A self-proclaimed rheumatoid arthritis warrior, Michael Kuluva let his fighting spirit shine through in his Tumblr and Tipsy Spring/Summer 2018 Runway Show, which is the brand’s seventh consecutive season at New York Fashion Week.
Showing off Virginia Stone at the Nolcha Lounge at NYFW. Photo credit: Lauren Goldenberg
Fashionistas, bloggers and influencers all descended on New York for NYFW this year and the Nolcha Lounge was a must see among the glamorous set.
Held at the Bryant Park Hotel Terrace, the event previewed Spring/Summer 2018 collections from 8 independent accessories and beauty brands, which showcased everything from scarves, jewelry, handbags, unique shoes, and hair and makeup brands.
SHOLDIT is the go-to brand for innovative, stylish travel scarfs with a secret pouch for carrying valuables like an iPhone and keys without lugging around an extra bag. Perfect for an early morning run on a chilly day.
SHOLDIT scarves at the Nolcha Lounge at NYFW. Photo credit: Lauren Goldenberg
TRADE by Gina La Morte was another popular stop with the influencers, who loved the idea of pairing fashion with ethical causes. A portion of all proceeds go toward organizations and initiatives that combat human trafficking and enslavement, a cause Gina is personally involved with.
Shoe lovers who love to put their best foot forward were wowed by fashion footwear brands Neubyrne and All Black. Stylish and chic, Neubyrne offers stunningly unique designs to make any #ootd really pop and All Black had equally cute shoes.
Ecru New York was on the scene to treat guests to pampering and touch-ups in between shows.
Neubyrne shoes at the Nolcha Lounge at NYFW. Photo credit: Lauren Goldenberg
Virginia Stone’s brand of luxury skincare drew all guests over with its nearly nude (but covered in body makeup) trio of models, showing off the skincare line.
And Cheryl Eve Acosta gave guests a look at their bling and some inspiration for adding some glam to their style.
Carmen Marc Valvo’s SS18 New York Fashion Week Showcase was one to be remembered. The new line lived up to it’s “endless summer” concept, in a line that featured a mixture of flowy breathable white and lots lots of florals,
The Knockturnal got the exclusive chance to chat with the beauty makers behind the elegantly raw showcase, backstage during their prepping process. Makeup Artist, Romero Jennings and nail tech Phylicia, shared their best behind the scenes beauty tips.
Makeup Artist: Romero Jennings
The Makeup Look Behind
“Carmen’s girl this season is modern mermaid, so when you think about that you think about something that is a bit fantasy, but still real. Like everyone’s fantasy is a mermaid, but how do you make it achievable? So in my head I’m like thinking, you know it needs to be a neutral shadow as a base, and that represents sand. And then I wanted to add color which represents the water. So I wanted to add crystals and also some glitter but I really put clusters and clusters of it and the most important part is that it’s even so it’s almost a little bit imperfect and a little bit messy. So in Asia they have something called wabi-sabi which is imperfect perfection which I feel like now women are thinking, I don’t always have to be perfect. If something’s always a little bit off it makes it a little more young, more edgy, more fresh. Even with that, Carmen’s girl has a little bit of sophistication, so I felt like we needed to refine the brow a little there needs to be a little bit of smoke and mascara. So we made her a pretty modern mermaid.”
Key Products Used:
“Glitter and appliques- just some little pieces to make you really, really see the shine. Appliques are what it’s all about and people are glueing on all types of things that are non makeup products and this is like taking it to the next level and making it more modern.”
Face:
Studio Fx Powder
“Show Gold Extra Dimension Skin Finish
“Flaming” Femme Eyeshadow from Mischief Minx on the apples of cheeks
Studio Fx Powder to retain shine.
Eyes:
Chromografphic pencil in waterline to open the eyes
Naughty Mascara
Quite Natural paint pot + bottom
Schemes eyeshadow from ‘Mischief Mix’
Teal holographic glitter
Lips
Glitter “Ess-presso”, “burnt-spice” “topped with Brandy”all retro matte lip color
This Season’s Hottest Makeup Trends:
“It’s definitely glitter, glitter is in. Get ready to learn how to put it on and wear it.”
Nail Tech, Phylicia:
On the ‘Carmen Marc Vavlo’ Nail Look
“Right now we’re working with Orly nude breathable color line, the look for the show we wanted to work with something sort of soft and feminine but also have to play around with the color a little bit just to give it a bit of a pop. So we are using two coats of ‘Vacation’ and one coat of anything goes and ‘Anything Goes’ has a nice shimmer and iridescent shine to it, so we wanted to use that as a top coat.”
How the Nails Complement the SS18 collection:
“So the colors are kind of muted, they go with anything since it’s a neutral color, it’s like a soft grey with an undertone of purple. We met with the designer and he fell in love with the color, we thought it was a multifunctional color that goes pretty well with every piece, it goes well with oranges, yellows, and he has a lot of blues in the collection.”
This season’s hottest nail colors:
“Autumn, colors with a bit of a twist on it. So an orange would be a fall color, but a twist that would spice it up would be a neon!”
Celebrating her 20th anniversary, this season Tracy Reese teamed up with Cantu Beauty Products.
Tracy Reese unveiled her spring/summer 2018 collection during New York Fashion Week. The event took place at Pier 59 Studios and was full of fabulous hair moments from models and guest alike. “The inspiration for this show is individual beauty and what the women themselves bring to the clothes” Reese exclaimed. Cantu creates ultra-nourishing beauty products that allow your authentic beauty to shine. Sharing this aesthetic made Cantu x Tracy Reese the perfect match. I got the chance to join all the backstage magic and speak with one of my favorite key hair stylist, Bok-hee.
Check out what she had to say about using Cantu Beauty Products and working with Tracy Reese.
Key hair stylist Bok-hee
-What was it like using Cantu Beauty Products?
“They are such a great product line. The inspiration was very care free. So what we did was use the co-wash all over the hair to give it a clean fresh look. Then we use the thermal shield to give the hair a more finished look. So if the ends were fried or if the ends were a little bit dry we just used a bit in our hands and ran it through the hair. Then we blow-dried it, or curled it, or gave it whatever it needed. After that, we used the edge stay gel and just put it in the hair so it feels like they’ve been running around a bit, a little sweaty, and a little cool. That was the idea and why we used the Cantu products that way.”
-You have been working with Tracy for a while now, tell us what that’s like.
“She is so lovely to work with. She comes up with the idea then we kind of go back and forth and have a conversation about what I feel. She allows me to say what I think which is very rare to have now because they usually say this is what we want – this is it! Tracy allows me to be free in a collaborative effort and when we agree we move on. She is very open-minded and I love that.”
The idea of strength, individuality, and celebrating each girl’s natural look was evident. Seeing so many different hair types and textures presented in one cohesive collection was totally refreshing. Often times in this society and in the fashion world women are lead to believe unrealistic beauty standards. Many women forget that being our unique natural selves is the best way to be. Thanks, Cantu x Tracy Reese ss18 for the remainder!
Get the look step-by-step:
Step 1: Start by spraying roots and lengths of hair with Cantu Refresh Dry Co-Wash for a clean, conditioned base.
Step 2: Next, spray hair with Cantu Thermal Shield Heat Protectant and blow hair out smooth using a round brush.
Step 3: Once hair is smoothed out, use a 1 ½ inch curling iron to create subtle curls at the lengths. When finished, loosen up the curls with your fingers for a more subtle wave.
Step 4: Lastly, mold hairline around the part and face using Cantu Extra Hold Edge Stay Gel to stand up slightly.
Photos by TammyB
Refinery29’s multi-sensory playground 29Rooms returned to New York Fashion Week.
The expansive Leanne Marshall collection tapped the beach as well as Studio 54 for inspiration, with billowing sleeves and lush no-wave gradients.
One of China’s rising stars in fashion, Vicky Zhang, showcased her soft family-focused designs on the last day of NYFW.
Fashion has always been a platform for political expression, and in today’s tense social climate, it is more important than ever for fashion designers to promote multiculturalism by elevating the voices of marginalized designers and bringing diversity to the table.
Women’s Wear Daily has released it’s list of speakers and honorees for this year’s Apparel + Retail CEO Summit.
The Francesca Liberatore SS/18 presentation was definitely a Kate Bush tribute with the 80’s style hair and looks on Sunday at #NYFW.