Dubai Fashion Week S/S 2011 - Preview

Dubai Fashion Week (DFW) excitement starts tomorrow and I am über-thrilled to be covering the shows from a makeup & hair point of view, bringing you all the latest from the runway & backstage area.

With Dubai Fashion Week now fully under its new ownership, this year's makeup partner is INGLOT joined by the FRANCK PROVOST Hair team.

Malhotra, Furne One and “Neon Edge”’s Mona Fares are set to light up Dubai Fashion Week (DFW) with their stunning Spring/Summer 2011 (SS11) collections between 24 and 28 October.

Click to enlarge DFW SS 2011 show schedule

In preparation, Capital M, DFW owners and organisers, are pulling out all the stops to ensure DFW SS11 is better than ever, with a top-level line up of the regions hottest designers.

Debuting at this season’s DFW are the local talents of Abeer Al Suwaidi of “USH Boutique”, Sara Al Madani & Apple Wang of “Rouge Couture”, and Lamya Abedin of “Queen of Spades”. Designers returning to the catwalk include Aartivijay Gupta, Shrehkanth, Amber Feroz, and Homa Qamar to name a few.

Dubai Fashion Week - Amato 2010

DFW SS11 sees a total of 40 designers set to delight attendees with their creations. The show, now in its 8^th season also moves to a brand new venue; Asateer at Atlantis The Palm, providing a much bigger venue, that is more in tune with the much anticipated growth of Dubai Fashion Week.

Marc Robinson, DFW’s official Show Director and co-founder, added, “DFW SS11 will be bigger, more energetic and a fashion display like never before in the Middle East. Unique original designs, new trends and a fresh outlook on hair and make up will bring visible enhancement to the shows. We are looking forward to making DFW the most talked about fashion event in the region.”

Dubai Fashion Week - Amato 2010 - Rehearsal

Dubai Fashion Week - Amato 2010 - Makeup Backstage

Adding to the event's excitement, DFW is pleased to announce that Manish Malhotra will be the Grand Finale for the show. Manish Malhotra is the leading fashion designer in India, designing outfits for many prominent Bollywood celebrities, in addition to clothing Michael Jackson for his appearance during the Bollywood Awards held in New York and Kylie Minogue for the Bollywood production of “Blue”.

Personally, I can't wait to see Furne One's show, an incredibly creative soul and true artist at heart, whose show-stopping jaw-dropping designs pull the viewers momentarily into his world of fantasy of expressive freedom have always fascinated me. His Makeup & Hair team impress again and again year after year through their amazing skill sets and emotional creativity. I am thrilled to see what they have planned!

See ya there!

Content Credit: Dubai Fashion Week - Capital M

Heads Rolling at Elle & Vogue & Miu Miu? The same dress on 3 covers in the same month

It's the moment every woman dreads.

Spend a fortune on a fabulous frock...then arrive at the party to find another woman wearing it too.

So just imagine the collective gasp of horror among fashion's finest when they looked at the covers of three rival glossies - and found the same dress on each.

Check out this month's cover of Elle, Vogue and American Magazine W at your local newspaper stand.

"One can only imagine the atmosphere in the London offices of rivals Vogue and Elle when staff realised the same dress featured on the August covers of both magazines. The dress in question is from Italian design house Miu Miu, Prada's diffusion line.

British Elle opted for the lilac version and put singer Lily Ellen into it.

Swedish Elle opted for the lilac, too on model Mona Johannesson.

Vogue and W used it in a striking shade of orange on Danish model Freja Beha Erichsen and Hollywood actress Eva Mendes.

British Elle admits, it's virtually unheard of for the same dress to feature on the same issues of the UK's two biggest fashion glossies, saying that usually the fashion press offices make sure one magazine doesn't get sent the same things as someone else.

When asked about the blunder both Elle and Vogue editors sound remarkably sanguine about the situation.

Exactly who is to blame? Was it Miu Miu's press office, breaking an unwritten rule that you don't send the same dress to competing publications, or was it the magazine trying to steal a march on a rival.

With all the dresses available to Fashion Magazines, how could this happen? To understand this, you first need to know a little bit about the journey that a dress takes from the catwalk to the cover.

For a start, it takes a very special kind of dress to make a cover picture. Just because something looks good on the catwalk, doesn't mean that it will look good on the newsstand.

"Black doesn't work and neither does white," says Liz Jones, the former editor of Marie Claire magazine. As an editor or creative director you have to stake your claim on your catwalk favorites early on, there might be only one sample of each dress so I might even go backstage and see if I could take the dress away with me" adds Jones.

Obviously there is a pecking order and as the US fashion market is bigger, the American editors tend to take precedence.

Frequently, it's the press office that has the unenviable task of effectively being the PA to an inanimate object - organising its passage from one side of the Atlantic to the other, and brokering deals about which magazine gets temporary custody of it and when.

In fact, if you want to know which shows are most likely to be battlegrounds, then simply flick through the glossy mags and tot up who advertises. Because if a brand doesn't advertise, maintains Liz Jones, they simply won't end up on the magazine cover.

'The magazines are slaves to the labels,' she says. 'When I was at Marie Claire, we used to have a board with all the advertisers on - Armani, Versace, Gucci, Prada. Every time you featured an advertiser in the magazine, you racked up points. You knew you had to keep the advertisers happy.

'A cover scored you the maximum number of points. And a celebrity, provided it was a celebrity that the designer liked, scored you more points than a model. Every cover had to feature an advertiser.'

And not just any advertiser, either; only the really big spenders would score the sought-after cover slot. Money might not physically change hands, but it's widely known that advertisers have to cough up serious bucks to be in with a chance of being on the cover.

However, Lorraine Candy refutes the suggestions that her covers are driven by advertisers. She insists times have changed.

'It's just rubbish,' she says. 'We've used young British designers Giles Deacon and Richard Nicholl on the cover. Neither are advertisers - they just had great dresses.

'The reader is the most important thing, not the advertiser.'

Photo Credits: www.miumiu.com, www.dailymail.co.uk

Content Credit: Dailymail.co.uk

Razing Eyebrows in Dubai!

It's easy to forget that eyebrows have trend cycles of their own just like Fashion, Hair and Makeup. While the full and natural, yet still maintained, style of brows have been on-trend for quite some time, the in-fashion shape certainly hasn't trended towards pencil thin eyebrows a la Pamela Anderson lately and that's not about to change. What is changing is the colour. Look hard and you will see that peroxide blonde bleached eyebrows now belong on almost every runway (Prada, Givenchy, Alexander McQueen) and in most magazines, including this month's Harper's Bazaar Arabia.

Don't go running to your nearest Brow Bar now, this is a high fashion and editorial trend. What looks incredible on the pages of Harper's Bazaar is not going to favor the every-day look, because high fashion is all about making statements and providing theatre. Bleached eyebrows add a pretty dramatic and edgy style statement to a woman's appearance. On the right face this look is amazing and can give you an asexual robotic look, which is great if that is what you are after for a magazine editorial.

HARPER'S BAZAAR ARABIA - JUNE 2010 EDITORIAL

Looking at Harper's Bazaar Arabia's June editorial shot by Capitol D Studio's Susanne Spiel, her makeup artist Sophie Chudzikowski most likely bleached Bareface model Masha's eyebrows right before the shoot, only to dye them back to their natural color following the wrap of the shoot.

Have a look at model Masha with her natural brows.

Why has this shoot received so much positive attention from the arts & fashion scene in Dubai? Because the fashion stylist Sally Matthews together with the photographer and makeup artist along with the support of Harper's Bazaar have gone where Dubai magazines rarely dare to go ... to the "land of edgy and ueber-cool". Not that other editorials published in Dubai are not beautiful, there are without a doubt many super-stunning photo sequences published in this part of the world, but rarely very edgy and never pushing the boundaries of traditional beauty.

We want more from this great team, please!

Fly me to the moon! - the new Nail trends from the catwalk

Have you noticed the influx of high-art nails in magazines and fashion spreads lately? Does that mean sparkly metallics, graphics, and photo-quality designs on the tips of our fingers are finally accepted? Yes, it does, so don't be shy and start sporting some funky nails!

When I saw this season's new Nail trends coming straight off the runway, I was literally over the moon. With Makeup & Hair inspirations from the 1920s and 1940s being witnessed on many of the Fall 2009 runways ... it comes as no surprise that Burlesque and Vintage fashion has also influenced current nail trends. Finally we have an alternative to our "Immortelle bien-aimee" French Manicure.

The "Half Moon Manicure" (also called "Reverse French") has me in thrall. Sure it's got shades of Gatsby, but the look can be aggressively postmodern too. The trick is to choose a dark plummy or jet color in a high lacquered gloss. My favorite by far is a white moon with black lacquer.

I head to Tips & Toes in the Greens regularly to have their amazing nail artist Jenibeth "fly me to the moon".

Of course, Dita Von Teese, the queen of vintage glamour and patron saint of moon manicures, has been flashing her lunar nails for years.

As a makeup artist I love when I am given the opportunity to design all beauty elements of a shoot - Hair & Makeup & nails & any skin decorations. Agreed, it's a lot of work but ever so rewarding when everything comes together.

It's a given that I of course sported a "Half Moon" manicure at one of my last shoots ... it looked stunning - despite the glue-on nails flying all over the place with each dress change - our poor model Jovana from Bareface kept trying to collect them off the street and every now and then I still find a lonely half moon in my car.

As an alternative to nail lacquer I often revert to lacquer foils at shoots (if time is scarce or I am after strong sparkly metallics, golds or silver).

The ones most readily available here in Dubai are "Incoco - Dry Nail Applique" (Spinneys - Al Wasl) and "Sephora Nail Patches" (Sephora) - either one is great and I have no preference of one over the other, it purely depends on the color you are after.

At the "Girly Story" shoot, shot with my dear friend and photographer Billie Muller, I used Sephora's nail patches in "impeccable beige" and in this case the beautiful Cecily, our model from Bareface, actually applied the foils herself whilst I was doing her hair, the result was impeccable and saved us time which allowed the team to shoot a couple more frames.

The application of the foils is very easy. Use a tissue soaked with Isopropyl (available in any pharmacy) to wipe down your nails, select the shape from the nail strip that matches your nail best, peel off the backing, and smooth down onto each nail. Smooth down the strip with your fingers and file off the excess using a nail file. It’s quite simply, a cinch. No mess – means you can pretty much apply them anywhere, with no worries about spilling polish or messing up the result. You can apply over fakes and gels too, which is handy.

If all else fails you can always wear gloves ;)

From Runway to Red Carpet ... CHANEL so close to you

I love Chanel's latest creation - Les Trompe L'Oiel de Chanel Temporary Skin Art.

This limited edition temporary "skin art" was designed for Chanel by their global creative director, Peter Philips, and recently shown on the Paris runway. Aren't they just gorgeous!

Now available here in Dubai exclusively at Harvey Nichols' Chanel cosmetics counter. AED 300 will buy you a pack of 5 sheets with 55 individual designs, which you can cut out and design as you like. Simply stick them on your skin, wet them with a watered sponge and slowly peel off. Then as the newly launched "Elle - Arab World" (p58) suggest, brush with a translucent powder (like Makeup Forever HD Powder) for a natural finish reducing the shine of your new skin art. They last about 2 days, and with prior exfoliation of the skin maybe a little longer.

I just got mine and am dying to use them at a shoot - calling all photographers :)

Do as Australian Top Model Lara Bingle does and wear them to an evening out instead of jewelry ...

... but refrain from sticking them in your face, unless you are at a photoshoot.

Head down to the newsstand and grab yourself the First Edition of "Elle - Arab World"! It's the newest fashionistas must-have for all information about Fashion & Beauty in the Arab World.

PRO TIP:

Don't attempt to stick these gorgeous tattoos on by yourself, get a friend to help you keep the stick-ons in place while you wet with a watered tissue/sponge. It is not all that easy as it looks. Do cut the single pieces as close to the actual tattoo as possible as to keep control over where exactly the tattoo will end up.

More Asian Eyelash Craze ... this time from Japan

I have been an avid (albeit silent) fan of the Japanese Harayuku culture all along ... being who you want to be on a particular day without constraints has always been something that I have admired. Wouldn't it be wild to walk through your hometown with everyone dressed up as an imaginary manga or cartoon character. Think of trying to digest so much creativity at once!

The Japanese Harayuku culture traces its root to the end of WWII when US soldiers and their families began to occupy an area of Tokyo known as Harayuku, an area where curious young people flocked to experience a different culture. Its apartments were quickly occupied by young fashion designers, models and photographers. A fashion culture so distinct began to develop that people frequently referred to it as the Harajuku-zoku or the "Harayuku Tribe", developing the region further into today's fashion mecca of Tokyo.

Whilst the fashion itself might not appeal to everyone, it is the attention to each intrinsic detail with which each and every piece of the costume, makeup and hair is created that is so beautiful to me.

Harayuku style varies considerably and there are many different looks ranging from elegant gothic to modern punk. To see the Japanese teen culture at its most intense, go to the Harayuku station on a Sunday.

Take just one distinct feature of the Harayuku culture and add it to one of your outfits or integrate it into one of your makeup designs. Maybe try one of these funky bottom lashes ...

I will definitely sneak a little Tokyo style into my next photoshoot, "Carnival" is the theme and I have been hired as the hair stylist for this shoot.

If you have a chance then grab yourself the latest copy of "Desert Fish" and have a look at what the ever so talented Shindesu and highly creative Lorna Butler dreamt up in their wonderful contributions. I am sure you will recognize a little Harayuku here and there.

Be brave, be proud, be different! And don't take yourself too serious.

Lashes available at: Takuya Angel webshop directly from the mecca of Japanese fashion

Gorgeous new lashes ... the world just became a better place

These are the gorgeous new lashes by designer Ting Wang from paperself.com.

A gorgeous interpretation of the traditional Chinese craft of paper cutting.

I loooove them and they know they are so beautiful they even love themselves.

They are available in 5 diffrent styles, with each pattern representing a traditional Chinese symbol.

The "Horse" symbolises "success";

"Peonies" stand for "happiness";

and the "Peach Blossoms" almost guarantee you "love".

Definitely going to get myself some success, happiness and lots of love for one of my next photoshoots.

Available now at Luna & Curious in London, UK or via mail order from www.lunaandcurious.com