FASHION Magazine

As a four-year-old, I tap danced on toy boxes and picnic tables—any sturdy surface that would hold me—while my parents’ record player spun Barry Manilow. I was always putting on performances for anyone who would watch—usually captive audiences like my then-newborn sister and our neighbour’s dog Kiwi. So it wasn’t surprising to anyone that when […]

The post Banana Clips and Love’s Baby Soft: One Writer Remembers the 80’s Beauty of Her Childhood Dance Recitals appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

A photo posted by @karliekloss on Jul 11, 2015 at 7:15pm PDT The motivational meme “You have the same amount of hours in a day as Beyoncé” should be updated to include Karlie Kloss; between walking and posing for labels like DVF and Joe Fresh, she bakes Kookies and updates her YouTube channel, Klossy. This […]

The post A lesson in multitasking from Karlie Kloss appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

See all the backstage beauty details from Jason Wu Fall 2013 »

If you’re looking to add a little drama to your beauty look, purple is certainly the way to go. While the Jason Wu Fall 2013 collection was primarily black and white, the runway was given a burst of colour in the form of an exaggerated violet cat-eye that anchored every look. The bold colour choice was taken from Wu’s finale dress. To get the look, makeup artist Diane Kendal applied purple eye pencil, indigo shadow and shimmering lilac pigment, blending the edges as she went. Several coats of black mascara added definition while a subtle lip balm and velvet skin ensured the rest of the look was soft—keeping the eyes as the focus point of it all.

See the Rodarte beauty looks up close »

“Today we’re doing an ‘80s intention,” said hairstylist Odile Gilbert backstage at Rodarte. What that meant was a side part, a hair flip, and lots and lots of mousse. And she added a very Rodarte touch: zebra-print extensions: black-white, black-gold, blonde-black, all hand-painted.

Add some graphic eyeliner and serious contouring, and you’re instantly transported to the Sunset Strip: “The [Rodarte] girls were very inspired, since they grew up there, by L.A. This is a kind of wild LA girl. The real L.A., not the red carpet L.A.,” said Nars artist James Kaliardos. “She has brushed-up brows, and they’re quite wild and animal-like. It’s that feeling of a rock chick from L.A.” Are you getting the sense that the look was inspired by Los Angeles?

MIDDLE PART

SIDE PART

NO PART

What’s in a hair part? A whole lot, according to the Spring 2013 runways. Celia Ellenberg reports.

To part, or not to part? That was the question that many coiffing stars seemed to be asking themselves this season as deep side parts, centre parts and no parts at all gave equally convincing performances on the spring runways. Why all the deliberate differentiation? “When I choose the part for a designer at a show or on a shoot—whether it’s a side or centre part, clean or messy—I always think about the character we’re conveying, the identity of the brand and every other little detail,” says Redken creative consultant Guido Palau.

Backstage at Rodarte, I bumped into former FASHION cover girl Jessica Stam, who opened the show. I almost didn’t recognize her because of her raven hair, which she switched to a few months ago for the Met’s Schiaparelli and Prada exhibit. The shade really seemed to suit the “modern medieval” look and severe side parts Odile Gilbert crafted to appear as though models had shaved one half of their head. “I did it [again] a week ago,” Stam said of her new colour, leaving out the part about it being a cover up for a dye job gone wrong.

What felt like a week-long whirlwind at the time (and realistically, actually was!) has now come to a close. From wind-tunnel hair to blue cat eyes, a Harper Beckham cameo, and one awesome T-shirt, here’s our top 10 backstage moments from New York Fashion Week.

Let’s count ’em down! »

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 »
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Makeup artist James Kaliardos was given strict orders by the Mulleavy sisters backstage at Rodarte, with Vincent Van Gogh’s painting  Starry Night as the point of inspiration. “The girls really wanted this dark, dark intense eye,” he said. Beginning with Nars’ Dark Rite Soft Touch Shadow Pencil (launching in the spring) and creating a circular shape, he then layered it with eyeshadow in “Night Flight,” a dense midnight blue with a sheen, and for additional sparkle, shadow in “Tropic” on top. “A smoky edge is important,” he said. “It makes [the look] softer and not so hard and theatrical.” To keep the eyes looking big, Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in “Rue Bonaparte” was drawn on the waterlines. Cream Blush in “Penny Lane” enhanced cheeks as well as lips, which also received a helping of lipgloss in “Nana,” a purple-y pink hue. Working with the same reference, manicurist Deborah Lippmann used “Lady Sings the Blues,” a glittery navy, on short, rounded nails. “But they wanted it to feel really like a starry night so we’ve added tons of extra large particles of glitter,” she revealed.

There was a distinct cloud of dust hovering in the air backstage at Thakoon. Some models were coughing, a drop cloth had been laid on the floor, and there was a film of particles covering my iPhone. The culprit? Clay powders of varying shades that hair stylist Odile Gilbert had Fed Ex’d from Europe where they’re sold in pharmacies and health food stores. Applying it to the girls—either mixed with water or in its innate, powdery texture—was a nod to Holi, the annual festival of colour in India where the civilians throw coloured powder and water at each other. To give the illusion of bobs—albeit ones with tons of texture—hair was braided up into two different styles. (And yes, they were washing everything out post-show.) As an extension of the Indian influence, nails were painted with Nars nail polish in “Versailles,” a pale gold.

The humidity in New York right now may be horrible for hair, but it’s doing wonders for skin. It helps to explain the luminous skin witnessed backstage at Jason Wu, first prepped with skincare by Sunday Riley. “A lot of the girls are coming from Peter Som where the makeup was heavier, so we’re leaving cleanser on for a little bit longer,” explained Riley. A pump of her lactic acid cream was included for additional exfoliation. Then it was off into the hands of makeup artist Diane Kendal, who perfected skin with concealer, and blotted T-zones with powder. Taking direction from Wu’s inspiration for his collection of ‘50s and ‘90s Pop Art, as well as NYC artist KAWS, Kendal painted bright-red tomato mouths using a trifecta of product: M.A.C. Lip Pencil in “Redd,” a yet-to-be-launched lipstick shade called “Scarlet Ibis,” and M.A.C. Pigment in “Neon Orange.” Mascara was skipped, but lids were treated to a thin black line close to the lashes and smudged “to give eyes some definition.” OPI’s “Monsooner Than Later”—a near match to the lips—was applied to fingers, while “Samoan Sand,” a nude, was painted on toes.

We break down the biggest (and most decorative) hair moment on the runways and give you all you need to know for fall.

By Lesa Hannah and Sarah Daniel

See the top hair trends for fall »

View by trend: Top Heavy | Bottoms Up | Male Forwarding | Weaving Pattern | Artistic Expression | Special Toppings

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