Hairstylist Rodney Cutler Styles Cynthia Rowley’s Resort 2011 Presentation

Cynthia Rowley let the streets outside Condé Nast, Hearst and Time Inc. become public runways for her 2011 Resort Collection presentation on June 15. Salon owner and Redken stylist Rodney Cutler created loose topknots to complement the bold geometric prints, bright metallic fabrics and textured patchwork seen in the collection. According to Cutler, the versatile style works poolside, 9-to-5 or for a night on the town.

Here Cutler shares his step-by-step approach:
1. Apply Redken Spray Starch 15 on damp hair and blow-dry upward with a flat brush to move roots away from the hairline.
2. Brush hair into a clean, not-too-slick high ponytail, misting with Quick Dry 18.
3. Pinning at the base, twist hair tightly into a knot. Let the ends poke out for more casual appearance.
4. Finish with more Quick Dry 18 to set the look.

- Jennifer Barnes

Redken Stylist Tony Kelley Styles Hair for Chloë Sevigny Resort Collection Launch Party

Resort 2011 Looks

Chloë Sevigny presented her Resort collection for Opening Ceremony at a garden tea party at Elizabeth Street Gallery in New York City on June 8. Her influential friends modeled springtime dresses, layered knitwear, accessories and shoes from Sevigny’s Pre Spring 2011 line. Redken stylist Tony Kelley worked with the designer to create unique “un-made-up” looks for each model. “We did on-trend styles that complemented the flowing, easy looks for the event: messy updos, unkempt curls and a few blow-outs,” Kelley says. Key products included Redken Workforce 09, Root Lift 06 and Vinyl Glam 02.

- Jennifer Barnes

The Cao Institute’s Annual Benefit Fashion Show

IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN TO PUT ON THAT FANCY OUTFIT AND PAINT THE TOWN RED, PLEASE COME JOIN ME AND THE PAUL MITCHELL FAMILY ON APRIL 22ND AT DESTINATION 1610 FOR A NIGHT OF FASHION, BEAUTY, ART, COCKTAILS, NETWORKING, AND GIVING BACK. 
MY TEAM AND I ARE PUTTING ON THE 6TH ANNUAL PAUL MITCHELL BENEFIT FASHION AND ART SHOW TO HELP RAISE MONEY FOR THE FOLLOWING CHARITIES:
THE LARRY KING CARDIAC FOUNDATION
THE LEEZA GIBBONS MEMORY FOUNDATION
FOOD FOR AFRICA
THE CHILDRENS MIRACLE NETWORK
THE ANDREW GOMEZ FOUNDATION

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, FASHION DESIGNER JESSICA DARWIN (WWW.JESSICADARWIN.COM)
HAS TEAMED UP WITH  ARTIST ELIZABETH MCGRATH (WWW.ELIZABETHMCGRATH.COM) TO CREATE A LIMITED EDITION COLLECTION WHICH WILL BE PRESENTED THIS VERY NIGHT.

YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS OUT ON THIS EVENT.
SEE FLIER FOR MORE DETAILS

PLEASE RSVP TO INFO@THECAOINSTITUTE.COM

If you are interested in purchasing our advanced $20.00 presale tickets for our 6th Annual Fashion Show, here is your chance. You can either come to The Cao Institute and ask for Linda. She excepts cash, money orders or cashier checks or send payment through. Paypal: …acct@thecaoinstitute.com. Can’t wait to see you all on the 22nd!!!

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall ‘10 NYC: J. Mendel

For my final fashion show of the fall/winter 2010 season, I headed over to Bryant Park to see the stunning J. Mendel presentation. For the hair, Ted Gibson for L’Oreal Professionnel wanted to echo the designer’s clean lines and effortless sexiness. He created a sleek look by smoothing out the hair with L’Oreal Professional Freezing Mist, which adds shine but doesn’t restrict movement. Gibson used the models’ face shapes to determine a part, then brought the front side sections back into hidden low ponytails to add some dimension and keep the hair behind the ears.

The makeup look from Wendy Rowe for Bobbi Brown was fresh, youthful and warm. “It’s a very structured face,” Rowe told me. “I used highlights and shadows and natural skin tones to bring out angles.” The eyes were given a light suede cream shadow and a precise application of liner that went just beyond the corners, while the barely there lips had a touch of Crystal Lipgloss in the center.

Pattie Yankee from Dashing Diva was responsible for the nails, which were painted in the neutral She. E. O. shade.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall ‘10 NYC: Victor de Souza

Being at the Victor de Souza show was like stepping into the future–or onto another planet. Inspired by the shape of the designer’s couture clothes, lead stylist Danilo for Phyto created a “sculptural updo with a dramatic silhouette. ” Because many of the gowns had high backs, Danilo wanted to get all the hair off the neck. He used Phyto Sculpting Gel, Wet Gel and Flexible Hairspray to pull the hair into a perfect bun, then attached faux hair to build a structural piece on the top of the head that echoed the shape of each model’s face shape. He also crimped strands on the side of the head before pulling them into the updo to create even more texture. “It’s all very alien chic,” he said.

The makeup from Lena Koro for NARS was also striking and futuristic. “She looks like a girl from another planet,” said Koro, who gave the models a very pale face and blocked out their brows for an almost white backdrop. The eyes, which were fitted with pitch-black contact lenses, were heavily lined to make them look very open and the lips were left bare.

The nails continued the alienlike theme. The CND team came prepared with long, rounded press-on nails that had been painted with a combination of Pink Lily and Copper Chrome and topped with Super Matte for a hue that was almost white. Because de Souza wanted the nails to look “slightly off,” they were attached to the fingers at the top knuckle, adding length and a slightly unsettling feel.

A closer view of Danilo's sculptural updo

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall ‘10 NYC: Nanette Lepore

I look forward to the Nanette Lepore show each season because she’s one of my favorite designers and I always love the way she works with the hair, makeup and nail teams to perfectly complement her collections. The fall line featured lots of Renaissance-inspired rich colors and luxurious fabrics that moved beautifully down the runway and gave the artists backstage a lot to work with.

For the hair, Esther Langham for Moroccanoil came up with two looks: an elegant updo and luscious free-flowing curls. “I took the sculptured, Renaissance feel and made it a little softer and more appropriate for today,” she explained. To get the gorgeous curls, Langham prepped hair with Oil Treatment and Intense Curl Cream, blow-dried it with a rightside part and set it with a 1-inch barrel curling iron, curling the sections away from the face. She then loosened the curls with a brush and a blowdrier. For the updo, she formed a loose braid at the nape of the neck and rolled it up into itself before pulling out a few tendrils. Right before the models went out to the runway, Langham misted their hair with Glimmer Shine Spray.

For the makeup, MAC lead artist Makky created a smoky, Kate Moss eye by simply lining the eyes with a black kohl pencil and blending out. The lips, some of the most interesting I’ve seen all week, were treated with two colors: magenta on top and burgundy on the bottom. “The lips are velvetty and very rich, which matches Nanette’s collection,” he said.  The skin was kept matte, with no blush and just some powder for contouring.

The nail color, OPI Black Cherry Chutney, was chosen by Lepore to reflect her clothing’s color palette.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall ‘10 NYC: Marc by Marc Jacobs

The beauty look at Marc by Marc Jacobs was fresh out of bed and slightly undone. For the hair, key stylist for Redken Guido used Fabricate 03, then dried the hair with his hands, letting the natural texture come through. “It’s very simple, a little grungy and a little East Village,” Guido told me. “It’s for the young, hip woman who doesn’t want it to look like she did her hair.” In fact, one model actually didn’t have her hair done at all–after coming in from the wind and snow, Guido took one look at her and exclaimed, “Perfect!”

Makeup artist Dick Page, artistic director for Shiseido, described his look as “makeup that’s not getting in the way.” Other than some skin touchups and filling in of brows that had been bleached, Page simply highlighted the cheeks so that the models looked “animated and bright.” He put gloss on the lips for some added shine.

The nails were equally as simple. Elisa Ferri, lead artist for CND, said that the nail story was “just a hint of pink and healthy shine.” She accomplished the low maintenance finish with Rose Water, a sheer, cool pink hue that made the nails look “undone done.”

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall ‘10 NYC: Rodarte

The creme de la creme of the fashion world showed up for the Rodarte show at Gagosian Gallery, with Vogue’s Anna Wintour (minus her trademark sunglasses) and Grace Coddington, Elle’s Joe Zee and Project Runway judge Nina Garcia getting front row seats alongside celebs like Kirsten Dunst and Chloe Sevigny. The clothes, which featured amazing detail and lots of texture, were nicely complimented by the hair and makeup. Odile Gilbert for Aveda created a multi-textured look of her own that was shiny and hard on top (thanks to lots of Aveda Control Force) with softer locks flowing from the nape of the neck down.  “The inspiration was a little girl, clean and proper,” Gilbert explained. The hair was given a deep side part, and beautiful metallic pins created by the Rodarte team were anchored to hidden braids to top off the look.

The makeup, from lead artist James Kaliardos for MAC, was ghostly and irridescent. “I wanted to create the feeling of conjuring up the spirits and entering a subconscious dream world,” said Kaliardos, who paled out the models and gave them a frosty look with shiny cheeks to accentuate their cheekbones. “Right now, I’m very into making the cheeks a place for shine, not roses,” he explained. The top and bottom of the eyes were brushed with a combination of mauve shadow base and a silver gray shimmer on top, creating a ghoulish and moody circle around the eyes for added sultriness. Lashes were left alone, while the lips received just a bit of balm for moisture.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall ‘10 NYC: Vera Wang

I made an early exit from the Kim Kardashian show in order to run over to see the backstage preparations for one of my favorite designers, Vera Wang. Jimmy Paul for Bumble and bumble gave the models a Brigitte Bardot-inspired, half-up hairstyle that mixed a partial French twist with soft, loose strands. He used Bb Thickening Spray (and did a little back-combing) to get volume at the roots and misted Surf Spray on the ends for texture. The result was a full, gorgeous style with a ’60s feel.

For the face, lead makeup artist for Cle de Peau Beaute, Lucia Pieroni, created a look she described as “a little film noir, but more modern and innocent” and “tomboyish, yet beautiful, which is very Vera Wang.” She also wanted to achieve a worn-in, natural look that wasn’t too perfect. To get that effect, she dusted the eyes with a shimmery silver-white shadow and coated lashes with lots of mascara. The skin was clean but glossy, with a touch of bronze blush and the lips were painted with a subtle tea rose lipstick.

A team from Revlon, led by Myrdith Leon-McCormack, painted the nails either Gray Suede or Powder Puff, depending on the models’ skin color. “Vera doesn’t like an overly done nail, so we wanted to keep the nails very natural,” said Leon-McCormack, who’s been working on Wang’s shows for several seasons.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall ‘10 NYC: Kim Kardashian for bebe

The finished look at Kim Kardashian for bebe

Despite the snow falling on NYC today, I headed over to Stage 37 for the debut of Kim Kardashian’s line for bebe, part of Elle’s Style360 event. The hair and makeup were heavily inspired by the designer herself, with an effortless glamour that gave the models a red carpet-ready look. Whitney Belishke for Toni & Guy created soft waves and used products like TIGI Rockaholic Dirty Secret Dry Shampoo and Catwalk Your Highness Weightless Shine Spray to give the hair a variation in textures (as you’ll see from our posts all week, this is a big trend for fall!). Belishke set the hair with a large barrel curling iron, then broke up the waves with her fingers.

The Sephora makeup team, led by Nathalie Bechard, gave the models sultry, smoky eyes by mixing deep greens  and sparkling charcoals. “Matte colors recede, while shimmery colors come forward, giving the eyes a lot of depth,” Bechard explained. She also created dimension on the cheeks using highlighter, then gave the lips a caramel-nude shine.