Heavy Metal-Inspired Hair and Makeup at Alexander Wang Fall 2015
In the past, Alexander Wang‘s sporty, modern, and city chic collections have drawn inspiration from motorsports to classic sneakers, but for his Fall 2015 collection, the celebrated designer turned to the dark side, giving his looks a decidedly gothic feel. To complement the heavy metal inspiration of the almost color-less, nearly al-black collection showcased during New York Fashion Week, the makeup and hair teams created looks that echoed the clothing’s brooding, eerie, wicked mood.
Redken Global Creative Director Guido masterminded the wet-looking and undone hair look, which he said was informed by Marilyn Manson’s stringy and deliberately greasy mane. To create the look, Guido drenched each model’s dry hair, section by section, with the Diamond Oil High Shine Airy Mist, saturating each piece of hair until it looked greasy and shiny, until the strands appeared emaciated, creating an almost haggard effect. Next, Guido twisted the ends of the hair around his fingers and sprayed them with Redken Forceful 23 hairspray to create a piece-y and chunky texture. Once all sections were coated with product, he parted the hair using his fingers, ensuring sure the ears would stick out through the strands and deliberately making the part look slightly wonky for a lived-in and haphazard feel. To give the Manson-inspired look a hint of shape, thereby infusing an edgy and downtown vibe to the gothic motif, Guido teased the hair at the crown and misted it with the Redken Forceful 23 Super Strength Hairspray.
Similarly, makeup artist Diane Kendal, who led the NARS Cosmetics team backstage, says she turned to the band Kiss for inspiration when envisioning the beauty look. The final effect was creepy and audacious, sinister and rock ‘n’ roll all at once.
To create the makeup look, Kendal started by massaging the NARSskin Aqua Gel Oil-Free Moisturizer into the skin, then dabbing the NARSskin Total Replenishing Eye Cream along the eye contour so as to give the complexion a youthful plumpness and radiance. Next, she applied the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer to offer a bit of coverage while retaining the desired luminosity and almost damp finish, and then layered the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation atop it, smoothing the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer under eyes so as to cover any dark circles and atop any blemishes on models’ faces.
For the smudged, dark eye look, Kendal relied on the NARS Aigle Noir Velvet Shadow Stick (new for Fall 2015) and the NARS Transvaal Eye Paint, a stormy gray hue with a gel-like formula and a near-weightless feel. These dark and ominous hues were applied to the lids and even under the lower lashline, thereby rimming the entire eye area. To give the shades a more neutral effect, she blended them with the NARS Matte Multiple in Vientiane and, finally, to make the shades appear a bit softer, Kendal then applied the matte grayish-brown powder eye shadow shade in the NARS Bellisima Duo Eyeshadow atop these creamier shades, blending and diffusing the colors. In the end, these gray rings around the eyes looked like the byproduct of physical illness, sleeplessness, or drug use — all of which go hand-in-hand with the heavy metal theme. And yet, somehow, the look felt cool and edgy — just like Wang’s clothes.
To complete the look, Kendal kept models’ lips bare but defined brows using the NARS Brow Perfector to fill in any gaps and then keeping the hair in place with the NARS Brow Gel.
