Hair and makeup of New York Fashion Week

Though it seems to be the couture shows that bring out the drama and flair in runway beauty, the Spring/Summer 2013 shows in New York gave us some lovely looks to feast our eyes on. Nothing was over-the-top; instead, makeup artists and hairstylists seemed to home in on highlighting natural beauty. If there was a dramatic element to be seen, usually it was focused on a single feature, and the rest flowed gracefully into a more natural domain.

1. Oscar de la Renta's dewy skin and candy-striped bouffants

To be honest, if someone had told me before the show that beautiful, decadent gowns would go hand-in-hand so well with streaked hair, I might have been reticent to think it would look good. But not only did it look good, I couldn't have imagined it any other way. The spark of pink in the hair provides a nice jolt and adds a cheeky touch to the opulent clothes.

(photo c/o Vogue)

(photo c/o Vogue)

2. Nina Skarra's"your-hair-but-better"

Usually, fashion week runway hairstyles fall into one of two groups: the first being the beautiful looks that are completely impractical and/or impossible to recreate on one's own and the second being looks that are...uninspiring, thus not prompting anyone to want to recreate them. Skarra's gentle, cascading waves don't look overdone, prompting me to try these styles out. (Alas, without a professional stylist with me...my waves will probably turn into krinky kinks.) I also like the fact that extensions weren't added to models' hair so as to create one uniform look. Instead, gentle waves were carried out regardless of length or hair type. So democratic.

(photo c/o Getty Images)

(photo c/o Getty Images)

3. Nomia's strong brows

To be honest, I almost always roll my eyes when the new beauty trend of the season turns out to be "strong, defined brows", because I feel that half of the population has strong, defined brows, in which case, the look will always be - regardless of "season" - part of the "in" crowd. But this show stood out to me because it seemed that the goal of creating intentionally uniform, dark brows was to enhance each model's eyes.

(photo c/o Getty Images)

4. Tory Burch's soft fishtail braids

I'll let you in on a secret. Nobody in my family knew how to braid hair, and as a kid I always longed for pretty braids like some of my friends had (looking at you, Jill). I think that I can find some Freudian theory as to why I am still attached to braids even in adulthood. Love 'em. Just recently learned how to braid my bangs and I almost made a cake for myself...I was that excited. And then these hairstylists at Tory Burch come along and make these braids that look sooo easy. Such teases, they are.

(photo c/o WWD)

5. The Row's elegant, yet slightly disheveled chignons

These chignons look like they've been loosened up after a day at the office or after a night of dancing. Either way, they are pretty and seem to indicate relaxed glamour.

(photo c/o Bella Sugar)

6. Marc Jacobs defined brows and Twiggy liner

There I go again with my "strong brow" infatuation. What has this season done to me? But really, the brows work so well with the mod, winged shadow and liner that these models are sporting. Francois Nars, the founder of the Nars cosmetics line, was in charge of the makeup, so it all makes sense as to why it was so perfect.

(photo c/o WWD)

7. Anna Sui's pastel manes

This (and Oscar de la Renta's) show is proof that the trend of My Little Pony-hued hair isn't  slowing down any time soon. Which, personally, I'm quite happy about because I'm obsessed over Kelly Osbourne's lilac 'do (Exhibit A). 

(photo c/o Fashion Rising)

Fall/Winter 2012 - Runway makeup

No surprise that hair and makeup featured in runway shows varies from show to show and from season to season. When trends and themes change, the beauty portion is soon to follow, or vice versa. Some makeup artists can be given free reign by designers to determine what beauty look would befit the show's motif, while other makeup professionals are given with designers' predetermined and well-defined visions of how the beauty portion of the show should look in order to impart one unified theme.
Sometimes, however, the beauty and the fashion elements of a show directly contrast and compete with each other for an audience's attention, and the unifying message is hard to decipher.

The great thing about the fashion industry is its unofficial motto of 'anything goes', which makes it a joy to see the concoctions that creative professionals come up with when collaborating together.
For example, makeup artist Stephanie Marais, told style.com that the makeup he did for Haider Ackermann's show was applied with the intent to invoke a sense of apparitions and irrealism. In order to communicate this theme, he wanted models' faces to have pale, ghostly casts to them. To capture such a look, he applied white clay masks to the models' skin and wiped - not cleaned - excess residue from the surface so as to leave a chalky dusting on the faces.

 (image c/o style.com)

The 'anything goes' mentality of runway beauty allows for high drama and theatrics as well as more subdued looks that can easily be translated to everyday makeup. With fashion, one can indulge predilections for both fantasy and reality; having the cake and eating it too. I love seeing an outrageous, exuberant, beautiful beauty look come down a runway and then challenge myself to restyle it so that elements of what made it great could still be seen for everyday wear.

After browsing through all of the runway looks, here are some of my favorite beauty moments from the fall/winter 2012 runway.


No. 1 -Multicolored lids at Roberto Cavalli

Created using a palette of Mardi Gras-esque emerald, purple and gold hues, the metallic luminescence of the colors made the models look lit from within. Pat McGrath, as usual, created a stunning tableau.

 

(images c/o style.com)

No. 2 -  Sky blue eyes at Anna Sui

Ms. Pat McGrath once more utilized the power of pigment at Anna Sui where but a single color was used in order to create an upswept, modern, matte blue cat eye. 

(image c/o harpersbazaar.com)

No. 3 - Blue mascara at Stella McCartney

The long azure-tinged lashes at Stella McCartney straddled the line between being understated and being dramatic. With a single punch of color amidst bare, dewy complexions, the lashes stood out. Perhaps the neatest thing about the single color that was used on all models was how universally complementary it was to the various skin tones and eye colors of the models. I'm so besotted with how easily the blue made every face look bright and clean that I've been searching online for blue mascaras for the past hour in an attempt to recreate Pat's handiwork.

(image c/o vogue.com)

No. 4 - Bejeweled eyebrows at Chanel

Peter Philips, Chanel's global makeup creative director, is the person responsible for creating the geometric, studded brows set amidst the perfect skin of the models at the brand's recent show. Philips revealed to Vogue UK that he created the glitzy look when Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld presented him with a sketch of how  the models were to look in the show. The sketch showed a girl with minerals lined up on her face and so Philips created the bedazzled brows for his own interpretation of the image. I'd say it turned out quite well. So well, in fact, that I asked my managers if I could wear the look to work tomorrow, so inspired was I (For the record, I can wear this look to work)

(image c/o style.com)                                                     (image c/o vogue.co.uk)

Fall/Winter 2012 - My favorite runway pieces, part one

When New York, London, Milan and Paris fashion weeks are taking place, my mind tends to wander from other tasks at hand. As a matter of fact, whole hours have been known to seemingly disappear within a span of a few minutes. Sometimes I start scrolling through the posted runway photos on my phone to the point where my stomach growls and I realize that I've been scrolling for...two hours. I become so entranced that it's like I've entered the matrix of fashion.

At first, I take screenshots on my phone of the looks to which I'm instantly drawn. I then go scroll back through all of the shows to see if I notice any recurring themes that are apparent throughout several shows. I'll be sure to scroll through once more to take a peek at accessories and the backstage beauty, and then I'll check to see if any front row dwellers showed up looking spectacular. Then on to peep the dazzling peacock-like display of street style that can prompt inspiration, confusion, intrigue, envy or fatigue.

Basically, this is a month-long digital scrolling fest. My right index finger needs a vacation afterward, but my mind is sated.

Though every line is lovely, here are some of the pieces that most resonated with me (all images c/o nymag.com):

No. 1 - Dennis Basso's tangerine gown
The vibrant hue, the semi-sheer, sparkling bodice, the plunging - but not overt - neckline, the pleated, swirling skirt and the fingerhole sleeves have combined to create a masterpiece of a gala gown.

No. 2 - Belstaff cropped wool jacket
When a longer or heavier coat isn't the right fit for the occasion, this hazelnut number is a great substitution.

No. 3 - Belstaff long wool coat
However, should a heavier coat be just what is called for, I would immediately encase myself in this cinched, tri-tone number.

No. 4 - Carlos Miele nude blazer + gown
Refined, upscale boho.

No. 5 - T by Alexander Wang tulip racerback dress + leather pants
Dress it up, dress it down, add color, or don't. The possibilities are endless. The dress shape is unbelievable; structured, yet simple.

No. 5 - T by Alexander Wang shirt dress
Change the color, add leather pants and lose the t-shirt portion, and you've got the previously mentioned dress. See? Versatile to the max.

No. 6 - Oscar de la Renta metallic-tinged periwinkle dress
This dress is what every woman's inner child wants to wear. If one were to create a single dress inspired by Wendy from Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and Cinderella, this would be it.

No. 7 - Anna Sui royal blue caftan
For as long as I can remember, I have collected flowy fabrics in the form of saris, wraps, pashminas, shawls, etc. This airy, gold-flecked caftan would be a dream to wear.