Backstage Beauty: Sophie Theallet Fall 2015

The beauty at Sophie Theallet celebrates freedom, but not of the “Born in the U.S.A.” variety. It embraces the freedom of gypsy travel and individuality through colorful, embellished nails; seemingly unwashed hair; and smoldering rock-and-roll eyes. In the spirit of freedom, the models are given choice: They can pick their favorite of two nail color shades. Hair is a little less of a free for all, but no less personalized: Stylists tailor the look to each of the girls’ natural parts and haircuts. Lack of uniformity isn’t often embraced in runway beauty, but at Sophie Theallet, it is.



Redken lead stylist Peter Gray sets out to create “that beautiful texture that happens a few days after washing your hair,” he says. First he applies Redken Pillow Proof Blow Dry Express Primer With Heat Protection all over strands. If hair is ultra-fine, he adds Redken Full Frame 07 Protective Volumize Mousse for increased grip. While the hair is still damp, Gray sets the hair by loosely wrapping a ribbon from the middle of the forehead to the back of the head to help the hair at the crown lay extremely flat. For loose, natural texture, he wraps small sections of hair around the iron (sans clamp) just once before clamping in the ends of the hair to straighten them. Before the models hit the runway, Gray finishes the look with a mist of Redken Shine Flash 02 Glistening Mist to boost shine.

MAC lead makeup artist Tom Pecheux crafts a “chic and cocktail-y” look, but “with a twist to make it a little more rock and roll,” he says. He begins by lining the inner rims of the eyes with MAC Smolder Eye Kohl, and thickly lines top and bottom lashlines with MAC Blacktrack Fluidline, kicking out the ends for a bit of a cat eye finish. Because no rocker chic look is complete without a deep shadow, Pecheux blends Beautyberry (a plum) all over the lid with Penny Arcade (a copper) kept just at the crease. Lashes receive a heavy dose of MAC Haute & Naughty Black Lash Mascara while brows are kept as is. “I didn’t want them to look too ladylike,” says Pecheux of his decision to avoid brow recreation.


The whimsical nail design, created by Essie lead Julie Kandalec, “symbolizes the wheels on the wagons [gypsies] traveled on,” she says. After each model picks her favorite of two base color shades (Essie Bahama Mama or Big Spender), Kandalec uses a contrasting shade to paint a wheel—spokes and all—along the moon of the thumbs and one random finger on each hand. The look is deceptively complex, but only takes a few arcs of a striper and some stripes—simple and quite perfect for the Theallet’s wandering gypsies. —Kristen Oldham Giordani

[Images courtesy of Essie]
 

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