Backstage Beauty: Crazysexycool at Proenza Schouler
The phrase "They're just really cool girls" gets tossed around a lot backstage by the beauty pros during fashion shows. But at Proenza Schouler, neither makeup artist Diane Kendal nor hairstylist Didier Malige uttered the expression-or even the word "cool" for that matter-when talking about the beauty. Yet it was hands down the coolest show we've seen this week, with an array of flirty dresses, leather mini skirts, and a booming hip hop soundtrack that shook everyone awake after days of sitting through mellow show music. The collection reminded us of how the hippest kids in high school never tried to be that way-they just inherently had that something that made you want to be like them. We can say the same thing about the fall '10 Proenza girl.
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While a lot of shows this week have focused on restraint and minimalism, Proenza was straight up sexy, but in a sporty, effortless way that's still in tune with these more buttoned-up times. Continuing on the designers' surfer girl theme that began with last season's spring show, Malige described how the look evolved for fall. "She's still a surfer girl, but now she's spending less time in the water and more time surfing the streets," he said. With that in mind, prior to the show, he dyed the hair of some models who were bright blonde to a dirtier, sandier color. "With this look, it's more about the hair color than the style," he said. "The darker hair makes the girl seem a bit more moody and urban." To play that up, he combined Fekkai Coiff Oceanique Wave Spray with Fekkai Coiff Bouffant Spray Gel, raked the mix through damp hair to give it a slightly dirty texture, then shook the hair around with his hands while blow-drying for a messy finish.
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For the makeup, Kendal zeroed in on dark lips and kept the rest of the makeup neutral. Citing photos of '90s supermodel Kristen McMenamy as the reference, she swiped MAC Pro lipstick in Charred Red, a deep crimson shade that she made even deeper by topping it with black powder, on the brunette models. On the blondes, she used MAC Pro lipstick in Smoked Purple, a dark eggplant color, explaining the variation as simply because "the red looks a bit cheap on the blondes." The rest of the makeup consisted of merely a sheer brown cream blended around the eyes, clear gloss on the lids, and softly contoured cheeks.
While we can certainly appreciate the intellectual beauty we've seen on many runways this week, we gotta say, when we go out on a Saturday night, the carefree, flirtacious Proenza girl is the one we want to look like.
Photo Credit: WWD
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