Beauty Director Michelle Brownlee Smith got a ticket to the hottest show in Manhattan with fashion week sponsor TRESemmé. She takes us from backstage to the front row, here.
The name may not be familiar to you (yet!), but Monse is already a cult label among celebs like Sarah Jessica Parker, Amal Clooney and Selena Gomez. The designers, Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, worked at fashion giant Oscar de la Renta before they branched out on their own making feminine, wearable clothing. Think eye-catching styles, like deconstructed skirts, high-waisted skirts trousers with wide belts and sequinned dresses, tops and minis (we do love sparkle!).
The vibe
You can feel the excitement from the queue of fashionistas lining up outside the warehouse in the Meat Packing district. I’m a true VIP, skipping the line and slipping into the side door – after all, I’m here to get the behind the scenes scoop. Behind me, actress Christina Ricci sneaks into the same door. Once inside, the dark warehouse is simply divided by benches and a bow tie-shaped runway. The hair and makeup have already been done and the models, in their own clothes, are walking a final run through. There’s major buzz because 95-year-old fashion icon and businesswoman Iris Apfel is already in the building, taking her seat in the front row.
Backstage the team of hair and makeup artists are ready to put the finishing touches on the models before the show starts. Guests enter and start jostling for position on the benches. Even though seats are allocated, people squeeze in where they can. The front row is a fashion statement in itself: bloggers, celebs and fashion editors are wearing everything from casual shorts to feminine dresses, but the deconstructed shirt and shirtdress are popular choices.
The hair
It’s backstage where I first get to meet Orlando Pita, TRESemmé hair expert at New York Fashion Week. With great respect for the incredible work that he’s done on hair, I have a complete fan moment. He takes a minute to describe the looks for the show: “The vision was to accentuate each girl’s individuality. Some girls have great haircuts, some have fringes, some are graphic, some have more textured hair. We emphasised each style and amped up texture to create a lot of different types of looks.”
Love the looks from the show? Get the full TRESemmé how-to, here!
