The Best Backstage Beauty Moments at New York Fashion Week Spring 2017
Ah, New York Fashion Week. Ten (looooong) days of parties, celebrities, and forecasting next season’s trends. As the week comes to a close, we’re rounding up the best backstage moments of NYFW Spring 2017.
Prettiest makeup
We have to give this one to alice + olivia. Makeup artist Sarah Lucero created a gorgeous purple smoky eye with Stila cosmetics that was inspired by tarot card readers from the 1800s and the “power of positivity.” Lucero called the look “vintage gypsy,” which is a term we can get behind, no matter the context.
Best makeup inspo
And while we’re obsessed with the idea of looking like a vintage gypsy, we couldn’t help but swoon when Diane Kendal explained that the inspo behind the bold liner at Prabal Gurung was Gloria Steinem. “He really wanted the girls to look very strong but feminine, too,” said Kendal. “She always did tend to wear a lot of liner.” Also spotted backstage at Prabal: a not-so-chatty Hailey Baldwin.
Most chill pre-show models
Speaking of models, we were totally charmed by two in particular: Herieth Paul at 3.1 Phillip Lim (who stopped us and squealed “I love Fashion Magazine!”) and Emm Arruda at Proenza Schouler.
If you don’t know Arruda’s name, you will soon. The 16-year-old Canadian model’s first show ever (!!) was Proenza Schouler this season, and we’re sure she’ll be popping up all over the place soon. Recently recovered from two major back surgeries due to scoliosis, Arruda told us she has a rod and 19 screws in her back, which have actually helped her posture. How’s that for a silver lining?
Coolest hair
No surprise here; our fave hair look of the week was the bleached blonde shags Alexander Wang. 18 girls got their hair cut and bleached blonde before the show. Hairstylist Guido Palau told us he’s always amazed at how Alex has got the power to convince models to go for a big chop. “It’s not me; it’s Alex’s power. These girls are really gung-ho; I can’t believe it. Last time we did three, this time we did 18 girls that were really up for cuts and extreme blonde.” The shade was inspired by girls who lived on the beach with their boyfriends and succumbed to tangled, damaged hair. “That’s the texture you’re seeing,” said Palau.
Biggest hair trend
Individuality. The trend that’s been going strong for several seasons, and is now basically becoming the norm, is showing no sign of slowing down. From Proenza Schouler to Prabal Gurung, accentuating each model’s natural texture was easily the biggest hair trend at NYFW this season. At Prabal, stylist Anthony Turner told us, “We’re treating the girls as individuals…which I personally really like. I think it’s really important that we do that and that we don’t see a generic army of robots. It’s nice to show each girl for who they are, and that comes through in their hair.” At Schouler, another Turner show, the models’ had their hair washed backstage before they were sent out into the sun to let their strands air dry. “The inspiration was the girls,” said Turner. “When casting, that was the most important thing. We’re literally celebrating each girl for exactly who she is. There’s no trickery; there’s no smoke and mirrors.”
Most interesting nails
While we saw very little nail art (with the exception of Proenza Schouler, alice+olivia and a very minimal version at Rodarte), the barely-there nails at Narciso Rodriguez really stood out among the rest. Hear us out. Deborah Lippmann told us “Tony Viramontes was the illustrator that inspired [the collection] and a couple of months ago, I went to the studio and Narciso gave me three pieces of fabric that were from the collection, and one of them was a dirty mustard colour and two of them were neons. He was like ‘Don’t get excited but can you make these like they’re there but they’re not?’ We always have really funny conversations in the studio with Narciso.
So we went to the lab and we created a really neon orange that was sheer. Like a jelly that wasn’t there. So I put it on the girls and I just kept thinking to myself ‘I gotta take this off. He’s never going to use this.’ So right before the girls walked out, I put something else on [them]. And he looks at the girls and says, ‘Wait, where was that dirty mustard?’ He has a unique sense of taste in colour, which makes him who he is. We wanted it to feel like a veil of colour. He actually said, ‘It’s kind of a cigarette nail, no?’ So it’s a chic cigarette nail.”
Best ‘no makeup’ makeup
Of course, no-makeup makeup is a trend that’s still going strong. So how do you make it unique and fresh? NARS‘ James Boehmer managed to do just that at Mansur Gavriel this season. “This time, the setting [of the show] is a gallery space. There’s two girls: the museum guards and the girls who are working in the gift shop. The looks are very fresh because the museum environment is kind of cold and austere. We didn’t want them to be severe at all. Very fresh and sort of flushed. I was thinking Virgin Suicides, which is weird because there’s not much makeup, there’s just a vibe. Like that overcast, hazy scene where they’re in the tree,” said Boehmer.
“What we did was lots of skincare to make their skin like, wet and really, really ripe. You know [how your] skin is at the end of the summer, not the beginning of the summer. And not tan, like you went on vacation and you’re really rested. We’re using a brand new blush and it has this very beautiful, vibrant pink undertone to it that makes the skin look very alive. If you’ve ever seen how girls in Japan wear blush, like under the eye, we’re actually taking a contour brush and having the girls close their eyes, and it’s going [under the eye]. It’s more about the eye than the cheekbone. It’s [also] going on the bridge of the nose and then on the eyelid. It sounds like a weird thing, and it’s never what you want to say, but if you’ve ever seen yourself in the mirror right after you cry, you have this redness around your eye that’s really pretty. That’s why I applied it that way. It’s very sweet.”
 on Sep 12, 2016 at 5:24pm PDT
Ah, New York Fashion Week. Ten (looooong) days of parties, celebrities, and forecasting next season's trends. As the week comes to a close, we're rounding up the best backstage moments of NYFW Spring 2017.
A photo posted by Sarah Lucero (@sarahluceroglam) on Sep 14, 2016 at 9:31am PDT
Prettiest makeup
We have to give this one to alice + olivia. Makeup artist Sarah Lucero created a gorgeous purple smoky eye with Stila cosmetics that was inspired by tarot card readers from the 1800s and the "power of positivity." Lucero called the look "vintage gypsy," which is a term we can get behind, no matter the context.
A photo posted by Diane Kendal (@diane.kendal) on Sep 12, 2016 at 6:35am PDT
Best makeup inspo
And while we're obsessed with the idea of looking like a vintage gypsy, we couldn't help but swoon when Diane Kendal explained that the inspo behind the bold liner at Prabal Gurung was Gloria Steinem. "He really wanted the girls to look very strong but feminine, too," said Kendal. "She always did tend to wear a lot of liner." Also spotted backstage at Prabal: a not-so-chatty Hailey Baldwin.
[video width="600" height="600" mp4="https://cdn.fashionmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/IMG_9616.mp4" preload="none"][/video]
Most chill pre-show models
Speaking of models, we were totally charmed by two in particular: Herieth Paul at 3.1 Phillip Lim (who stopped us and squealed "I love Fashion Magazine!") and Emm Arruda at Proenza Schouler.
[video width="600" height="600" mp4="https://cdn.fashionmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/IMG_9617.mp4" preload="none"][/video]
If you don't know Arruda's name, you will soon. The 16-year-old Canadian model's first show ever (!!) was Proenza Schouler this season, and we're sure she'll be popping up all over the place soon. Recently recovered from two major back surgeries due to scoliosis, Arruda told us she has a rod and 19 screws in her back, which have actually helped her posture. How's that for a silver lining?
A photo posted by ALEXANDER WANG (@alexanderwangny) on Sep 14, 2016 at 1:08pm PDT
Coolest hair
No surprise here; our fave hair look of the week was the bleached blonde shags Alexander Wang. 18 girls got their hair cut and bleached blonde before the show. Hairstylist Guido Palau told us he's always amazed at how Alex has got the power to convince models to go for a big chop. "It's not me; it's Alex's power. These girls are really gung-ho; I can't believe it. Last time we did three, this time we did 18 girls that were really up for cuts and extreme blonde." The shade was inspired by girls who lived on the beach with their boyfriends and succumbed to tangled, damaged hair. "That's the texture you're seeing," said Palau.
A video posted by Proenza Schouler (@proenzaschouler) on Sep 7, 2016 at 1:28pm PDT
Biggest hair trend
Individuality. The trend that's been going strong for several seasons, and is now basically becoming the norm, is showing no sign of slowing down. From Proenza Schouler to Prabal Gurung, accentuating each model's natural texture was easily the biggest hair trend at NYFW this season. At Prabal, stylist Anthony Turner told us, "We're treating the girls as individuals...which I personally really like. I think it's really important that we do that and that we don't see a generic army of robots. It's nice to show each girl for who they are, and that comes through in their hair." At Schouler, another Turner show, the models' had their hair washed backstage before they were sent out into the sun to let their strands air dry. "The inspiration was the girls," said Turner. "When casting, that was the most important thing. We're literally celebrating each girl for exactly who she is. There's no trickery; there's no smoke and mirrors."
A photo posted by deborah lippmann (@deborahlippmann) on Sep 14, 2016 at 8:25am PDT
Most interesting nails
While we saw very little nail art (with the exception of Proenza Schouler, alice+olivia and a very minimal version at Rodarte), the barely-there nails at Narciso Rodriguez really stood out among the rest. Hear us out. Deborah Lippmann told us "Tony Viramontes was the illustrator that inspired [the collection] and a couple of months ago, I went to the studio and Narciso gave me three pieces of fabric that were from the collection, and one of them was a dirty mustard colour and two of them were neons. He was like 'Don't get excited but can you make these like they're there but they're not?' We always have really funny conversations in the studio with Narciso.
So we went to the lab and we created a really neon orange that was sheer. Like a jelly that wasn't there. So I put it on the girls and I just kept thinking to myself 'I gotta take this off. He's never going to use this.' So right before the girls walked out, I put something else on [them]. And he looks at the girls and says, 'Wait, where was that dirty mustard?' He has a unique sense of taste in colour, which makes him who he is. We wanted it to feel like a veil of colour. He actually said, 'It's kind of a cigarette nail, no?' So it's a chic cigarette nail."
A photo posted by @narsissist on Sep 13, 2016 at 3:31pm PDT
Best 'no makeup' makeup
Of course, no-makeup makeup is a trend that's still going strong. So how do you make it unique and fresh? NARS' James Boehmer managed to do just that at Mansur Gavriel this season. "This time, the setting [of the show] is a gallery space. There's two girls: the museum guards and the girls who are working in the gift shop. The looks are very fresh because the museum environment is kind of cold and austere. We didn't want them to be severe at all. Very fresh and sort of flushed. I was thinking Virgin Suicides, which is weird because there's not much makeup, there's just a vibe. Like that overcast, hazy scene where they're in the tree," said Boehmer.
"What we did was lots of skincare to make their skin like, wet and really, really ripe. You know [how your] skin is at the end of the summer, not the beginning of the summer. And not tan, like you went on vacation and you're really rested. We're using a brand new blush and it has this very beautiful, vibrant pink undertone to it that makes the skin look very alive. If you've ever seen how girls in Japan wear blush, like under the eye, we're actually taking a contour brush and having the girls close their eyes, and it's going [under the eye]. It's more about the eye than the cheekbone. It's [also] going on the bridge of the nose and then on the eyelid. It sounds like a weird thing, and it's never what you want to say, but if you've ever seen yourself in the mirror right after you cry, you have this redness around your eye that's really pretty. That's why I applied it that way. It's very sweet." ){kind=link}