and $150,000 when it goes up for auction later this month.

Maybe it's escapism from -- or commentary on – the world around us that seems as nonsensical as the one Alice encounters. Or maybe it's no more than a calculated strategy to draft in the wake of Tim Burton's

Disney takes fashion down the rabbit hole with 'Alice'

When fellow Rage blogger Melissa Magsaysay came back from Las Vegas with tales of MAGIC marketing madness -- which included an "Alice in Wonderland" flash mob in the convention center lobby to tout Disney's upcoming fashion/film tie-in -- I didn't give it a second thought.

It wasn't until last weekend's trip to Disneyland as I sat all mouse-eared in the dark and rumbling through the "Alice in Wonderland" ride that I realized I was actually looking forward to Tim Burton's take on the Lewis Carroll classic.

And the ride itself reminded me of just how trippy the original tale is -- what with a hookah-smoking caterpillar, a tardy, waistcoat-wearing rabbit and grinning Cheshire-cat. Who knows what adding Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter will do to that menagerie? (Unfortunately, in some of the early movie posters I've seen, Depp comes off looking like a cross between Elijah Wood and Carrot Top).

So yesterday I got around to digging out the press release from Disney Consumer Products (DCP) and was surprised to see that the jewelry collaboration is with a pretty notable name: jewelry designer Tom Binns.

Magic trade show brings major marketing spectacles

 

If you managed to push your way past the crowd gathered at the gates of Christian Audigier’s mini-city built within a hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center, all you saw in the shadows of Ed Hardy flags and Crystal Rocks sparkles were more and more marketing spectacles by brands showing lines at the Magic trade show.

There was someone posing for pictures dressed in a Sponge Bob Square Pants costume, and then a handful of guys with no pants on--just striped skivvies, standing in front of a men’s underwear booth.

But the biggest show of the day was in the lobby of the Grand Hall, where actors and dancers played out a “Mad Tea Party” to promote a line of jewelry Tom Binns is designing timed to the Tim Burton-directed "Alice in Wonderland" movie, which comes out in March. The dancers were dressed as the various characters from the book, but with a “street” edge. The white rabbit was more blue and looked more like a break dancer than a bunny. There was a random contortionist and a guy on stilts throwing cookies into the audience. A lot of people jumped up and down so fervently for the cookies like bridesmaids revving up to catch a bouquet--you’d think these were the only cookies in Vegas.

After 10 minutes of aimless dancing, banners fell that read “Alice is the new black” and “Who will you wear to the tea party?”  Tom Binns jewelry, I guess.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photos:At top, Christian Audigier land at Magic, Left: Man on stilts throwing cookies at the "Alice in Wonderland" "Mad Tea Party"; at right, the "White Rabbit" in blue. Photo credits: Melissa Magsaysay / Los Angeles Times