Mercedes-Benz NYC Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2009: Marc Jacobs & Phi

Guido Palau at Marc Jacobs

As editor in chief of American Salon, I’ve been fortunate enough to be given exclusive access to all the shows that famed session stylist Guido Palau does for Redken during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, including Marc Jacobs, one of the hottest tickets in town. Aside from the clothes, people were also buzzing about Victoria Beckham’s new pixie cut. Beckham, who sat in the front row at Jacobs’ spring show, had just paid a visit to New York hairdresser Garren, who, once upon a time, gave supermodel Linda Evangelista her career-changing bob. Backstage Palau directed a team of stylists, who were busy braiding ponytails. Key makeup artist Dick Page, who, like Palau, has been working with Marc Jacobs for years, was bleaching each model’s eyebrows. “It’s a compelling look,” he said. “Marc had a strong idea of what he wanted.”

Victoria Beckham shows off her new pixie cut at Marc Jacobs

 __Palau at Phi

Another show Palau has been doing for the past several seasons is Phi, a relatively new label. This season Creative Director Andreas Melbostad offered a strong collection that featured jodhpur pants with zippers at the ankles, paneled jersey tank dresses and Cubist sandals in black, ecru and ivory, or ivory and black. The shows are held at the company’s headquarters downtown, which means that hairstylists, makeup artists and nail techs have to set up shop alongside rows of sewing machines and ironing boards. This season Palau created messy center parts, tucking some of the hair behind the ears. He also applied a bit of Redken Water Wax 03 shine defining pomade to the hair to keep it looking smooth and shiny. Key makeup artist Diane Kendal kept makeup to a minimum—just a bit of shimmer on the cheeks and a natural pink lip. CND took the same minimalist approach to nails. —Marianne Dougherty, Editor in Chief

Backstage at Phi

Phi runway