NYFW Hair: Done/Undone Coifs at Stephen F

While New York Fashion Week was winding down for the season, the scene at the Oak Room in The Plaza Hotel could not have been more robust on Wednesday, February 18. The occasion? The presentation of the Stephen F Autumn/Winter 2015 collection. "The collection is named the LILI Collection and it is inspired by my grandma Lili, who survived being in Auschwitz in the Second World War," says Stephen Ferber, Creative Director of Stephen F. "Her story is about how you can take something from unimaginable darkness to something beautiful, nice and super positive, so basically how she is and acts. That is reflected in this collection."  

Featuring impeccably tailored clothes in high quality fabrics such as cashmere, silk, leather and satin constructed mainly in a distinguished palette of dark blue, black, gray and brown, the Swedish designer's menswear pieces were showcased to remarkable effect amidst the iconic scenery of one of New York's oldest luxury establishments, which had been set up with three separate tableaus. To prepare and groom the 18 male models, including Alex Lundqvist, for his presentation, Stephen turned to hairstylist Adam Maclay of ABTP. "The hair this season is right from the story of what Stephen F is. It's kind of classic with small touches of new in it, small details with edges that make the Stephen F gentleman look different," says Stephen.  

"For Stephen's Autumn/Winter 2015 collection, which is all about the effortlessly cool gentleman, I made sure the hair looked polished but kind of undone," says Adam. "We definitely drew inspiration from the James Dean aesthetic. These clothes are so sleek and perfect that we wanted the grooming to have an edge to it, one that wasn't the everyday, polished businessman."

Get the Look:
1. Says Adam, "After we prep each model's face with moisturizer, even out skin tone with some concealer, a light, sheer foundation and add a hint of highlighter, we can begin on the hair. We start by spraying water over the entire head.

2. "Once the hair has been dampened, we distribute a small amount of René Furterer SCULPTING GEL through the hair with our hands, lifting the hair while doing so. In terms of styling, I really love this GEL because you're utilizing it as a base product to get great hold in the hair, and it really helps to get that height that we'll need to achieve this look. Just remember with this GEL a little goes a long way.

3. "With a blow dryer and a nozzle attachment, we dry the hair, directing it back away from the face with our hands and a Mason Pearson brush. Here we want to create good tension at the root to get some lift while we dry hair.

4. "Next, we want to incorporate the matte look, so we take some René Furterer MODELING PASTE and rub it into our fingers before gently dispersing into the hair to get the great texture that we're looking for. The MODELING PASTE and the René Furterer STYLING WAX are amazing. I like the way they feel in the hair and they don't get too heavy and weigh the style down.
 
5. "Finally, once we finish creating the 'done/undone' look we want, lightly mist René Furterer VEGETAL FINISHING SPRAY over all hair. This spray is an absolute must-have because of its versatility and workability.

[Photo credit: Suzette Lee for René Furterer]

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