Sonny Vandevelde/ Indigitalimages.com
“I’m really, really scared of crimping—and there are not a lot of things I’m afraid of,” said hairstylist (and man known for taking beauty risks) Eugene Souleiman at Stella McCartney. But what better way to get over your fear than to face it head-on (or in the case of today’s show, on the heads of models)? Normally, the kinks are associated with “bad taste” and a decade notorious for overworked, over-shellacked, and over-teased hair, but contrasted with a sleek, flat base and unfussy clothes, the “abstract texture” worked. Souleiman started by blowing strands smooth, then clamped hair in strips (a technique he hasn’t employed since the ’90s when he worked with Kate Moss) before “squashing” the length into a low and tight tail. Pat McGrath polished off dewy complexions (the result of backstage facials from Sunday Riley) with pink cream blush washed across lids, lips, and cheeks. A “strong” gloss glazed over pouts was the finishing touch.
A similar approach was taken at Giambattista Valli, but instead of ’80s crimps, post-flight rumpled waves and patent pink lips ( MAC Pro Longwear Lipglass in Patience, Please) reigned supreme. “He was referencing a girl he flies with a lot,” noted hair pro Orlando Pita of the designer’s bestie (Bianca Balti). “She gets off the plane and has a little bit of bed head from sleeping on it overnight and just grabs it and puts it in a ponytail.” To coax out texture, L’Oréal Professionnel Tecni Art Pli was misted in at the roots and Wild Stylers Next Day Hair coated the length. Stylists twisted and scrunched strands while blow-drying for movement and wrapped any straight pieces around a curling iron for a bit of bend. Fingers were then used to scrape it all back into a simple pony. While Pita described this season’s woman as “creative, artistic, and complex,” with a collection as luxe as the one seen on the runway, she’s definitely no starving artist. And that lived-in look likely isn’t the result of being crammed into coach…we have a feeling Valli’s girl flies private.
Photo: Michele Morosi / Indigitalimages.com