Presentation: Haus Alkire
Hair: Nick Irwin for TIGI
Makeup: Lyne Desnoyers for M.A.C.
Nails: Priti NYC using Blue Atlas Cedar
The Vibe: Abstract and edgy, but still feminine. To mirror the theme of detailed graphic designs and textures in the Haus Alkire collection, TIGI’s global creative director and lead stylist Nick Irwin created an inventive, complex style. “We wanted movement on the top, so we created this crisscross weave,” said Irwin of the detailed ‘do. Important products to get this look were Session Series Wet Look Gel and Session Series True Wax, which were literally painted on to hair using a color brush to create a vinyl-like appearance.
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The Presentation: Chris Benz
Hair: Nick Irwin for TIGI
Makeup: Daniel Martin for Lancôme
Nails: Lancôme
The Vibe: A modern take on 1960s vintage. “The muse was Judy Garland at the end of her career, kind of trashy,” said TIGI lead stylist Nick Irwin. “There’s this famous TV interview with her in the late ’60s when she was quite drunk, so it was about that kind of quirkiness.” To get the crazy piled-high hair, Irwin and his team used wigs, which Irwin described as a “ballsy” choice on the part of designer Chris Benz. Apparently, working with fake hair can be more of a challenge than working with the real deal. “The wigs are inexpensive and come with this strong wave in their hair,” explained Irwin. “We’re completely deconstructing the texture, really sort of changing the fabric of the wig by basically using a full can of dry shampoo on each.” (Indeed, there was quite the graveyard of empty TIGI Catwalk Session Series Transforming Dry Shampoo cans.) Once faux strands had been sufficiently sprayed, stylists used load of pins to achieve a truly kooky and unique shape for each model. “It’s maybe the silhouette of a beehive, but the detail and the texture keeps it really modern and fresh and quite young,” said Irwin.
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Presentation: Erin by Erin Fetherston
Hair: Nick Irwin, TIGI
Makeup: James Kaliardos, M.A.C.
Nails: Sheril Bailey for Zoya
The Vibe: Woodsy fairies. Erin Fetherston loves the ethereal nymph look, so it was no surprise to see models with very girly, whimsical hair. All in all, there were three styles: beachy waves, low ponys, and topknots. “The topknot was inspired by Tinker Bell,” explained Eric Gomez, a TIGI stylist who collaborated closely with the lead, Steve Irwin, on the looks. “[Erin Fetherston] didn’t want it too clean, so we distressed it a bit and kept it slightly off center,” he explained of the windblown, romantic bun. Only two products were used for all three styles: Catwalk by TIGI Session Series Salt Spray and Catwalk by TIGI Session Series Finishing Hairspray.
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The Show: Mara Hoffman
The Hair: Nick Irwin for TIGI
The Makeup: Lottie for Make Up For Ever
The Vibe: 90’s bronze goddesses meet South American Shaman cowboys. Lottie, head makeup artist for Make Up For Ever, used “lots of shades of metallic browns, bronzes and gold. It’s just all about highlights. It’s all about the contours and the eyes.” The cheeks were contoured with Make Up For Ever Mat Bronze and accented with Make Up For Ever Shine On Powder from the tops of the cheeks to the temples. Lottie used Make Up For Ever Eye Shadow #17 and Aqua Cream #14 on the eyes and placed Metal Powder #2 on the corners of the eyes with a wet brush. Finally, she lined eyes with Kohl Pencil #9 and added a coat of Smoky Lash mascara.
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The Show: Helmut Lang
The Nails: Essie
The Makeup: Sunday Riley
The Hair: TIGI
The Vibe: All natural. The models backstage at last night’s Helmut Lang show looked as though they had just returned from a chic camping trip. The makeup by Sunday Riley was minimal and focused on fresh skin and the hair by TIGI was roughed up and pulled back into loose, low messy ponytails.
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I’ve been covering fashion shows for a few seasons now, and I’m rarely surprised by anything that goes on backstage. But at yesterday’s J. Mendel show, revered Revlon makeup artist Gucci Westman threw me for a loop. “There’s not really a clear inspiration, per se,” said Westman when I asked her about the look. What? No inspiration?! Despite being a little startled, I continued the interview. “It’s kind of a more cool, futuristic girl,” explained Westman.
Revlon’s Gucci Westman doing makeup for Karolina Kurkova backstage at J.Mendel
Aside from the fresh, dewy skin (courtesy of Revlon’s Age Defying Spa Face Illuminator), my favorite part was the smudgy eye makeup. A mix of greys, browns, metallics, and pearls, Westman was applying a range of moody shades. “It’s very like how these kind of girls would wear their makeup,” said Westman. “It’s edgy, it’s tougher. It’s the opposite of glamorous.”
Karolina Kurkova
The models’ hair also echoed the-night-before vibe with TIGI stylists working diligently to create coarse, stiff styles using copious amounts of Catwalk Session Series Salt Spray. “It’s a bit sort of Debbie Harry-inspired. A bit punky, a bit grungy,” said Paul Hanlon of TIGI about the severe look.
Karlie Kloss
Parted off to the side and matted down with plenty of Session Series Work It Spray, the models all rocked netting over their hair up until showtime. “It’s to press the hair to keep it flat,” explained Hanlon of the temporary lunch-lady effect. “The idea is to make it look like they’ve had a hat on.” Intentional hat hair? You’ve gotta love fashion week.
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Sporty was the word on everyone’s lips backstage at Pier 57 before the Helmut Lang show this morning. Both the hair and makeup were designed to complement the clothes and maintain the distinct Helmut Lang aesthetic.
Stylist Paul Hanlon, of TIGI, created a look for the hair that was greasy, slicked back and looked as though the models had been out “head-banging at a rock concert all night” before scraping their hair back with their fingers and tying it into a messy bun. Hanlon prepped each model’s hair with Catwalk Session Series Salt Spray to give it texture before working nearly an entire tube of Catwalk Session Series Styling Cream into the hair. Stylists worked the product in with their fingers and pulled hair back into tight buns, leaving the long, uneven ends loose and finishing with a shine spray.
The makeup, designed by Lisa Butler for Temptu, was similarly aggressive with strong brows that were sprayed on and eye shadow that covered the entire lid. As makeup artist Cory Bishop put it, sporty isn’t necessarily pretty. Still, with neutral colors, a light creamy lip, hydrated skin, and just a touch of “sunset glow” highlighter on the cheeks, the makeup was infinitely more wearable than the hair.
-Lorelei
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It’s only two days into fashion week, but I highly doubt I’ll see cooler hair than what was on display at today’s Mara Hoffman presentation. “The inspiration is really working the tribal feel,” says TIGI’s DJ Riggs who was overseeing the fantastic creations. “Mara wanted to pull it off by utilizing different elements from Frida [Kahlo], so the combination of a Mexican goddess with something tribal.”
Not that this is even remotely wearable, but I still had to know how Riggs and his team pulled off these intricate towers of fabric and hair. “It looks complicated, but it’s really easy,” explains Riggs. Each model had her hair pulled back into a pony and braided. Then, using a lot of synthetic hair, the stylists created a separate three-strand braid that consisted of two strands of synthetic hair and one strand of fabric. The last step was just piling it on and securing with bobby pins. Each girl had her own unique style — some even had props like leaves! Rigg explains that he designed each look to fit each model’s particular type of beauty. “We match it up to her face and do what works best for her.”
—Meredith
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Models at yesterday’s Erin Fetherston presentation. Here, a closer look at both the front and back of the hairstyle.
I was TOTALLY blown away when I walked into the backstage area at Erin Fetherston’s presentation last night. Maybe it’s just that I am a sucker for a pretty princess-y braid, but the second I spotted one of the model’s updos, I knew it was going to be my favorite hair look thus far during New York Fashion Week Fall 2011. Odile Gilbert, French hairstylist extraordinaire, masterminded the coifs and was there styling for Catwalk by TIGI. She explained, “The inspiration is romantic, very young and innocent.”
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