I had the pleasure of attending Mercedes Benz’s fall/winter 2011 fashion week in New York this year. And while unseasonable weather in Dallas is currently interfering with my regular swatching schedule, I thought we could take a look ahead to trends for this coming fall and winter.
Ultimately, what I’m hoping to see backstage at any show is “something.” (Fans of Letterman’s “Is This Anything?” will know what I mean.) Bare lips or naked nails can sometimes feel like a non-decision. And while beachy waves or sleek-with-a-center-part are certainly going to stick around, I would like to be surprised and inspired by a designer’s decisions.
One designer that definitely made me say, “That’s something!” was Bensoni. The models had hair like (sexy, sophisticated) horses.
Leonardo Manetti of ION Studio for Davines was the mastermind behind these incredible faux-hawks (who knew it was possible with long hair?). He eliminated side-volume by pulling the hair into two tight French braids, each beginning over the center of one eyebrow. The center section (between the braids) was then pulled loose, backcombed, spritzed with sea spray and dry shampoo, and pinned in place. It was definitely the coolest look I saw this fashion week.
Nadine Luke for MAC Cosmetics designed the “pretty in pink” makeup look. I was unable to get the specifics, other than to say that the models are wearing Pink Swoon blush.
Nails (by Zoya) were black creme Raven in a short, rounded shape.
I don’t know if it would be possible to recreate the hair at home without a team of stylists, but the beautiful and brilliant Betsey McLain of Refinery 29 wrote an excellent simplified guide to recreating the look.
