One of the key London Fashion Week shows that stood out for me was the Antonio Berardi A/W 15 show. To begin with, I was asked by Vidal Sassoon to go behind the scenes and take a first look at everything from fashion to hair and makeup inspiration before it even hit the catwalk – something I love doing as a fashion and beauty blogger. I arrived at the location for 6:45 am to find hair and makeup was already in full swing.
It was lovely to be able to see it from a different angle with Vidal Sassoon (VS) ambassador Duffy explaining the full inspiration for their chosen hair looks. As Berardi’s designs for the Autumn Winter were quite structured with a deep concentration on cuts and texture, he wanted to portray a sense of a strong, empowered woman. To do this he opted for two looks; a feminine touch with soft loose hair left straight, and a fierce counterpart with more masculine undertones – a strong side parting tied into a low ponytail.
The photo above shows just some of the key Vidal Sassoon products. Heat therapy protection serum in particular something that is extremely important for models hair as many of the girls I spoke with had been booked for a number of shows that day – meaning they were running straight after the Berardi show to have their hair potentially washed in a basin behind the stage to then have it restyled and heated yet again. This could be repeated a number of times in that day depending on the hair style requirements and texture. With this in mind it was nice to see how cautious and particular the VS team were being with everyones hair even under time constraints. In most cases there were up to three stylists per model styling hair at one given time. To finish the hair off the team wanted a glossy natural shine so they opted for the VS platinum finishing oil to seal the ends of hair and prevent any flyaways.
Vidal Sassoon Ambassador Duffy (Right) with his assistant ( Left)
Makeup : Mac Pro Team
Two key makeup examples reflecting the mood and tone of the show : The empowered women.
Makeup on the day was fronted by the prestigious Mac Pro Team. Foundation was kept soft and dewy utilising a new Mac water based foundation thats set to hit stores this year. Eyebrows were extremely natural with a barely brushed effect.
Two key areas were chosen as a focus for the show look : eyes or lips – not both together. Some were given a crisp black cat eye liner flick along with a deep noir liner placed across the entire inner socket and completed with a natural lip shade. In contrast to this the alternative look had a minimalist eye, not even a hint of mascara as the concentration was directed to this stunning burnt orange lip shade with a matching lip liner for perfect definition.
Finishing makeup touches 20 minutes before models take to the runway.
Behind the scenes, as each model is designated a personal dresser to ensure they can jump in and out of catwalk looks as quickly as possible.
Heels created specifically for the Antonio Berardi Show
My favourite catwalk looks: Antonio Berardi A/W 15
The colour palettes for Berardis show were truly stunning. Unique shades of navy and petrol blues on stunning satin, or shades you wouldn’t usually associate with Winter months such as lilac, pinks and fuschia. They were teamed beautifully with an unusual print, impeccable tailoring and technique.
Berardi drew this inspiration from the work of architect Frank Gehry bringing a sense of “fantastical” to both formal-wear and daywear. While there were plenty of feminine ‘floaty’ pieces, there was also a great selection of drop waist hemlines and hints of modernised power dressing.
It was such a stunning show. Below is a brief Instagram video I took on the day.
Lou.xx
VA video posted by Louise O’Reilly (@styecurvy) on Feb 23, 2015 at 3:04am PST
Photography: Louise O’Reilly
