Nordstrom at NYFW

Frédéric Fekkai Partners with Marchesa

Renato Campora, lead hair stylist for Frédéric Fekkai, was inspired by the whimsical feel of the Marchesa Fall/Winter Collection. The overall look was a bit romantic with a loose edginess.

Renato created an artistic, textured twist at the nape of the neck. Starting with wet hair, he added Fekkai Extra Control Styling Gel and combed it through evenly. Once the hair was dry, he worked in Fekkai Au Naturel Dry Shampoo to create a matte look.

Renato then teased the hair and placed twisted foil throughout. He allowed the hair to set and then brushed out the curls for dramatic texture and volume. Leaving some of the textured pieces at the front to freely frame the face, he pulled all the rest into a low twist at the nape of the neck and secured it with pins.

The look was finished by tying everything off with grosgrain ribbon at the base and set finally with Fekkai Sheer Hold Hairspray.

This hairstyle has such wild romance. My favorite part is the fullness of the loose ponytail coming together at the end with a bow. Simply beautiful.

Strong Lips at Nanette Lepore

Lead M·A·C artist backstage, Makky, designed a very soft version of the smokey eye for the Nanette Lepore Fall 2010 Colletion's show. The eyeshadows were blended out giving a youthful appearance to the eye. The skin was kept matte and cheeks contoured.

The key feature of this look was the lips. On the top lip, Makky used a magenta lip pencil and, on the bottom, he used a new shade of lipstick from the M·A·C Fall 2010 Collection called, Love Forever. It is a beautiful pink burgundy .

You can clearly see the difference in texture from the top and bottom lip. It gives a very unexpected look to the lips. Remember: lip pencil on top and lipstick on the bottom...both in the same color family. I'm going to try this when I get home. So unique.

 

Dick Page at Michael Kors

Dick Page, Artistic Director for Shiseido, called the look at Michael Kors "very iconic." Imagine the all-American beauty with healthy, warm skin that leaves a very earthy, natural impression.

I loved watching the action backstage. Dick really took great pride in making sure every model represented what Michael Kors wanted to convey on the runway. He didn't let one model leave backstage without putting his finishing touches on the makeup. 

This look was all about illuminating the skin. Dick used tons of Shiseido's Luminizing Satin Face Color and Eye Color. He also layered the cheeks with bronzing powder. (Everyone needs a great bronzing powder that is right for their skin tone.)

Dick and Michael wanted a slightly wind-burned look on the skin to complement the very casual and relaxed feel of the Michael Kors Fall 2010 Collection. Dick did a great job of making the makeup tie in with the theme of the show.

This look was achieved by really accentuating the eyes with coloring sticks in warm bronze shades to give a halo affect. Then, the banana shape of the eyelid was followed to contour the crease of the eye. All the eyeshadows diffused into one another.

On the lips, Dick used a caramel color lipstick (Fall 2010) to create a just-barely-there finish.

Check out the hair at this show. All models had a wind-blown ponytail placed low at the nape of the neck.  You can achieve this look at home by teasing your hair and using hairspray to set. Remember to leave hair a little messy in the front to complete the look.
 

Rodarte Goes Ethereal

We are having a love affair with Rodarte—widely known as one of the most creative and forward-thinking design teams to arrive on the American fashion stage. We are so very excited to see them this thursday night at the Nordstrom and Vogue official launch party of their exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York (Nordstrom is also sponsoring the exhibit itself).

So highly esteemed, it should come as no surprise then that Rodarte really knows how to set the stage for their shows. This time, as the lights went out, confetti was sprinkled through the maze-like runway, and girls hurriedly lit a sculpture of white candles.

The first look out was a nude top of vertical ribbons, a colorful miniskirt (looked like a rich hand-woven Mexican blanket), completed with lace leggings.

The shoes are always of interest (of course), and this season they were Nicholas Kirkwood with heels designed to look like melting wax—they even glowed in the finale.

There were vintage-looking chiffon floral dresses, lots of lace and burnt-out velvet. Knits this season were chunky wool and alpaca sweaters paired with sheer floral tops. My favorite looks were the three ethereal white dresses in the end made of layered chiffon, lace and pearls.

Celeb note: Kirsten Dunst with Jason Schwartzman in the front row. To my left, the ever-so-chic Chloe Sevigny in a all-black suede shearling bomber, leather leggings and fuchsia lips. Natalie Portman, also there, is set to host thursday's exhibit launch party with a slew of others including our very own Pete Nordstrom.

Shiseido at Narciso Rodriguez

Dick Page, Artistic Director at Shiseido, was backstage creating a very clean, matte look. Nothing heavy for this show. 'Translucent' Face Powder was essential, and allover highlighting was done to give a multi-dimensional effect.

Only a hint of color was dabbed on the lips. A key component were the eyebrows, which were filled in with a brown and gray cream. (Dick prefers to use cream brow products because they grab to the hair instead of the skin.)

Dick also gave some key tips backstage about brows. He believes that most people mess with their brows too much and advises against over-grooming—this includes leaving your brows their natural color. Work with what you have, it is an extension of who you are.

In the end, this look was all about matte, simple skin. Nails were also simply done.

Deborah Lippmann, my favorite celebrity nail artist, was backstage creating well-groomed nails for the show. They were rounded and buffed to create a super-shiny look. Deb also moisturized the hands with 'Rich Girl' Hand Cream and used her fabulous cuticle treatment.

N.B. ladies (and gents): using these kinds of moisture and treatment products regularly are a must for maintaining hands that look and feel great.