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As bare-bones beauty dominates the runways, a few holdouts are making sure fantasy lives on.

It was a casual remark, meant to highlight the exceptional craftsmanship behind the Old Hollywood-inspired, ultra-glamorous sets he devised for the Armani Privé Fall 2013 Couture show. But hairstylist Orlando Pita’s words backstage in Paris last summer offered an astute commentary on the state of runway beauty as a whole: “Now that John Galliano and Alexander McQueen are gone from the business, a new guard has created a kind of couture that relates to the street,” he said. “It was always about fantasy; that’s gone for now.”

The role of the backstage beauty team is to complete the full translation from the designer’s mind; it helps refine the woman, or the character, who would wear the clothes. Certain designers stuck to their fantasy-driven existence for spring, with all the over-the-top beauty fanfare that goes with it (Gareth Pugh’s alien-inspired eyebrow discs; Thom Browne’s frizzy-haired, smudged-makeup insane asylum patients; Vivienne Westwood’s similarly unnerved walking dead iteration). However, if you take a look at some of the most anticipated shows of the past few seasons, the resonance of Pita’s statement becomes much louder. From Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang and The Row to Burberry Prorsum, Christopher Kane, Balmain and Isabel Marant, there has been an overwhelming reliance on minimal makeup and easy, undone hair that was most certainly not in the phrasebooks of Galliano or McQueen—or Thierry Mugler and Azzedine Alaïa, for that matter.

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.

See all the beauty looks from the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show! »

The sexiest show on earth, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, will be televised tonight and although many will be tuning in to see the elaborate costumes, fancy lingerie and performances from Rihanna and Justin Bieber, we can’t forget about the beauty. After all, while a million-dollar bra is hard to come by, anyone can try their hand at the hair and makeup done on the Victoria’s Secret Angels. Even better, we have the complete low-down on how to achieve both.

Makeup artist Tom Pecheux gave Victoria’s Secret models such as Miranda Kerr and Doutzen Kroes a look that featured sultry brown eyes, glossy, barely-tinted lips and earthy cheeks. And given just how much skin is on display, the Angels’ bodies were given a sun kissed glow with help from the brand’s Beach Sexy line of bronzers and self-tanners.

See how the Michael Kors Fall 2012 hair and makeup was done »

Featuring chunky cable-knits, fox furs and shearlings, the Michael Kors Fall 2012 collection was inspired by a well-to-do couple—say Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, or John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette—settling in at their cozy winter retreat after a day on the slopes. To achieve this fireside look, makeup artist Dick Page used Shiseido Lacquer Rouge in “Drama” on both lips and cheeks. The red liquid lipstick was applied with a foundation sponge on cheeks to mimic an in-from-the-cold flush then blotted on lips for a bold, precise effect. On the eyes, Dick Page swept pale gold and iridescent white powder over lids and into inner corners and finished with black mascara. Hair was just as cozy: After prepping with a volumizing spray for texture, Orlando Pita created a side part, secured it with a bobby pin and pulled the lengths into a casual, undone knot. Read on as we examine the runway look for Michael Kors Fall 2012 in full, complete with tips, tricks and the six products you need to try the hair and makeup at home.

View the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2012 photos »

Or jump to: THE SHOW |BACKSTAGE | FRONT ROW | RED CARPET

Glitter, gloss, wings, 6-inch heels, plenty of pink, big, sexy hair and legs that go on for days—the Victoria’s Secret Angels know how to give good glam. Hours before the annual Victoria’s Secret fashion show began, we headed backstage amidst clouds of hairspray, racks of Swarovski-encrusted pink satin Victoria’s Secret robes and throngs of editors/bloggers/photographers to get the inside scoop from the heavenly ones (The jitters! The diets! The costumes!). Pre-show, Twitter was a-buzz with news of Karlie Kloss’s new ‘do but post-show it was all about her controversial Native American-inspired costume, which subsequently will be pulled from the televised show on December 4th. From Justin Bieber to Bruno Mars to mega-babe Rihanna, the musical performances didn’t disappoint, nor did the star-studded front row which included Alexander Wang, 30 Rock’s Katrina Bowden, Debbie Harry, members of Kings of Leon , Gossip Girl’s Jessica Szohr and Vanessa Hudgens and her boyfriend Austin Butler. Here, FASHION shares our all-access pass to this year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, backstage and beyond….

Remember when makeup artist Francois Nars created 65 different looks for the Marc Jacobs Fall 2009 show? Well, that didn’t happen this time around at New York Fashion Week Spring 2013 but some designers did decide to deviate from a uniform beauty statement, creating a few different looks for one show. Here’s our rundown of the best double takes from backstage:

Alexander Wang
Though Guido Palau gave every girl at Alexander Wang a tight, low ponytail, the accessory that ran down the centre part differed—a glow-in-the-dark adhesive strip on blondes and a black one for brunettes. The fair-haired set also had a different experience in the makeup chair: Diane Kendal bleached brows and created luminous skin, while their dark-haired counterparts had strong brows and matte skin.

Read on for multiple looks from Anna Sui, Michael Kors and more! »

He’s one of the most influential hairstylists working today, but Orlando Pita would rather not be in the spotlight. Lesa Hannah manages to pin him down.

If you’re a beauty editor backstage at a fashion show and you want to interview Orlando Pita about the hair, you soon learn the following: If there isn’t a publicist to facilitate a chat, you’ll have to take matters into your own hands and approach him. Once you have him, be quick and to the point. Do not film him without his approval; if you raise your Flip camera unannounced during the interview, he will stop talking. Finally, for the love of God, do not ask how the real woman can recreate the look at home; his frustration with the question will be immediately apparent.

“It’s Michael’s default bronze position,” said Dick Page of the tawny faces he was creating backstage at Kors to underscore the designer’s safari-themed collection. His team paired the glowing umber with a strong signature Page brow, little bits of gold highlights around the eyes, a touch of brown mascara, and lip colour provided by Shiseido Perfect Rouge in “Caramel” to “unify the tone across the board.” Each girl was brought to Page for any additional bronzing, which he called “the final toast.”

The chunky, matted thick braid created by Orlando Pita had a bit more of a narrative. “These people are on a trip through Africa,” he said. “They have nothing with them to groom themselves with so they take their shoelaces and tie their hair up in braids in the back. Then they try to neaten themselves up, so in the front, they scrape their hair back.” Using a combination of Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray, T3 Refresh Volumizing Dry Shampoo, and American Crew Defining Paste to build piece-y texture, he wove hair into two fishtail braids, intertwining leather strings into the plaits, and then joined them together to look like one. “It’s not easy to achieve at home but that’s always my goal, always,” he said. “I don’t want somebody to do these hairdos at home and then I’m out of job.”

View the photo gallery »

Makeup artist Tom Pecheux’s love affair with metallics continues. At Doo Ri, he created a face that was “very nude,” he said. “We’re just playing with texture.” After matting out the T-zone, he used M.A.C. Metal X Cream Shadow in “Fusion Gold,” launching in the spring, all around the eyes, hitting the brow, extending it to the temples and onto the cheekbones. On cheeks, he used a matte peach colour “as a contour, not a blush—that would be too girly” and lips were treated to a “slightly beigey, peachy pink colour” called “Innocence Beware.” To keep his glowy goddess effect discreet, he left lashes bare. “And I promise, it’s not because I wanted to be lazy” he said. Manicurist Jin Soon Choi coated nails in one coat of Zoya’s “Helen,” a nude with a subtle shimmer.

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 »

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