FASHION Magazine

The word “designer” permeates Kara Chomistek’s world from head to heels. This cool 24-year-old biomedical engineer designs orthopedic equipment and her own namesake clothing line. In her spare time, she dances with a semi-professional salsa troupe, in addition to teaching cha-cha, tango and jive. She is also the co-founder and president of PARK (Promoting Artists, Redefining Kulture), a non-profit organization launched in 2008 that promotes local designers and artists through designer forums, industry mixers, and fashion and art shows. When attending evening affairs, this glam go-getter slips into spotlight-stealing labels, including Lanvin, Miu Miu, Valentino and local designer Paul Hardy. “Fashion allows me to achieve balance in my life,” she says. “It’s another medium for me to use my creativity. Similar to art, I like to wear unique or unusual pieces that can spark a conversation.”

See her shopping picks »

“There’s a sense of anticipation and excitement that leaps out of this photograph. I almost feel nervous for them waiting backstage,” says art director Maarten Sluyter, who joined FASHION in February 2011. “Part of the mystery of this scene is you don’t know which fashion show this could be or where it might be held. It gives the reader a glimpse into this world and allows them to dream. The black and white works extremely well because of the way the light comes into the shot from the stage. I love the models’ hair—the updos highlight their necklines beautifully. The clothes are simple. They will never lose their appeal, similar to a little black dress.”

Guerlain’s mascara fit for a spy, Jo Malone scents inspired by British blooms, and a hair accessory that lets you roll with it.

View our editor’s picks »

“Those girls started riots, because Chinese people thought they were ugly,” says Phillip Ing, vice-president of global retail and special events for M.A.C. He’s describing the public’s reaction to a series of images by Beijing-based photographer Chen Man, published in 2003 on the covers of Vision, an avant-garde Chinese fashion and art magazine. OK, so they weren’t actual riots, but there was plenty of hate mail; resistance is a common repercussion when one is blazing a beauty trail in a conservative country. Her images were arresting and fantastical, and they instantly garnered attention, as did the artist herself. At the time, she was only 23 and still in school, but she represented the next generation, who no longer felt constrained by many of the limitations their nation imposed.

Continue reading about Chen Man »
View the gallery »

Kate Moss has some new hobbies. She’s into canning jams and chutneys. She’s also rumoured to be whipping up batches of homemade soap using blooms from her English garden, something she hopes to turn into a business venture. In light of all these domestic projects, it would seem a culinary arts and crafts coffee-table book, perhaps lensed by her long-time friend Mario Testino, can’t be far behind.

Bold pops of primary colour paint a fashionable masterpiece in some of the most coveted looks for spring. Check these out for a peek at what will make it onto yours.

See our picks »

By Lesa Hannah and Sarah Daniel

There’s never a lack of creativity backstage. Hairstylists and makeup artists are beauty wizards, working their own brand of magic to create characters for each runway show. But this season, their imaginations took things to the next level. From candy-coloured hair to lips that mimicked floral blooms to eyes that were dressed in metallic foil, spring’s beauty message is not for the faint of heart.

RAINBOW BRIGHT

ADD-ONS

RETRO INFLUENCES

SLIPPERY SLOPE

FESTIVAL GIRL

By Lesa Hannah and Sarah Daniel

Makeup artists and hairstylists drew inspiration from girls hitting the summer music festival circuit with dishevelled, centre-parted strands and slept-in smoky eyes. Dsquared threw its own concert, sending models down the muddy runway with hippie hair that was “Kate Moss at Glastonbury,” explained hairstylist Sam Mc-Knight, while at Alexis Mabille, tiny daisies were tucked into textured hair for a Lilith Fair feel. At Emilio Pucci, makeup artist Lisa Butler’s roughly smudged black liner with hits of copper and gold paid homage to an ’80s Madonna, with a side of gypsy-esque free spirit. And when eyes weren’t rimmed in black, blue was the new black: For Emanuel Ungaro, Charlotte Tilbury gave eyes a wet look by mixing teal and navy with noir and layering gloss on top. Likewise at Rodarte, models wore a smoky eye with a spin; makeup maven James Kaliardos gave lids a navy wash that winked at Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night.

See the backstage beauty »
See our editors’ product picks »

By Lesa Hannah and Sarah Daniel

It was sink or swim backstage, where wet hair and glistening skin were major beauty themes to surface this season. At Bottega Veneta and Diesel, Guido Palau crafted dripping chignons and misty ponytails. At Alexander Wang, models looked like they had just hopped out of the shower. The sopping effect wasn’t achieved with H2O but with argan hair treatment “until you really get it looking wet,” says Palau. Super-hydrated skin with a healthy sheen was reminiscent of an Olympian post-workout, or in the case of Missoni, a girl who had been up all night flamenco dancing—the models’ dewy complexions achieved through artful placement of metallic cream shadow. That shine could also result from plenty of Botox, according to makeup artist Val Garland, who simulated that supernatural skin for Giambattista Valli by strategically applying a pink-gold pigment on the planes of the face.

See the backstage beauty »
See our editors’ product picks »

By Lesa Hannah and Sarah Daniel

Liquid liner hasn’t lost its momentum, but makeup artists left last season’s ’60s mod influence behind and moved back a decade to the ’50s, with inspirations like Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor. At Jonathan Saunders, artiste Lucia Pieroni gave models a Stepford streak, inspired by a mid-century Miami housewife who likes her Valium, she says. At Marni, makeup artist Tom Pecheux applied a cinnamon-coloured flick instead of the standard noir, which was inspired by a terracotta clutch in the collection and brought “a sophisticated finish to the face,” he says. Hair-stylists also mined the past for ideas—from the ’20s to the ’70s, and every decade in between. At Diane von Furstenberg, teased ’60s French twists were “textured so it’s rustic and earthy, and quite simple in shape,” says coiffeur Orlando Pita. But at Jean Paul Gaultier, it was an old photograph that led to the loose wartime rolls that hair guru Guido Palau fastened to the top of the head. Our favourite was the sterile-looking ’50s faux bob at Jil Sander, in all its vacuum-sealed nurse practitioner perfection.

See the backstage beauty »
See our editors’ product picks »

By Lesa Hannah and Sarah Daniel

Hair accessories have been elevated beyond the basic bobby pin or pedestrian ponytail fastener. At Jason Wu, Odile Gilbert decorated updos with skinny black feathers for a punk touch. “We don’t want them to look romantic,” she says. At Chanel, pearls were pinned into wet-looking chignons; at Yves Saint Laurent, buns were encased in gold cage barrettes. Embellishment didn’t end there, though; faces were fully decorated too. To characterize “giant living dolls” at Viktor & Rolf, makeup artist Pat McGrath used thick, pink false eyelashes. At Givenchy, she responded to the designer’s request for “metallic flashes of light” by cutting sequins in two and placing one half above the eyes and one half below. When “[models] walked and blinked, it would capture the light,” says McGrath. But makeup maven Peter Philips wins the award for best showmanship: At Fendi, he affixed bits of gold and silver leaf from lash to brow. The look blew our minds.

See the backstage beauty »
See our editors’ product picks »

By Lesa Hannah and Sarah Daniel

Bold, statement-making lips have legs: Witness the tomato-red mouth topped with neon orange powder pigment at Jason Wu, the eight acidic shades at Mary Katrantzou and the magenta mouth with a darkened centre at Prabal Gurung, meant to look like “an orchid coming out of the lips,” says makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury. Whatever the hue or texture, what’s important is that it makes a major impact. But this season, colour wasn’t confined to the face; it migrated to the head. It was first spied at Thakoon, where hairstylist Odile Gilbert applied powdered clay, either dry or mixed with water, to models’ heads in a nod to Holi. Then at Narciso Rodriguez, coiffeur Eugene Souleiman spray-painted conical twists in one of five temporary colours. Three weeks later, Souleiman was at it again at Issey Miyake, referencing the flowers in the collection with tinted, tulip-shaped hairstyles. We especially liked the ones that resembled Triple Rockets popsicles.

See the backstage beauty »
See our editors’ product picks »