New York Fashion Week FW19 rolled through NYC with its usual frenzy of shows and parties. Though it’s lost a little of its lustre it’s still a dazzling extravaganza of fashion and style. The glitz and glamour seen by fashion enthusiasts begins backstage. Before the models are dressed in the designer’s collections there is first hair & makeup. The makeup teams have about two hours to get more than 20 models runway ready. That means models call for a 9am runway show is 7am. It takes skilled and focused people to work in the vortex of activity the makeup area becomes. The layout of the average backstage makes up area is rectangular.
The stations are close together and everyone is moving around. Models are moving between hair and makeup stations. Video interviews with makeup professionals are being conducted. In addition, photographers hover around at all angles shooting pictures. In all this the hair & makeup professionals go about their work as if it’s all perfectly normal. The media in attendance backstage was treated to refreshments courtesy of Hennessy Black who provided Gimlets mixed with its premium spirits.
We dropped in backstage to; Romeo Hunte, Tadashi Shoji, Ghada Al Buainain & Harlienz, Honore, and Negris Lebrum. We saw the CINE MOI, team at a few of these shows as well as the Augment Tokyo Hair & Makeup Agency manning stations for the Negris Lebrum show. The hair & makeup artists maintain a loyalty to favorite products but also take advantage of using new products that are often provided during fashion week. Some of the most visible brands we saw include: TRESemme, MUD cosmetics, Matrix Heat Buff Thermal Styling Spray, and got 2b glued Blasting Freeze Spray. Take a look behind the scenes and see how the magic gets made.