NYFW

SO ON TIME RIGHT?? I KNOW!!

I went on a business trip to San Francisco that absolutely wrecked me after my coworkers and I thought it'd be a stellar idea to walk from Haight/Ashbury back to Union Square with completely inappropriate footwear and shopping bags up hill, downhill, then uphill, and downhill like 17,000 times on repeat. All on the first day mind you. The next two days were limptastic with fully flared shin splints and the sweatiest armpits but coldest face from all the walking in the icy wind. Three exhausting days and a fat cold sore later I was back home, only to jump back into work and get not nearly enough sleep. I'm just now starting to pull out of zombie mode and have found a moment to finally post my recap of NYFW. I almost didn't because when I feel super behind I usually just hit the reset button and jump forward to whatever's current instead of even attempting to get caught up. Buuuut I knew you were dying to see what I had to say cause, you know, I'm totally important and shit. HA!

Acne

Isn't it obvious? ALL RED, yes. Plus you know my preference of wearing clothes I could potentially sleep in - very key for narcoleptics like me. No really. But those glasses - what's going on here? I don't think there's one fashionable person who's ever been able to pull off Matrix glasses. Not one. Ever.

Jeremy Laing

I'm going to admit I didn't know much about him until I saw the amazing bubble sweater, but I do love me some Laing now! Check out that weird sweater thing! Are you as confused by it as I am? It's love. Love makes no sense.
Jeremy Scott

Not usually a fan, but for some reason I always love his weirdo leather pieces. Like the cropped biker jacket from his Flintstones collection that had the jagged-cut bottom hem. Then there's this skirt, which is amazing but probably so expensive. So expensive, in fact, that you shouldn't even start dreaming about it and just go to your local fetish shop as I'm sure there will be something similarly streetwalker-ish there. Streetwalker is my dad's word for WHORE. And this guy...is it just me or does he look way self-conscious?

Preen

Can someone please tell me WTH is going on with the fake bangs? I'm thinking runway quality hairstyles are supposed to look convincing. That's clearly not what's going on here. Except for Abbey, who is looking quite boss with her new white hair. Did you notice her rogue toe though? I did. Those two dresses saved the day.

Proenza Schouler

TEXTURE! TEXTURE! TEXTURE!

Rodarte

Everything. I want everything. Two things I have a major weakness for. Wood and those blue/white porcelain vase prints. Dear Laura and Kate, thank you for combining the two and bringing joy to my eyes. Oh and Kate, I love you for wearing New Balances. ps. I have those. YAY! Shoe twins, high five!

TSE

Lately all I want are slouchy, comfy cardigans and anything with leather or leather trims. Oh hi, look it's everything I ever wanted! With bonus Wonderwoman cuffs. I can be the Cashmere Superhero, fighting the war against itchy wools and acrylic blends.

Alexander Wang

As trendy as the brand has become I've loved every collection because he makes such beautiful, clean, wearable things. Until now. You're no longer in the circle of trust, Alex. Unless you give me these awesome shoes. Then we'll call it even.

Rachel Roy

Rachel Roy S/S '12 presentation

I arrived just in time for the Rachel Roy presentation, so I missed the backstage action. Luckily, Kim came to my rescue and captured everything behind the scenes with Bobbi Brown and Ted Gibson - thanks, Kim! I'll share the beauty details tomorrow (as well as a tutorial on how to recreate this look) - but for now, here are some pictures of the beautiful clothing. Doesn't Rachel look like she could be one of the models?

peek

The dream of the 90s was alive at Nicole Miller.



Sneak peek of backstage makeup at Billy Reid with MAC.

I'm obviously terribly behind on everything - makeup posts, outfit posts, NYFW posts...everything. With my two friends in town and many fashion week and non-fashion related obligations, I haven't had a chance to sit at my computer for more than two seconds at a time. I'm really excited about this season, because I decided to take my Recreate the Runway makeup features and bring them backstage, where I can learn how to create the look (and share it with you). In the meantime, just wanted to check in and let you know that I'm alive, and to share a few quick photos from earlier in the week!

Joy Cioci

I've been absent for a few days due to two reasons: rarely being home and having the worst internet, ever. It tends to drop out at night, and that's the only time I've had free.

Luckily, however, it seems to be working at the moment (knock on wood). All the better, since I couldn't wait to share these photos with you from. My last show of the day, Joy Cioci,
was perhaps my favorite so far, with its simply beautiful collection and romantic hair and makeup. Sometimes the most straightforward clothing is my favorite; I like looking at a collection and thinking how I would wear the hell out of each and every piece.

nyfw

If I was actually going to NYFW (which I'm not..sad), these are the shows I would definitely want to see. Instead, I'm settling for perusing the collections on style.com in my pajamas while drinking a glass of wine (very sad). I guess the livestreamed shows will be the next best thing. You can see the full NYFW schedule here.

Ports 1961

Cushnie et Ochs

Jen Kao

Erin Wasson x RVCA

Jason Wu

Preen

Jenni Kayne

Rag & Bone

Jeremy Laing

Charlotte Ronson

Karen Walker

Alexander Wang

Band of Outsiders

Elise Øverland

VPL

DKNY

Diane Von Furstenburg

Thakoon

Jill Stuart

Donna Karan

Rad Hourani

Chris Benz

Marc Jacobs

Rodarte

Marc by Marc Jacobs

The Row

Diesel Black Gold

Threeasfour

G-Star

Proenza Schouler

Backstage Beauty: MAC for Katie Gallagher

I was more excited about Katie Gallagher than any show of the week; I knew the hair and makeup would be one of my favorites. As much as I love a beautiful, faux au naturel look on the runway, you can only do so many variations before wanting something with a little more edge. Plus, you will come to realize that the "no makeup" makeup is harder to master and involves more products than most looks. I will recreate that, later - I'm coming for you, Billy Reid!

Enter MAC for Katie Gallagher. As soon as head makeup artist Javier Romero (pictured above) described his inspiration for this look, I knew it would be a favorite. "A bloodline - I imagined what it would look like if she dipped her features in blood." A cleaned up version of that, indeed - no Carrie remakes were in sight. The look is deceptively simple: red lips, red liner, red mascara (which was custom mixed from red pigment and lash mixing medium), and matte skin.  I became mildy obsessed with one particular girl's look with her platinum blonde hair, porcelain skin and septum piercing - quite a different look from the one she portrayed here, isn't it? Javier seemed to favor her, as well, which prompted my question, "How would you describe the girl you transformed them into?" He paused for a second and replied, "How would you describe her? I might steal your answer." "She looks like someone who could stomp you into the ground," I decided. Javier agreed; both he and the model laughed. Maybe she was a little less tough than the makeup and clothing let on, but I doubt many people would test that theory. What a bunch of bada** looking girls.
I'll be recreating this look in the next post, so stay tuned! Huge thank you to MAC for allowing me to cover backstage, and to Javier Romero for chatting with me and creating such an exciting look that I've been dying to try.