So I love looking and reading about the various Fashion Weeks.  There are celebrities, fashion, make-up, gossip and wired wacky designs.

I love to see which celebrities went to which shows, who got front row seats, who was sitting behind, whose show started crazy late (almost everyone) and what weird designs were out there.
So the fashion season kicked off on the 6th February with New York Fashion Week followed with London Fashion Week on the 15th.  London only finished on the 19th (yesterday) so I don’t have too much info on the last few days of London Fashion Week 2013 makeup trends.  But to be honest, I’m more excited for Paris and Milan.

So much shows to watch online and not enough time!  It’s hard picking what to watch first and I’m also looking at pics online to keep up with the goings on, there is a lot!

So some news from the week long event:  They had a snow blizzard, the shows were live streamed online, Kenneth Coles (who just came back after buying his company back from investors) models tweeting on the runway, Tracey Reese had her models walk through the audience and one model had a cat and Vivienne Tam had smart code barcodes on her outfits that were readable (not just a design).

So general trends: Lots of fur and leather with simplified make-up and hair.  Some military influences and masculine designs, lots of black and caramel/beige with pops of white, purple and dark green.

So a quick scoop of my fav designers for New York….

To start, the lady who I would have loved to design my wedding dress (but couldn’t afford it)…Vera Wang:  They have described her show as sculptural and architectural in the beginning with a flowy glittery ending. Her first outfits were structured and edgy that got softer as the show progressed, lots of cream and black and gloves.  I love the loose big sleeves and the touches of sparkle.  Interesting patterns and fabric used but I enjoyed the shoes! Love the chunky ankle straps. As the show went on the colours of mainly black, grey and beige changed to bits of purple and yellow with some floral prints.  Her show notes said: two statements described the collection: that it was an exploration into classical dressmaking and that it was about collage – which cleverly made for a cohesive way to join all the varying dots.

Rachel Zoe: I loved watching her reality TV show, more for her designs and creativity than the drama- but that was fun too. Her words on the line: “I’m obsessed with the Sixties and Seventies and I’m fascinated by London in all of its forms. I dream I’m in the countryside of England and riding a horse – this girl does,” said Zoe.  She also had a masculine feel to her designs this season. What I like about her line, also very wearable.

Carolina Herrera: I love her fragrances and her fashion style.  This designer is sophisticated elegance at its best.  Clothing that fits a women, great fabrics, clean lines. According to the designer ,“ The collection was full of elegance drawn directly from the 1940’s, with an emphasis on a tiny waist, shoulders and the movement of the skirts”.
So these ladies are some of my favourite designers.  I haven’t watched all the show yet online but looking forward to Marc by Marc Jacobs, DKNY, Diane von Furstenberg, Calvin Klein and the other well know ‘big names’.  
As for the makeup and hair this year for NY, I’ve had a little peak and will give you my rundown on my top looks and how to do them….

I liked Calvin Klein’s clean look and slightly windswept messy hair: It’s not blown out straight but just dried with the fingers to achieve the look. He prepped hair with mousse, drew a deep side part and finished with hair powder and hairspray brushed out to give a little grit. You could also just not wash your hair that morning (or the day before).

Ralph Laurens created the pefect tight chignon: a clean centre part, gathered hair into a low, tight ponytail and misted with a shine spray before twisting the tail into a knot. A shot of hairspray helped tame any fly aways for a super sleek the models even wore off the runway.

Narciso: Apparently the make-up artist applied with lip gloss! They say to dab it around the perimeter and finish with mascara for a clean glowy look.

Marchesa: Loved the braids they did on their models.  To do this you must – Separate the hair into three parts .Brush the middle part into a tight low ponytail. Take the section on the one side of your head and divide it into two further parts, tightly braiding each into two separate braids. Repeat this process on the other side of your head. Take the two top braids from each side of the head and criss-cross them over the ponytail. Secure with pins under the ponytail. Take the two bottom braids and pin them where they meet at the top of the ponytail. Wrap the ends of these braids around the ponytail and pin them. Take the middle part of each U-braid and pin up to the side of the head creating a 90-degree angle to finish. Please note that I got this description off one of the fashion mags as I didn’t know how to do it.  I would suggest asking a very neat friend to help.

Carolina Herrera:  Like the clean strong look. Blow dry your hair straight. The top section needs to be pinned back over the head (neatly) and pulled the sides tight to the head, keeping them in place with generous mists of a strong-hold hairspray. They smoothed over the top portion with a frizz serum to banish any fly aways as well.

Monika Chang: Loved the make-up. The eyes were so dramatic. Do a smokey eye with turquoise on the inner corners and creases. They then hand painted a lace piece with gel liner and stamped it on the outside corner of the eye.  Truly amazing!

So, London is well under way and the makeup and hair trends will be setting forth the fashion for the new year!

Article by: Hayley Vann http://www.beautybulletin.com/blog-directory/our-bloggers/hayley-vann