Estee Lauder for Derek Lam's Urban Cowgirls Fall RTW 2010 - Love this!

EVERYTHING about this collection and its runway show is F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S! The outfits, the details, the shoes, the coats (OMG, the coats -- big this season, by the way, for many designers), Tom Pecheux keying makeup ... could hardly get much better. I'm in love with Derek Lam Fall RTW 2010, uh huh, yep, I am!

The collection is being nicknamed Urban Cowgirl or Wild Wild West, however Lam's muse was Julie Christie in the seventies film “McCabe & Mrs. Miller”. She played a British expat in the Robert Altman Western. So what we see is cowgirl style done ultrapolished and with a distinguishable European glaze. The structured outerwear, the coats, jackets and vests, proved a high point. Here, leather inserts added a cool edge while precise lines displayed architectural restraint.



The handbags, shoes, fabrics, and accoutrements ... must be seen! The use of leather, ribbed fabric, fur accents and fringe enhanced the western appeal with a sence of city-chic flair.



Believe it or not, Estee Lauder cosmetics made its New York Fashion Week debut backstage at Derek Lam. Creative Makeup Director Tom Pecheux (and all around cosmetics creative genius), who was named to CMD at EL in November, created a strong, monochrome eye using two metallic blue shades on the top lid and a metallic copper shade on the bottom lid. He chose to debut products from Estee Lauder's Fall 2010 collection for this show. He also applied Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Eye Pencil in a shade called Midnight Blue, as well as the brand’s TurboLash All Effects Motion Mascara in Black.

“I’m playing with a dual color, covering the entire [eye] lid, from the lashes to the eye brow,” said Pecheux, noting that he combined a bright blue and a dark blue on the top lids — shades that were being tested backstage prior to their introduction this fall — and added an extra blue arc on the top of the lid to impart a feeling of power. The colors chosen complimented the colors in Lam's collection beautifully.

On the lips, Pecheux applied a product called Pure Color Crystal Lipstick in Crystal Beige as a primer before the metallic copper shade used on the eyes was added, creating a matte finish. The use of the copper shade on both the eyes and the lips served to “balance out the entire face,” according to Pecheux, who added that he was inspired by an earthy American Indian with a look that was “twisted into a more urban woman.”

“The skin is a pretty, matte finish,” said Pecheux, adding that the idea was to have “respect for [models’] skin tone.” Cheeks were left virtually bare, given just a slight contour, he added.

Nails, which were done by Jin Soon Choi (yes, the same one who just did a collection for MAC) for Estée Lauder, were given a pale, very sheer pink color that was being tested backstage.



On the hair side, stylist Orlando Pita, who was working on behalf of Moroccanoil, said, “The look is more about texture — ethereal, airy [and] wispy.” The down dos featured parts to the side and in the middle of the head. “We talked about how the hair was going to move on the runway,” he said, “rather than any particular inspiration.”

To achieve the look, Pita employed a process of spraying the hair with Moroccanoil hair spray, then drying it and brushing it out. He repeated this process over and over until the hair on each model reached the desired amount of texture. Just before the girls hit the runway, their hair was “fluffed up,” said Pita.

Create the Look

EYES
Apply Double Wear Stay-in-Place EyeShadow Base to lids. Smudge Double Wear Stay-in-Place Eye Pencil in Midnight Blue over eye area. Apply Pure Color EyeShadow in Nautical Matte over lid using a fluffy shadow brush to blend from lash to crease. Apply shade Ivory Box under brow to highlight. Buff out to soften. Then apply shade Amber Metallic along lower lash line in short, firm strokes to create a line of thick definition. Finish with TurboLash All Effects Motion Mascara in Black on upper lashes.

LIPS
Prime lips with your foundation to even out color and create a neutral surface. Apply Pure Color Crystal Lipstick in Crystal Beige using a lip brush. Blot lips with tissue and pat Amber Metallic shadow to lips for the same effect from the show or finish with High Gloss in Bronze for a less dramatic look.

images/source: nymag, style.com, wwd, estee lauder