Trends

Gone are the days where we paid top dollar for buttery beautiful leather. In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past four seasons, here’s an update: Green is a the new black. And that buttery leather is O-U-T. This fall, designers like Stella McCartney and Miu Miu opted for animal-friendly pieces made from polyurethane, a safe alternative to previously popular PVC (AKA polyvinyl chloride AKA vinyl AKA the bad, poisonous plastic).

Eco-bags, jackets and shoes flooded fall’s ready-to-wear, and like all good fakes, they feel so real. This season’s soft faux leather has the weight and texture of real leather, is lined with silky taffeta, adorned with zippers and studs to rock it out, and available in a variety of colors.

The good news: Meat haters can still rock out. The bad news: It won’t come cheap. Veggie-friendly jackets can run you a pretty penny. Stella McCartney has a vegan faux leather jacket for upwards of $500, but you can find a good alternative from f1 (left) for a bit less than $200. Less expensive versions are priced below $100, but lack the weight and polished look of the designer versions.

Emma Dinzebach

It’s been a long time since the Fall 2009 Fashion Week, so you may have forgotten the gravity defying hairstyles and wild on eye make-up that graced the faces of models at Marc Jacobs, Valentino, Phillip Lim, Lanvin and more.

This Halloween, you needn’t wait in line to raid the sticky pore clogging make-up section at Ricky’s. Some of the most dramatic costume effects can be achieved using colors, liners and definers you already have. Whether you plan to go as a whimsical fairy, Jem or the increasingly popular Lady Gaga, your Halloween make-up goes hand-in-hot-little-hand with Fall 2009 runway faces and your beauty purchases.

Rather than spending more money on the costume you’ll wear one night, take a peek in your cosmetic bag. If your personal collection looks shy in the color category, make your purchases by keeping in mind colors that can carry you to spring. Let experts at Mac, Sephora or Nars assist you in which bright colors will accent your skin tone and eye color. You can always tone down bright colors by adding some silver or neutral browns for everyday wear, but you cannot create more color pigment by adding more eyeshadow. So even if it seems scary, go as bright as you can.

Then Let the eighties inspire bright pink cheek streaks.  Make like Lim and decorate the bottom lashes for a little bit of rock n’ roll. Be a loud mouth with purple, red and dark colored kissers. Still unsure? Embrace your inner copy cat and go through the Fall 2009 runway pics from the designers above. Don’t worry; they’re flattered.

Emma Dinzebach

Bright colored lips, structured up do’s, and smoky eyes graced model’s faces as they swaggered down the runways during Fashion Week. It might be a bit early for statistical calculations – we’re still lacquering our nails in varying vampy shades – but for those of us who plan ahead, we need to know which beauty trends will stay and will likely fade away.

Designers have two main views on make-up during runway shows: A lot – use it to play up your collection or None – keep the model blank so the clothes are the main view. (See also: expressionless runway models.) After the Spring 2010 shows, bloggers were rushing out to tell everyone Marc Jacobs says natural save your pout! ADAM says sun-kissed! Tibi mixes color on eyes, cheeks and lips! When you read about runway shows baring the minimum in regards to make-up, it’s likely the designers attempt to draw your attention away from the face. Other shows, like L.A.M.B. and Versace, sported thick eye make-up – a nod to their edgier designs. Make-up for creative sake, likely won’t last. There is no point in wasting time and money on pounds of shadow for elaborate eye make-up.

But smoky eyes will stay. (They are pretty much a staple of evening sex appeal. Plus, Sephora has it’s own kit dedicated to achieving the perfect smoky eye.) Red lipstick will stay. Bright cheeks will go. And colored eyeshadow will remain for Manhattan’s 19 year olds who can pull it off. Fierce up do’s like the severe twists we saw might re emerge depending on Spring’s mood. While apparel requires designing, production and other time conscious practices, make-up can change with the wind. So you can like Spring 2010’s runway make-up, but wait a bit before you marry any one trend.

Emma Dinzebach

“Mood-lifting war paint,” is what Elle’s April Long called women’s desire to sport bright lipsticks. In addition to making us feel sexy, firey and all around naughty, the bright red lips covering the mouths of women from Manhattan to Mobile are our reaction to a boring summer and a still drab economy. That splash of color may be the perfect remedy turning us from bored to cocksure in a matter of moments.  I may not have a job, but I have enough self-esteem, control and power to look myself in thine eyes and color my purty pout red.

In fact, Estee Lauder Chairman, Leonard Lauder noticed a spike in red lipsticks sales during the post-9/11 economic downturn and the same holds true today, proving once again, that fashion and beauty trends are rooted in psychological substratum. Some old urban myth falsely led us to believe that only certain skin tones could wear red lipstick. Bollocks!  But before you go running to Sephora, be sure the hue you choose is truly the hue for you. In searching for the perfect fall now pick-me-up, matching your skins undertone with that of the lipstick is key. Your skin’s undertone is either pink or yellow. (Traditionally called cool or warm, respectively.) If your skin is fair – especially if it’s rivaling Snow White – then your undertone is likely pink or cool. This includes violet, blue, green and blue-red undertones. Reds with a blue base best compliment pink undertones. Plum, purply reds will look smashing. If your skin’s undertone is yellow – this includes olive, tan and gold tones – choose reds with a golden base. Orangey-red lipsticks and the ubiquitous corals from the beginning of summer will compliment you best.

Because red lipstick tends to bleed, most make up artists recommend wearing lip liner. Just be sure to check on them or risk walking around with a candy-colored ring around your kissers. And yes, red can transition from day to evening as easily as your white pants and little black dress. Even typically light-lipped ladies are sporting the red pout. Even better – pair the red lipstick look with the menswear trend (the shoes, the military blazers, the still here boyfriend sweater). It adds a sexy somethin’ somethin’ to an adroygynous look. I mean, if the eternally bohemian Sienna Miller can rock it, so can you my friend. So can you.

We can’t outright recommend colors for every skin tone, but MAC has an overwhelming amount of reds to choose from and make up experts to assist. They have the lip lining thing, which can admittedly be frightening, down to a near science.  Chanel Rouge Allure looks like fire but feels like butter. For the budget conscious or those with commitment issues regarding reds, try Revlon Fire and Ice. Once you color your kissers, the world is your playground. Have fun.

Emma Dinzebach