With the normal hustle and bustle of a weekday morning in Manhattan just outside the doors, the focus of the JI OH Fall 2015 Presentation was based on a group that likely had yet to step foot outside. "This season I tried to show the lifestyle of the space within an apartment," says designer Ji Oh. "There are so many entrepreneurs and people who work from home and that's how everything has changed since we've gone into the digital age."
It is from this group of workers that Ji, a 2015 Fashion Group International's Rising Star Women's Ready-to-Wear finalist, drew inspiration. "In this digital age, how we dress is also different, it's about versatility and lifestyle. Now pieces that you work from home in and pieces that you leave your house in-they're the same style, there's no boundaries." Indeed, for her presentation, the space within Pop14 was transformed into a combination of a living room and a chic home office, with no walls. The living room/office combo was the perfect backdrop to showcase Ji's elegantly and smartly tailored separates that came in a palette of black, white and nudes with pops of gold and chartreuse.
NYC celebrity hairstylist Adam Markarian of Bryan Bantry Agency helped complete Ji's aesthetic by using René Furterer products backstage to create a romantic, androgynous hair look. "Ji mixes masculine, boyish shapes in her collection so the hair I created was nothing too contrived or too tight," says Adam. "We left hair lined around the face, with soft detail around the neck and added somewhat of a fringe, which mixes perfectly with Ji's clothes" On crafting the slightly messy final look, Adam states, "It's important that hair product doesn't take over, that hair still speaks through the product, and with René Furterer there's a natural finish. The product does what I want it to do but it still lets hair breathe, and the integrity of hair shines through."
Get the Look:
1. Says Adam, "First, I created a base by completely saturating hair with René Furterer VOLUMEA volumizing conditioning spray - no rinse. I like this spray because even with a lot of it, hair still keeps its natural texture and movement.
2. "Next, I used one to two large palm-full of the René Furterer VOLUMEA volumizing foam - no rinse and ran the product throughout hair with my hands, focusing a lighter distribution of product through the roots and a slightly heavier distribution of product towards the mid-shaft and ends to give hair some guts and a little grit.
3. "With a blow-dryer on a medium to high heat setting, I directed hair back, away from the face with my hands and made sure hair was 100% dry. Once dry, the hair should still feel pliable. If the hair is still soft, add more VOLUMEA volumizing foam. Having a strong foundation is very important when preparing the hair to go up. I finished the drying process by smoothing and polishing the ends with a Mason Pearson brush. This is an important step since the ends will transition into the element of fringe that would eventually be sculpted onto the model's forehead.
4. "Next, I gathered all hair in one hand and, very gently with my fingers and Mason Pearson brush, smoothed the hair slightly. I made sure to leave wisps both framing the face and around the neckline enough to shift the balance of the shape, but not too many keeping the look up and romantic, rather than heavy and thick through the perimeter.
5. "Next, I made and secured a ponytail with a bungee cord, positioning it according to each model's hair length. The shorter the hair, the higher the ponytail placement. On models with longer hair, I twisted hair at the base of the ponytail first to achieve the right length of fringe.
6. "With the ends of hair fanned out across the forehead and with a slight gesture either to the right or the left, the faux fringe look was made and then pinned securely into place.
7. "Once the fringe was secured and all elastic and hair pins had been thoroughly hidden, I sprayed the fringe and the loose wisps of hair with René Furterer GLOSSING SPRAY and finished with a touch of René Furterer VEGETAL FINISHING SPRAY to hold everything in place. The final look is really sculptural and specifically tailored to the features and bone structure for each girl, but it still has an organic, lived-in feel to it."
[Photo Credit: John M. Craig for René Furterer]
