Life Outside the Tents as A NYFW VIP: Lounges, Swag Suites & Dinner Parties

When you think of Fashion Week you may think of the backstage scene that I've been tweeting about all week, or the runway shows themselves, but truth is, there's so much more when you're a NYFW VIP.  Since all editors, bloggers and influencers end up in NYC for the shows with the same goals, brands take full advantage and host dinner parties, pampering lounges and after parties all for a little face time.  Here's some of my fashion week extracurriculars... I know, it looks like a lot of work (wink).

Birchbox Lounge

Set up conveniently across from Milk Studios where a variety of shows took place this season, I popped in before attending Christian Siriano near by on Saturday.  First things first, I got down to business by creating my own Birchbox.  Next, I indulged in a little pampering with a mani (shade: Color Club in Status Update), grabbed a snack from WichCraft and caught up with some friends.

Style Coalition Lounge

I popped in the Style Coalition Lounge at the Empire Hotel before going backstage to Zac Posen on Sunday night to catch up with my friend Yuli, who runs the organization. They partnered with Microsoft and my fave stylist, Ted Gibson.  The best part?  It was exclusive so there weren't a thousand people running around and it really was a break from the hustle and bustle.  While there, I had my hair touched up by Ted Gibson's stylists and left looking glam!

Dinner with NARS

Each season NARS rents out parts of restaurants in the West Village and throws a dinner party.  This is what I was most excited for this season.  Between all the running around and waving hello to friends backstage I got to catch up with my media friends over wine, cheese plates and chocolate covered strawberries in the garden of Palma.

Allure Beauty Lounge

After going backstage to interview Reem Acra before her show (see post here), I headed to the Empire Hotel to stop by a few suites.  Allure had SkinMedica preforming facials, Maybelline giving makeup touch ups and manis and a whole fragrance bar set up with samples from different brands along with Sephora pulled up on iPads for easy purchasing.  Smart.  I would have loved a SkinMedica facial, but my makeup was set for the day and I didn't have the time.

Clarins Lounge

The brand just launched their Beauty Flash Blog so I was eager to see my PR friends and learn more about it.  The Courtin-Clarins girls were there (the granddaughters of the founder of Clarins) so I filmed a video interview with them, which will be live soon!  I'm so glad they're getting involved with the brand.  They're super chic and approchable.  Other editors were getting makeup touch ups and mini massages in the suite as well.

Backstage Marc by Marc Jacobs, Where Glam Squads 'Got Their Slap On'

"Makeup is about getting your slap on," remarks makeup artist, Dick Page for Shiseido.  Backstage at the Marc by Marc Jacobs show was surprisingly quiet, until I began speaking Mr. Page.  "Why not do scruffy eyes and a little bit of lipstick...  Why not," he questions.  His motto set the theme for the entire look, "Just do your f*cken makeup! It's not that serious." 

"I want to see that the makeup looks wrong enough before the models walk out onto the runway," comments lead makeup artist, Dick Page.

"It's left over makeup, not perfect," Page says.  "You can even do it in a dirty city bathroom."

The hair was kept simple, because Guido Paulo of Redken accessorized each of the models hair with two scarves.  "When wearing a hair accessory you want to play your hair down," he explains.

The hair was texturized to make it "gritty" and then it was twisted back in no specific  style or form making each of the model's a bit different.

Top Models, Rich Girl Hair and Mega Lashes Backstage at Zac Posen

This season I'm only covering a few shows, my favorites.  Being my favorite designer, I jumped at the opporunity to go backstage to Zac Posen again this year as some of my career highlights have been with him including my first fashion show and a private meet and greet with the designer himself at his show room (see post).  Unbelievable.  And I'll tell you, no one knows 'rich girl hair' like him.  Here's my experience this year, through photos.

Some of the models hair was colored prior to the show with John Frieda's Precision Foam Hair Color to pump up or down their color for added shine.  "Rich girl hair is all about texture, solid color shine," remarked Harry Josh, John Frieda colorist.  "It creates an expensive look."

Inspired by lounge singer, Lena Horne, the look represented a strong, yet delicate socialite.

Top models walked in the show including Coco Rocha, Naomi Campbell and Karolina Kurkova.

Essie used shades ranging in depth to match all of the models skin tones to elongate the hands. Shades used: Glamour Purse, Brooch the Subject, A Crewed Interest and Not Just A Pretty Face.

"Because we're working with various skintones, we wanted to do something equally flattering to everyone, so we went with a strong lash look by using two pairs of lashes intergrated on each girl," commented Kabuki, the lead makeup artist from MAC cosmetics."