Backstage at the Tadashi Shoji Runway Show Fall Fashion Week 2009 -An Advice Sisters Feature (exclusive video)

*text and photos by Alison Blackman Dunham 

Tadashi Shoji's Fall 2009 collection stressed  "young elegance."  The collection featured a lot of cocktail dresses and lots of details and ruffles.  The special event dresses were strapless or one-shouldered, or had puffy sleeves. The gowns featured bold but feminine colors of rose, violet, teal and red and the quintessential black and white.  There weren't any glittery beads or long trains or wierd layers, these were just beautiful, red-carpet style gowns that while pretty, were also simple and clean.

Since the designer's clothes are clean and somewhat organic, Roxanne Valinoti of Creative Nail Design told me that the concept for the nails was simplicity.  So instead of the deep colors that were seen on lots of runways and are a new classic for Fall, Creative Nail Design went back to basics (also another popular Fall 2009 nail look). The idea was to "strip away" the color and leave the nails looking clean and natural.  The Creative Nail Design nail pros made sure the model's nails were perfectly clean, manicured, and look pristine (probably a relief after all the polish they had to wear all week...and this was the last show!).  Then the Creative Nail Design crew applied a very popular CND color...a neutral beige called "Serenity" *hear Creative Nail Design's Roxanne Valinoti talk about nails for Fall on my exclusive Advice Sisters video, below on this page! 

   

I also got a chance to talk to makeup artist Luc Bouchard for M.A.C. Cosmetics *Luc also appears on the video on the Advice Sisters video on this page.  Makeup artists work with the designer to coordinate a vision.  Luck told me that Tadashi Shoji wanted a smoky eye --- smoky, as if in a train station (clearly not one in the United States anymore!).  To get the feeling the designer wanted, Luc decided to make the eyes softly smoky, with an earthy palette of caramels and browns for the eye.  M.A.C.'s "Teddy" pencil ringed the eyes along with an Eye Espresso in two soft browns:  "Omega," and "Carbon."  He also wanted to create a reflective look on the skin so skin was dusted with M.A.C. Mineralize Skinfinish foundation.  Lips were treated to a lip balm and then glossed with "Shy Girl." The face chart on the left is the actual, official M.A.C. Cosmetics face chart that the makeup artists use to re-create the look, and the model on the right shows just how faithfully they re-created it!

It takes a lot of makeup to create a runway look.  Here are just some of the colors and tools the M.A.C. makeup artists used for the show.

 

Hair is another important component of an overall runway look.  For Tadashi Shoji, the charming and talented Rodney Cutler envisioned a hair look that was “clean, beautiful and elegant,  but also " simple, young and fresh.”  It's a challenge for a hair stylist to take lots of ideas, and synthesize them into one, but Rodney is a hair master, and he was up to the challenge.  *Rodney also appears on the exclusive Advice Sisters video, below...so keep scrolling!

The Hair was parted on the side, and combed up a bit to add texture and loosen a few pieces, then coiled it into a slightly messy bun that still looks amazingly glamorous.  The key products Rodney used was his own, Cutler Straightening Cream and Redken Workforce #09 Volumizing Spray (a staple backstage year after year). A thin, double black hair band was added as a final touch.

 

With so many models to manage, there is also a face chart with photos and names of each model.  Here's the one for Tadashi Shoji, of course!  

ADVICE SISTERS EXCLUSIVE VIDEO! 

Alison Blackman interviews Roxanne Valinoti of Creative Nail Design, learns about the makeup from Luc Buchard for M.A.C. Cosmetics, and Rodney Cutler shares his thoughts on what hair product every woman needs on her dressing table!  PLUS:  Footage direct from the runway show!  !

 

 See the my exclusive photos from the Tadashi Shoji Runway Show, directly from the photographer's riser

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