Wild at Wang

Much has been said of 25-year-old designer Alexander Wang. As last year’s recipient of the Vogue/CFDA Fund and winner of the CFDA Swarovski Women’s Wear Designer of the Year for 2009, Wang has quickly risen to be fashion’s newest darling. Creating edgy, luxe street wear, these highly coveted pieces are de rigueur for fashion fetishists.

Spotted at Wang’s fall 2009 show on the slew of eastern European models sprinkled with a few Asians were androgynous looks that matched the impact of the noir-heavy designs they donned. The ultra-clean makeup creations crafted by Dick Page for Shiseido featured naturally thick brows which gravitated towards the masculine paired with eyes rimmed in gentle hues of brown. Nude lips and a touch of warmth delivered through tanned cheeks set the tone for some grand beauty looks.

Tresses were handled by Odile Gilbert who swept hair away from faces in a boyish manner. Sculpted, gelled back hair was fastened with bungee hair cords providing an innovative way to secure the ‘do. Soft, cascading waves flowed at the back, creating a contrast to the tougher look on the faces.  

How to wing Wang’s look:

To present a youthful face, Estee Lauder’s Perfectionist CP+ wrinkle lifting serum does the trick. A layer of this magical serum applied seriously combats wrinkles, lines and age spots. Using SPF should be an essential part of one’s skincare routine whether the sun is shining or not and a thin sweep of moisturizer should always be factored in. One fave is Shu Uemura’s White Recovery cream which hydrates thoroughly while helping brighten skin tone, not necessarily lightening it in all cases. Create a semi-matte base and proceed on to the brows. Thicker brows have the tendency to make everyone appear younger and a bit Brooke Shields-ish. Comb brows upwards and gently apply brow powder or dark brown eye shadow to fill in unevenness. Using a pencil will create a severe look that may be too harsh on the face; however, a cream can nicely do the trick. Make Up For Ever makes a lovely eyebrow corrector cream that is ideal for this look. Lightly rim eyelids with a goldish brown tint — Shu Uemura makes a great eye-painting liner in gold that is super long lasting and glides on effortlessly. A dash of bronzer on the cheekbones for contouring and a swipe of nude lipstick complete a seamless look. Shiseido Perfect Rouge in Tourmaline PK 307 has rich, intense color and major staying power. Another wonderful shade of nude is Guerlain’s Rouge de Guerlain in Galia which comes brilliantly packaged in a jewel compact coupled with a secret mirror that magnetically seals shut.

Mimicking the hair shouldn’t be too difficult. First, curl the ends of your hair for rolling waves to be revealed last. A curling iron or simple rollers will easily do the trick. In fact, separating sections of the hair while wet and twisting them into ringlets and pinning them back will suffice as long as they have enough time to dry and set. With a dollop of extra-strength gel, slick back the top and sides of your hair (with a little height in the front and off to the side) and have a friend help attach the bungee cords diagonally and straight across the back of your head. Let your curls down to fully rock your new look.