Creatures of Comfort’s S/S ’17 show was a lesson in balance.
A sinuous sundress was rendered in lemon and slouchy, wide-leg pants came trimmed with rows of ruffles. Designer Jade Lai’s usual chic standbys were still out in full force but supplemented with surprising colors and accessories like a bright red fringe harness. The feeling in the room was business whimsical as Lai’s Frida Kahlo inspired brood made their way down the light-soaked runway at Industria Studios. The beauty look played on this feeling beautifully playing with structure and color.
Makeup artist Simone Otis utilized Lai’s Frida Kahlo inspiration when designing the S/S ’17 makeup look. Rather than aiming for the look that most often mimicked, Otis played off Frida’s look when she was “hanging around smoking a cigarette and just living her life, not being on display.” What this inspiration yielded was a healthy glow with a “lived-in red lip,” flushed cheeks, and a glossy eye. To achieve the perfect lived-in lip, Otis blended three lipsticks from the new Shiseido Rouge Rouge collection then blotted it off and reapplied until the lip looked as though each model had experienced a full day of eating, drinking, and reapplying their lipstick. The same lip was then turned on the cheeks with a lighter touch to maintain a more natural look.
Manicurist Alicia Torello went graphic and colorful with the nail look to match the collection’s fun, but structured feel. The look featured lots of negative space with a French tip in alternating colors (she used OPI’s You’re So Euro, Stay Off the Lawn, Unequivocally Crimson, My Twin Mimmy, and Charged Up Cherry). Each nail also featured a small, gold triangle at the base of the nail that Torello applied after the top coat to prevent altering the metallic sticker’s color.
Lead Stylist Joseph DiMaggio’s hair look channeled the “cool, comfortable girl” who cares about how she looks but doesn’t want to look like she’s trying too hard. Enter the braided bun. The style looks complex but is at-home achievable when broken down. First, the hair is pulled back into a low ponytail using Davines’ Your Hair Assistant Blowdry Primer. Then, the ponytail is braided and tucked underneath itself to create the “bun.” DiMaggio also used the Davines This Is A Dry Texturizer spray to make the look appear lived-in. Pro tip: before tucking the braid under, “whale tail” or fold in the ends of the hair to prevent the hair from peeking out later on!
