Braids, Chignons, and Orange-Tinged Eyes At Alexandre Herchcovitch Fall 2010
In a sea of conformity and bottom line-driven designs, you can always count on Alexandre Herchcovitch to restore a sense of adventurousness and unbridled creativity to the runway. Herchcovitch’s collection was inspired by the work of ’60s director Sergei Parajanov, who hailed from the Eastern European republic of Georgia (which was part of the Soviet Union during Parajanov’s lifetime). Considered one of the most visually arresting and lyrical cinematic tales of the 20th century, Parajanov’s 1968 film Sayat Nova (The Color of Pomegranates) shed light on the life of Armenian troubadour Sayat Nova— and it was this tale that Herchcovitch referenced most often as he envisioned his fall collection, which featured rich textiles in mosaic-like prints (many in that rich pomegranate color), pieces embellished with Vologda and Elets lace, and elaborate head scarves with intertwined chains hanging down to the shoulders or draped from one ear to the other. Bur rather than submit to a literal interpretation of Parajanov’s work, Herchcovitch built upon this foundation, adding some punk, medieval and tribal elements throughout.
The hair and makeup looks created for the intrepid collection, then, had to capture the spirit of the fashions without being so strong as to clash with them (a pretty tricky feat and yet both the hair and makeup teams excelled at this task). Makeup artist Philippe Chansel led the MAC Cosmetics team in creating the final look, which had tribal, Bohemian and punk elements mixed together for a fresh but edgy look.
On the lids, the MAC team used a mix of two MAC Pro Pigment hues: Chocolate Brown and Dark Soul. Underneath the eye, right below the lower lash line, they utilized the MAC Pro Pigment in Gold along the inner corners, extending the liner out from the tear duct to the middle of the eye, right where the pupil is located. To give the look a bit of a tribal feel, they complemented the gold metallic pigment with the MAC Pro Pigment in Genuine Orange, dabbing it from the center area below the lower lash line to the outer corner of the eye. The pigment wasn’t applied perfectly but instead was dabbed and smudged a bit so that the look wouldn’t feel too pristine but would have a touch of that punk-y messiness to it.
To give the complexion a nice, even finish, they used MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation. Next, on the cheeks, they blended the MAC Pro Cremeblend Blush in Florida, a bright pink shade, with the MAC Pro Cremeblend Blush in Joie de Vivre, a peachy coral hue. Lastly, on the lips, they used a blend of two MAC Pro lipsticks, a brown shade and a plum shade (I’d suggest Plumful and Verve for a similar effect) and then applied Lip Conditioner to soften the look, blotting the lips, so that the final result looked like more of a stain as opposed to having a shimmery or creamy finish. Check out the video above for more details!
Celebrated hairstylist Rolando Beauchamp (who was born in Manhattan and whose parents hail from Mayaguez and Fajardo in Puerto Rico) led the Bumble and Bumble team in creating the free-spirited hair look. To start, the hair team used Bumble and Bumble Do It All Styling Spray and straightened the hair with a flat iron and Bumble and Bumble Hair Powder to make the hair less shiny. They then parted the hair from ear to ear along the back of the head, pulling the hair along the back into a ponytail, then braiding the hair within the ponytail, teasing it a bit, and then wrapping the braid into a bun. Next, they braided random sections of hair along the front of the head, on either side, making the braids have different widths. At the nape, below the chignon, they braided one strand of hair. Next, they gathered a few strands of hair from the front area of the head and tied them together in the back, below the chignon. In the end, then, models had a braided chignon with a braid right below it, and then some loose strands of hair and braids dangling along each side. Beauchamp broke down the look for us step-by-step in the above video (and was a complete sweetheart) so make sure to check it out!
Also, take a look at these pics from backstage!
MAC COSMETICS TEAM AT WORK:
BUMBLE AND BUMBLE TEAM AT WORK:
