NYFW backstage beauty: Pink powdered hair and gold nails at Thakoon

Date September 12, 2011

There was a distinct cloud of dust hovering in the air backstage at Thakoon. Some models were coughing, a drop cloth had been laid on the floor, and there was a film of particles covering my iPhone. The culprit? Clay powders of varying shades that hair stylist Odile Gilbert had Fed Ex’d from Europe where they’re sold in pharmacies and health food stores. Applying it to the girls—either mixed with water or in its innate, powdery texture—was a nod to Holi, the annual festival of colour in India where the civilians throw coloured powder and water at each other. To give the illusion of bobs—albeit ones with tons of texture—hair was braided up into two different styles. (And yes, they were washing everything out post-show.) As an extension of the Indian influence, nails were painted with Nars nail polish in “Versailles,” a pale gold.

Drawing upon the designer’s other inspiration for his collection, cowboys, makeup artist Diane Kendal toned things down. “Because he really wanted colour in the hair, he thought for the face then, we’d keep it neutral so it didn’t clash,” she explained. To build up a “quite masculine” brow, she used Nars eyeshadow in “Bali” and kept the line straight as opposed to arched. Eyeshadow in “Portobello” was used to contour around the eye, blended up into the brow and another shade, “Bengali,” was brought in “to emphasize that even more.” A bronzer was used to carve out the cheeks, while blushes in “Zen” and “Gaiety” (launching next spring) provided a healthy colour. To take the pigment down on the mouths, Kendal used Nars’ Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in “Belle de Jour.” “It’s a very strong but beautiful look, so the girls look really handsome.”