NEW YORK, N.Y. – Think big (hair). Think bold (eye shadow). Think bright (lips).
You’re going to need the hair, makeup and nails to really capture the ’70s girl dominating spring trends, but you don’t have to wear them all at once.
Beauty insiders who turned runway models into Bianca Jaggers during the season’s previews say the disco-infused look has elements of mass appeal, but moderation will keep it from becoming a costume.
Move just enough outside your comfort zone to update your look, they say. Some tips:
HAIR
Redken’s creative consultant Guido saw a pervasive theme of “decadent glamour,” noting inspirations from the ’70s as well as the ’20s, as he moved from New York to London, to Milan, Italy, to Paris for runway shows this cycle.
“There was glamour, shine and gloss. The ’20s and ’70s were both strong decades. Women were very forceful and that happened with the direction of fashion,” Guido says. “For a long time, it was about bed-head, beachy matte hair, but this season was definitely not about that.” (Guido’s full name is Guido Palau, although he is known by his first name.)
No one is expected to fully recreate the runway, which is a platform for the fashion world to send women in a particular direction, if not a specific place, he says. “You can do it in small bits. The shows are there to indicate what designers and stylists are thinking.”
He suggests teasing the hair a bit at the crown, adding spray shine or an exaggerated side part. A side ponytail or a wave of hair over one eye also capture the mood, he says.
“I follow the fashion trends and then I try to adapt them for women today,” says Frederic Fekkai celebrity stylist Renato Campora.
The longer hemline, for example, looks great with some height on the head, he says, which adds to a leaner silhouette.
If clothes are highly structured — or, conversely, very floaty — the hair should offer some contrast, Campora advises.
An easy-to-do glamour ‘do is the one he used for the Marchesa models: Pull the hair into a back braid, then open up the braid with your hands. “Everyone can wear it,” he says.
Adds Guido: Don’t restrict yourself by age or style. Instead, use confidence and comfort as guidelines. “I don’t think glamour is a demographic.”
MAKEUP
The darker and smokier the eye, the more you’ll come off like Angelica Huston or Jerry Hall, but the more contemporary twist is to add a little texture or colour right in the centre of the eyelid, advises Francelle Daly, national makeup artist for Nars.
At Marc Jacobs, for example, green was the dominant shadow colour and there was a dark, deep red lip. To temper the eye just a little, try mixing the shadow with petroleum jelly, which will also make it easier to apply, she adds.
You could add the bright lip, too, for authenticity, but Daly says a lot of women will think that’s too severe for modern tastes. “It’s all about colour again, but focus on the eye with a pale lip, or a fuchsia lip with a light eye,” she says.
For colour inspiration, you can pick up a hint from your wardrobe. “If you’re going to wear a true red sweater, you don’t want the exact colour on your lips, but something that will mimic it,” Daly says.
MAC Cosmetics’ vice-president of artistry, Gordon Espinet, came away from the shows putting an emphasis on beautiful skin. “It’s the trend in terms of beauty,” he says.
The look is primed and refined with good skin care, lightweight concealers and foundation, and delicate powder and mineral-based formulas, but it is not too tan, according to Espinet.
Espinet says he loved seeing gold — on the skin, on the eyes or the lips — at Donna Karan.
And all that creamy, rose-coloured blush on the catwalks was another nod to the ’70s vibe, he says.
NAILS
The ’70s, bohemian style is more glamorous than her hippie predecessor, says Jan Arnold, co-founder of CND, which did the nails for Marc Jacobs, Catherine Malandrino and Elie Saab, among others.
“This is a rich boho, who wears fringe, floral and flowy,” says Arnold. “The manicure that looks best with that is not bare or sheer, it’s an opaque porcelain cream. It’s super high shine. It just looks expensive.”
To carry it off, leave nails a little longer, about five millimetres (one-quarter of an inch) longer than the fingertip and filed into an elegant almond shape, she recommends. (Embracing a free spirit, though, this boho muse wouldn’t dream of matching her fingers and toes, Arnold observes. For the pedicure, go with a short shape and fruity, playful shades.)
Matte nails had their moment last year, but a satin-like finish is where it’s at for 2011.
