Backstage at Marc Jacobs
Michele Morosi / Indigitalimages.com
After time spent in the trenches, a round-up of our favorite trends and backstage beauty tips from New York Fashion Week.
1. A Good Shag
Out with the bob and in with the shag—at least that was the directive mane master Garren gave backstage at Anna Sui, telling his team to “take the sex out of it” and leave strands “lank” and “cool.” And at Marc Jacobs, Guido Palau used wigs for the fourth season in a row, “depersonalizing” the supermodel cast with long, Joey Ramone–inspired layers and eye-grazing bangs. “It’s a strong statement,” he said, but one that every woman can make.
Backstage at Rodarte
Photo: Sonny Vandevelde/ Indigitalimages.com
2. The Power Brow
The power brow emerged yet again this season, but this time it had nothing to do with catwalker Cara Delevingne. Arches were adorned with everything from rings at Rodarte to gloss at Thakoon to punky streaks of pastel blue, lilac, and rose at Badgley Mischka. “It’s more of a facial accessory than a punk statement,” makeup artist James Kaliardos noted of the precise “piercings” at Rodarte.
Backstage at Michael Kors
Photo: Sonny Vandevelde/ Indigitalimages.com
3. Makeup Mix Masters
“We want them to look believable; you see something’s happened, but it’s just an overall impression of prettiness,” said face painter Dick Page of the look at Michael Kors. Combining different formulas to make the final product more “transparent” was key to his technique. Page mixed a brown eye pencil with Michael Kors Glam Lip Luster in Icon for a “stained” effect, and translucent powder was swirled with Bronze Powder in Glow to sheer it out. Tom Pecheux took a similar approach, creating “sunkissed” skin for Ralph Lauren’s safari girls by dusting a blend of translucent powder and bronzer across models’ noses. “By doing this, it warms up the powder but prevents any patches,” he noted.
Backstage at 3.1 Phillip Lim
Photo : Michele Morosi / Indigitalimages.com
4. In the Buff
Nail art took a backseat to basic nude, with the classic color popping up at shows like 3.1 Phillip Lim, Michael Kors, Narciso Rodriguez, Alexander Wang, and Rag & Bone. Despite its simplistic nature, manicurists offered up plenty of pro tricks. Michelle Saunders topped two coats of Essie’s Au Natural with Ridge Filling Base Coat: “It’s like the Valencia filter on your phone, it makes everything soft and pretty,” she said. Jin Soon created a “’50s pressed powder” effect on nails at Michael Kors by layering the designer’s lacquer in Hint with her namesake Matte Maker. Deborah Lippmann also opted for a shine-free finish at Narciso Rodriguez, waiting two minutes to let lustrous solvents evaporate from the camel-colored manicure before applying Flat Top.
Backstage at Boss
Photo: Michele Morosi / Indigitalimages.com
5. Subtle Smoke Signals
Smoky eyes were decidedly more subtle for Spring ’15, with brown replacing harsher blacks and grays across the board backstage at shows such as Diane von Furstenberg, Jason Wu, Alexander Wang, Donna Karan, and Hugo Boss. At Wu, Diane Kendal rimmed top and bottom lashes with Lancôme Le Crayon Khôl in Black Coffee, removed the majority of the pigment with a cotton swab and moisturizer, then intensified the total effect with Aquatique Waterproof Eyecolour Base in Sienne. And high above Manhattan at the new 4 World Trade Center building for Boss, Pat McGrath lent lids an “architectural feel” with taupe shadow, creating a “screen print of color” around the eyes.
Backstage at Thakoon
Photo: Michele Morosi / Indigitalimages.com
6. Knot Your Average Ponytail
After watching a geisha practice the traditional art of hair tying in Japan, mane master Paul Hanlon was inspired to bring the technique to NYC. He crafted a “billowy” single knot at Rag & Bone and formed a chignon by tying several “shoelace knots” on top of one another at 3.1 Phillip Lim. Fellow pro Odile Gilbert twisted two ropelike sections back from either side of models’ faces at Thakoon, joining them together in a “double knot” to add a bit of detail to fresh-from-the-pool strands.
Backstage at Versus Versace
Photo: Michele Morosi / Indigitalimages.com
7. Bare It All
Stiff blowouts and masklike makeup were ditched in favor of looks that let catwalkers’ individual personalities take center stage. At Marc Jacobs, François Nars used nothing but moisturizer, while McGrath made up top models like Joan Smalls, Vanessa Moody, and Anna Ewers at Versus with the “bare minimum.” Strategically placed highlighter, gloss on the lids, and lip balm were the only products she employed backstage. “This is closer to the period in the ’90s where supermodels were stripped of makeup and you saw how beautiful they really were,” she noted.
