My favorite model hamming it up backstage
It's hard not to have fun at the Betsey Johnson show. Between the colorful balloons, inspirational posters and artwork and bowls of candy, everyone backstage joins in on Betsey's party (and if they don't, they will once she tosses a handful of rose petals at them!). This year's collection was all about bicycles and young girls taking back the streets of New York City on two wheels.
Playing off of that whimsical idea, lead stylist for Redken Peter Gray went in the direction of a punk-ish girl who rode her bike directly into the bushes or some other obstacle: "Bicycle roadkill, if you will," said Gray, who wanted to give the hair a mussed up look that just seemed off. "The more wrong it is, the better!" Gray prepped the hair with Redken All Soft Conditioner -- and didn't wash it out, giving the models a moisturizing treatment while they walked the runway and allowing him a grittier texture to work with. Adding to that, he used Full Frame Mouse, Wool Shake and Rough Paste on different parts of the hair, creating curls that he then rubbed into dreadlock-like strands. He then used colorful, cut-up stockings to tie off random sections of hair that were supposed to resemble bicycle spoke beads.
Betsey Johnson ran around backstage throwing rose petals on the models while they got their makeup done
Key makeup artist for Stila Sarah Lucero was in on the fun, using bright and cheery makeup on the models. While most looks feature only one focal point—whether it's an intense smoky eye or a richly pigmented lip—at Betsey Johnson shows, more is always more! Lucero applied a mixture of green shadows to the eyes from the lash line to the strongly defined brows and applied NYX lashes, which were cut straight to conjure up the image of bicycle spokes. The lips were given a hot pink stain that Lucero said would definitely stay on through a bike ride around the city.
The nail look from Butter London was also very unique—a definite stand-out among the neutral shades I've been seeing all week. In a Betsey-like twist on the French manicure, the press-on nails had a bubble gum pink base with a double tip of navy and yellow.