Backstage at Naeem Khan various teams worked to get the models runway ready for what would be a big showing as the brand celebrates their 10th anniversary collection at New York Fashion Week. Julie Kandalec and the Essie team created a brand new color mixture to accent Khan’s glamorous gowns. It’s a mix of gold and silver that results in a warm, champagne tone. “The idea is to bridge the gap between warm and cool and still get that shine,” said Kandalec. To get the look yourself layer two coats of shifting power with a thin coat of jiggle hi, jiggle lo and polish it off with their glossy good to go topcoat.
The hair was lead by Joseph DiMaggio for Davines who described the inspiration as ” Naeem designs for the modern woman living in a world of timeless, classic beauty, and he challenged me to live alongside them. The look is very youthful and fun, it has the elegance of an updo without the rigidness.” Using Davines More Inside This is a Volume Boosting Mousse and Davines More Inside This Is A Medium Hold Hairspray he sculpting a time honored French twist, with a modern edge by adding texture to the look while changing the part and strengthening the line of the up-do.
Across the way NARS was cultivating the perfect look for the old-Hollywood glamour that Khan loves to invoke. Lead artist James Boehmer was inspired by the artwork of Tamara de Lempicka. “What I really love about the women in Tamara de Lempicka’s paintings is they still seem very modern to this day,” said Boehmer. He channeled this vintage-meets-modern look with a smokey eye using NARS Ashes to Ashes and Bali Eyeshadows and a deep red lip which was created using their Mambo Eyeliner, Jungle Red Lip Liner and Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil. The colors work on every skintone and automatically create a sexy, matte pout.
The collection itself has less color in it than Khan’s typical work. For the fall season he stuck mostly to blacks, whites, and metallics. Although the collection is mostly evening dresses, he also includes a few more playful pieces and some outerwear. Khan wanted to celebrate his ten-year anniversary but staying true to his design aesthetic with classic, beautiful gowns. He said, “Gold is a classic color. I always have gold but this time what I’ve done is taken 24-carat-gold and worked it on the body to create an Art Deco look.” Khan’s dresses are so embellished that they can sometimes weigh up to 7 pounds. “I’ve chosen the colors very carefully,” he said, “I love black and white because I think it related to every woman. But I added a coral because it’s a beautiful color that brings out a woman’s natural vibrance.” With award season in full swing Khan’s glamour-rich pieces are an easy pass to the best-dressed list.