The mood backstage at Givenchy’s first New York show was one of controlled chaos.
Pat McGrath, lead makeup artist for Givenchy, adjusted gemstones, lace, pearls and leather on the five models donning elaborate, three-dimensional masks, while her team applied muted shades of browns and sheer gloss to rows of recognizable faces for the pret-a-porter collection. Two models featured deep aubergine lips, but the overall beauty mood was raw and undone, except of course for the intricate facial art being executed for the handful of couture looks, from behind a curtain. Each model that emerged was met with audible gasps from her fellow runway companions.
Hair, created by Luigi Murenu for Kérastase, consisted of two looks: an updo for couture, and a textural loose style for rtw. Both had a definitive sense of undone, organic beauty, a theme that matched the designer’s raw sentiment. “The look of today is pretty much the Givenchy girl, which has a soft urban feeling to it,” said Murenu. “For the hairstyle, they are really free in a certain way, free textures, with a beautiful modern middle part. It’s really the Givenchy girl DNA we brought here today. We brought her from Paris to New York.”
Regarding the two looks, Murenu added, “One is down and the other one [couture] is up with Givenchy bands in gold. It’s very couture but modern and urban in the same moment. We didn’t want to do the “couture, couture” with the chignon, we wanted to give that coolness.”
Men were either buzzed or given a side part, with hair brushed downwards.
On nail duty was Jin Soon Choi, working on behalf of Givenchy, to create a “transparent” look with a “tulle-colored” nail polish and clear top coat. “It is acting like ridge filler,” said Choi of the sheer nude hue. Toes were left undone. “It’s as simple as possible,” said Choi.