Fashion Month’s Boldest, Craziest and Most Beautiful Moments from A to Z
The European shows wrapped this week in Paris, and there’s a ton to discuss. The sparkling eye makeup at Dior? To die for. The rainbow dreadlocked ponytails at Chanel? Insane. In case you missed them, we’ve rounded up all of Fashion Month’s biggest beauty moments in our A to Z Blitz List. Fall 2014 is going to be gorgeous, you’ll see.
At Givenchy, makeup artist Pat McGrath made facelift tape a fashion accessory. Models sported plastic tape on their temples, pulled tight by a string that wrapped around the backs of their heads. The effect? A feline face shape that made the girls look otherworldly.
For fall, athletic, street-inspired plaits have replaced the loose side braids and hippie crowns we’ve seen for the past few seasons. At Marchesa, TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe's Global Brand Ambassador Mark Hampton accented the designers’ glamorous dresses with cool cornrows, while at Marc by Marc Jacobs, Redken Creative Consultant Guido Palau evoked badass ninja schoolgirls with tightly woven pigtails.
One of the perks of signing rainbow-haired model Chloe Nørgaard for a New York Fashion Week exclusive? You get to choose her hair color. Rodarte’s designers had Chloe dye her locks pink and purple to coordinate with the collection.
For Prada’s Fall 2014 show, Miuccia Prada wanted models’ red lipstick to look imperfect — so she had them apply it themselves while Pat McGrath and her team of makeup artists watched.
At Bottega Veneta, “Hair extensions were used to create a very long fake ponytail that resembles the same thickness and consistency of a horse's tail,” explained Redken Creative Consultant Guido, who used the brand’s Iron Shape 11 finishing thermal spray and a flat iron to create stick straight strands.
Who needs a liner brush? Estée Lauder Creative Makeup Director Tom Pecheux used unwaxed dental floss to apply black liner and red Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick to models’ lids at Anthony Vacarello.
Marc Jacobs’ girls were colored with shades of gray and beige this season. “The models look like mannequins,” said NARS Founder & Creative Director François Nars, who applied neutral gray eye shadow to complement the washed-out wig colors. There’s something strangely appealing about this palette, no?
Instead of sending a sea of clones down the runway, DKNY cast a troop of diverse models and let Wella Professionals Global Creative Director Eugene Souleiman and makeup artist Yadim for Maybelline personalize each one’s look. The nod toward New York’s street culture and the beauty of individuality was our favorite statement of the season.
Who would have thought Kim Kardashian’s sister would become this season’s biggest breakout model? The reality TV star walked in some seriously big-name shows: Marc Jacobs, Giles, Givenchy and Chanel.
Everyone in the fashion world is really into Star Wars this season, it seems. Rodarte & Preen featured characters printed on the clothes, while James Boehmer for NARS created a honey lip gloss inspired by Princess Leia at Creatures of the Wind.
We’ve never seen forehead shine like this before. At Simone Rocha, Sam Bryant for MAC applied gold leaf over MAC Pro Water Base Mixing Medium to create an abstract metallic effect. Then, at Emilio Pucci, Yadim for MAC used gold pigments to highlight the space between models’ brows.
Nail art is moving beyond the cuticle. Models at Thom Browne had their fingertips stained with black acrylic paint, while Gareth Pugh’s girls wore white. (Confused? Here’s more on the origins of this strange look.)
To promote the designers’ collaboration with Penhaligon’s, models at Meadham Kirchoff walked out of a giant replica of the box that houses the perfume bottle. The London fragrance house has been scenting the designers’ runway for nine seasons; their first scent partnership, Tralala, launches in June.
Pat McGrath used blue and green pigment mixed with liquid latex for the eye makeup at Dior. The best part? Model Hanne Gaby Odiele didn’t even need to use makeup remover to take it off, as seen on her Instagram.
Shhh...we hear TIGI Bedhead Superstar Queen for a Day is the secret weapon of hair teams backstage at Fashion Week. So that’s what’s inside those duct-taped cans.
Google Glass is so last season. At Milan Fashion Week, Fendi used flying drones to live stream its fall/winter show. (Here’s a video of one in action.)
Speaking of technology… model Cara Delevingne took the first ever on-the-runway video selfie while she walked at Giles. No, she’s not a complete narcissist — the designer planned the stunt.
To create the faux dreadlock ponytails at Chanel, “I exaggerated a simple pony and blew it up in proportion and detail, incorporating crimped extensions, braided hair in multicoloured Chanel tweed rags, lace and pearls,” hairstylist Sam McKnight wrote on Instagram.
Eyeliner appears to be heading south next season, if the looks at shows like Rachel Comey (pictured), Creatures of the Wind and Giles are any indication.
Comic book bad guys (and girls) were the inspiration behind the over-the-top nail art at The Blonds. A team of CND manicurists created designs that put pistols, thorns and even The Joker on models’ fingertips.
The finale at Hood by Air, in which shirtless male dancers in wigs vogue at like possessed club kids, was one of New York Fashion Week’s highlights. If you haven’t seen it, you need to watch.
File this trend under NSFW — literally. Don’t show up to your morning meeting in the nipple-bearing tops seen at Marc Jacobs and Anthony Vaccarello. Unless you’re Rihanna, of course.
Jean-Paul Gaultier sent everyone from twentysomething models to gray mohawked older folks to really cute kids down his fall 2014 runway. (P.S. - Casting older models is totally a trend.)
Tired-eyed makeup is the new bedhead. At Tom Ford, makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury told Style.com, "This isn't a feline flick; it needs to look slept in—Tom and I had a long discussion about the right amount of smudge." At Missoni, Lucia Pieroni was inspired by “cool girls in their boyfriends’ coats, at the bus stop at six in the morning.” Now that the shows are over, may we recommend getting some rest?
