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The Feminine Mystique
Delicate Designs, Girly ‘Dos, and Fresh Faces at Cynthia Rowley
By Stefanie Schwalb
Alice in Wonderland met Willy Wonka at Cynthia Rowley’s Spring ’07 show “Candy Is Dandy But Wicker Is Slicker.” Looking through this hourglass of fashion we saw vibrant colours and patterns in full bloom on silk dresses and tops. Some of which featured wicker details such as cuffs and covered safety pins as well as leather insets. Tunics, top coats, and flower bed dresses were among my faves. To coincide with the collection, fresh and feminine looks were provided by Gavin Harwin for Redken (doing the “˜dos) and makeup maven Bobbi Brown (boosting the models’ beauty.)
For hair, updos (low ponytails and some new takes on the French twist) took center stage – a tress trend that we’ve seen a lot of this week. Gavin’s creations showcased messy, piecey, and textured lock looks. Using Redken’s Fabricate 05 on dry hair, Gavin teased the tresses to give them lift and worked his fingers through the strands before pinning pieces up in sections that formed asymmetrical shapes flowing back into the elastics. The tousled results are a bit rock and roll, yet the styles still seem to retain a girlishly groomed charm. A few of the “˜dos also incorporated brilliant accessories designed as sophisticated swirls of purple and blue.
Gavin revealed to us backstage that punk rock princess Patti Smith is a hairstyle icon he’s enamored of, and that the key to successful strand looks for spring is to try not to try too hard. “Don’t look like you’ve spent hours on your hair,” he says. “Because then the style seems contrived.” So that means there’s beauty in imperfection, and in a natural-looking appearance that’s easygoing. Although shine sprays and sleek, straight strands may be headed south for a bit, locking in your style (especially for the runway!) is critical to your “˜do. To ensure his styles stayed in place, Gavin used Redken’s Workforce 06 Hair Spray to seal the deal.
For makeup Bobbi Brown created clean, fresh faces using a color palette of soft and muted tones. For cheeks, Baby Violet Blush complemented lips lit by Violet Heather Lip Gloss. Brows were natural so that the focus remained fixed on the eyes, which featured Ivory Eye Shadow all over, Ultra Violet Shimmer Wash Eye Shadow on the lid, and two coats of Everything Mascara. The result was some illuminating looks that were perfectly in sync with Gavin’s messy girl strand styles and Cynthia’s bright colour palette. As the adventures of Fashion Week come to a close, let’s toast to its success and get excited for Spring 07. Tea and tarts anyone?
CLEAN FACES, SHIMMERY EYES AND WISPY UPDOS AT DOO RI
By CS
The masterful collection of Doo Ri left me practically speechless as Fashion Week drew to a close after a week of collections that were varied in texture, patterns and color. The elegance of her outfits would have surprised even the veterans of high design. From the perigrey sheer jersey blouse with metal embroidery to the crème twill dress with crystal floral detail, every piece felt as though it belonged in a Gainsborough or Sargent painting.
The makeup was done by Tom Pecheux for Shiseido, who achieved perhaps the most “nude” look for the face that I’ve seen throughout Fashion Week. Pecheux used Shiseido The Makeup Dual Balancing Foundation on the models’ faces and the Shimmer Hydro-Powder (H9) in Beige with gold highlights. “The makeup is a very minimalist and very feminine makeup,” he says. This means ” bare skin, matte T-zone and a very shimmery eye.”
If there’s one thing we’ve seen in the Spring 2007 collections, it has to be that the makeup used is all about highlighting the individual’s unique features. Doll up that eye with luminous eye shadow. If you’ve got a natural pout that would put the lip-plumping industry out of business, then romance it with fuschia lipstick or a clean gloss (alternatively, use concealer and lip balm).
The hair for Doo Ri was created by Orlando Pita, who told us that for this show, the hairstyles have “a little bit of texture and are not perfectly combed.” Pita pulled the models’ hair into a bun at the top of the head after setting it with curlers. He used only one product, a hairspray by Kerastase, to spritz and finish.
At the end, when the models strolled down the catwalk, the uniformity of the hairstyles did not take away from the dresses because the hair was pulled up into tight buns (but not too tight so as to allow some strands and wisps to show). The faces were matte and clean, without the faintest trace of makeup except for the eyes.
So the wash-go, uncombed, wispy and slightly ruffled look is vogue for Spring 2007. We dare you to be a bed head.
To see the complete look, click on our video podcast.
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