Toronto Fashion Week - Day 2 - Laura Siegel behind-the-scenes

It was my first feature for the National Post and it took two days of documenting to complete - my behind-the-scenes story about the young and talent designer Laura Siegel. It was published in this weekend's paper and seeing it in print made me want to cry. Yeah, you'd think seeing your published work would get old but I'm still such a noob that seeing my byline in black ink on paper still makes my heart fall to my stomach.

yeah sorry it's kinda blurry.. I was really excited.
National Post Weekend Edition. March 23 2013

Anyway, the point of this post is to fill you in on all the behind-the-scene stuff from behind-the-scenes. Funny, isn't it. There's a behind-the-scenes of a behind-the-scenes pieces? Yes sir. You bet your ass there is. If you haven't had a chance to read my fly-on-the-wall piece about Laura Siegel and her makeup and hair team you can find it on the National Post website (or in print wooohooo! that is, if you still have a copy of this weekend's Post lying around the house)

The first part of the story took place a week before fashion week at the Maybelline and Redken hair and makeup trials. Basically what happens is the lead makeup artist and lead hair stylist for Toronto fashion week schedule a meeting with each designer to decide on the hair and makeup for their runway show. Laura Siegel's trial day was Monday March 11 and I was there being a nosey journalist. Here are some photos from that day at the studio.

Redken hair pros doing what they do best at the Queen West studio space

Laura ready for her National Post close up

Maybelline's Grace Lee and the inicial makeup idea

lots of hair spray

Long curly extensions.

Make look take two. 

The Laura Siegel F/W 2013 lipstick colour and my new favourite possession.
(thanks Grace xx)

My toughest interview subject. He was so difficult to work with.
Just look at that death stare. He's got me beat.. 

Part two of my piece took place backstage at the Laura Siegel runway show at fashion week. Basically what happened was at 3ish I showed up backstage and everyone on the Laura team was running around like crazy getting all the models ready for the show, which was to start at 4p.m. I continued my nosy journalist-ness and ran around trying to catch some great frantic quotes from people. And oh boy did I get some. (Didn't use most of them due to word count restrictions..too bad) For your enjoyment - some shots of fashion craziness!

Models backstage. Makeup done, hair half-done and waiting to be dressed

Maybelline heaven. Makeup for dayssss

the finalized make up looks

Laura Siegel and the final runway plans

runway walk, walk-through

the head scarf issue... the scarves won't stay on. 

final makeup touch ups

teeny Laura (the model is standing on the ground ... i know right, shes huge..)
adjusting a model's outfit

double-sided tape, tons of hairspray and millions of pins later
poor girl...

Laura insisted on styling each head scarf before the models took to the runway

another use for hairspray

A print piece, finally. Momma's proud!

MY WORK WAS ACTUALLY PUBLISHED IN PRINT THIS WEEEEK!

There. I got it all out. I'll stop yelling now. IT'S JUST SO EXCITING! After years of writing articles for student papers and magazines, and magazine websites, I finally got an feature story published in an actual national newspaper. One of my favourite university profs once told me that your first print piece should be something you treasure and that it's totally not a loser thing to frame it and put it up on your wall as inspiration. I might just do that. I'd need to find a big frame though. It's kind of a full page spread (bahahhahahh!!!).

Prep a Porter, a designer rundown by Elayne Teixeira-Millar
published in the Tuesday March 19 2013 edition of the National Post.

If you had the pleasure of stumbling upon my article in Tuesday's edition of the National Post you may ignore the remainder of this post. For everyone else, please give my designer cheat sheet a read. It's a rundown of what shows to look out for at Toronto Fashion Week and I'm pretty proud of it.

I had originally wanted to post this announcement with a Spring 2013 trend recap but since I'm drowning in Fall 2013 stuff (fashion calendars are so annoying...it's almost spring and they have me studying turtle necks, leather pants and wool coats..) I just simply don't have the time. Maybe next week?

The online edition, for those who think papers are dead.
nationalpost.com

Supermodels of 2012 - The Bold and The Bizarre

2012 models are take the term 'unique' to a whole new level.

As we are currently in the midst of Fashion Season, with Fashion Weeks going on all over the world, runway models are getting a whole lot of media attention. Even I've contributed with my recent posts about my new favourite model Andrej Pejic. 

I guess it's only normal. They are the faces us fashion-obsessed people stare at when going through the millions of Fashion Week photos. They're in every magazine and all over fashion websites and blog. And it is because this year designers have gotten a little more creative with model casting.

Being tall and perfect isn't enough to get you a spot on the runway anymore. Designers are looking for the strange, the awkward, the bizarre. Yes, you could say they've been doing this for years but, in my opinion, this year runways and the pages of magazines are  particularly over-run by never-before-seen types like Pejic, Montreal's Rico the Zombie Boy, and 83-year-old Daphne Selfe. 

Andrej Pejic

Pejic on Gaultier Haute Couture runway
andrejynous.tumblr.com

Rico "Zombie Boy"

Rico aka Zombie Boy for GQ
gq.com

Rico for Mugler for Men F/W 2011
rickgenest.com

Daphne Selfe

Daphne Selfe
teafortwo.com

Daphne Selfe
vogue.it

I am not the only one to have noticed this. The Guardian just did a story on these new fashion phenomenons. Models Tara Lynn and Charlotte Free are among The Guardian's list of 'new' models.

Tara Lynn

Lynn for Italian Vogue
models.com

Tara Lynn for Italian Vogue
vogue.it

Charlotte Free

Free for Purple Magazine
models.com

Free for 7 For All Mankind
models.com

More on Andrej Pejic

Guess The Globe and Mail caught on...

Here's another video about my new favourite supermodel

Pejic's FASHION magazine spread in the Feb 2012 issue
backseatstylers.com

Vintage is always in style - 90s models make a come back in 2012

In recent fashion news:

Roberto Cavalli’s Spring 2012 fashion ad campaign puts the “original” supermodels of the 1990s’ back in the spotlight, with Naomi Campbell, Kristen McMenamy, Karen Elson in starring roles alongside 17-year-old supermodel Daphne Groeneveld.

According to AFP Relax News, fashion houses’ fascination with teenage models has declined in recent years as designers are looking to hire older, more recognizable supermodels to be the faces of upcoming campaigns. In Cavalli’s case, three of the four models of the campaign are in their 30s and 40s. 

from left to right: Naomi Campbell, Kristem McMenamy, Karen Elson, Daphne Groeneveld
AFR Relax News

The rise of the original supermodel can also be credited to British band Duran Duran’s music video for their single “Girl Panic” which came out in November. The video features some of the 1990s’ biggest names such as Helena Christensen, Cindy Crawford, Eva Herzigova, Yasmin Le Bon, and Naomi Campbell. 

Check it out the video. It's actually really well done



Following this trend of vintage model headliners are labels like David Yurman, which is currently working with Kate Moss, 37, Italian label Pinko, which has recently announced Campbell, 41, as the face of their Spring 2012 campaign, and  Joseph Ribkoff, which has chosen Le Bon as the face of the Spring 2012 collection.

Kate Moss for David Yurman
designscene.net

Naomi Campbell for Pinko
designscene.net

Yasmin Le Bon for Joseph Ribkoff
joseph ribkoff facebook page

On a final note, models are freaks of nature. They do not age, gain weight, or wrinkle....I better look like Naomi Campbell when I'm 41. Hell, I'm 21 and I'm not even close to looking that good in lingerie. Screw you Duran Duran and 90s models!