6 posts tagged "Manic Panic"
Gerlan Marcel Revisits Angsty Youth
With Bleach London officially open for business at Milk, and street-style bloggers snapping everybody’s new candy-colored streaks, hair color is big business at the Spring shows. It was the mane event on the runway yesterday at Gerlan Jeans, where designer Gerlan Marcel presented her “teen witch” collection. “You’re alternative-but then again, you’re going to the mall to buy your alternative look,” the designer said, describing that phase of life where you hate just about everything (your boring blonde or brown hair, specifically). While the clothes featured Marcel’s special brand of textile design (Think: fabrics adorned with images of illustrated yearbook photos, oil slicks, slime, and duct tape), strands got the Manic Panic treatment, courtesy of hairstylist Chuck Amos. “You want to be different, and you’re totally committed to it,” Marcel says, which explains the black lipstick directive she gave Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics makeup artist Kristi Matamoros. “But at that same time, you are so self-conscious about those things that you are trying to embrace. It translates into this weird, awkward self-confidence that you can really only have in that transitional period between tween and teen.” We’re long past those days (thank god), but Marcel does provide some great ideas for future experiments with hair color. We’re sure there’ll be more before NYFW comes to a close.
Grammy Beauty: And the Nominees Are…
Fashion week may be dominating the style set’s attention right now, but come Sunday, the spotlight will shift to the music world as the Grammys get under way. A grandiose excuse for overexposed pop stars (and their labels) to pat each other on the back, the awards show does offer up a welcome and amusing respite from the serious styles of the Oscars and its film-focused cohorts. Glitter makeup, elaborate nail design, and a lot of wigs will presumably hit the red carpet. In anticipation of the big event, we tracked down some of the nominees’ go-to primping experts to get an insider’s look at what we can expect to see this weekend. All you have to do is press play.
The Power Of Pink
As we’ve been flipping through modeling show packages for the upcoming round of Fall shows, familiarizing ourselves with different agencies’ rosters of girls, one particular card jumped out from the pack. But it wasn’t Charlotte Free’s chiseled cheeks and perfectly symmetrical features that made the 18-year-old newcomer stand out. It was her hair. “I go through color moods,” the fresh-faced L.A. native told us about her ombré magenta locks, which she’s been dyeing herself with a mix of Special Effects (in Virgin Rose and Cupcake Pink) and Manic Panic (in Hot Hot Pink and Cotton Candy) for the last few years. Discovered last fall at an arcade in Southern California while playing Bust a Move, the natural brunette—”it’s usually brown at the top, blond at the bottom with gold in between,” she says—was approached by a photographer who snapped a few pictures and sent them to IMG. She was on a plane to New York in December and managed to book two fairly impressive editorials her first day in town (look out for the slight, 5′ 7″ beauty in the February issue of VMan and Interview‘s March edition). Free’s dye jobs are now left to Keith Shore at Sally Hershberger Downtown. “He knows what’s up,” Free says of Shore, who uses her same hodge-podge mix of product, albeit with a lighter, more professional hand. As for why she chose to go pink and stay pink, it had nothing to do with fashion. “I was really unhappy, so I dyed my hair. And then I wasn’t sad anymore.” Words to live by in these bleak February days.
Urban Outfitters, The Beauty Shop
Fact: I spend way too much money at Urban Outfitters. I like to blame it on my complete and total inability to resist the lure of a good sale item, of which there are always many. Another fact: Starting today, I will be blowing even more cash at the cool-kids chain, because it’s launching its first-ever beauty shop. That means brands with the Urban stamp of approval will now be available online and in many of the chain’s stores. And as I suspected, considering past collaborations with designers like Kim Gordon and Rachel Comey, the Urbanites also have great taste in makeup, hair care, and fragrance. Now, alongside those floral-print rompers and drainpipe jeans, you’ll also find eaux by Costume National and Malin + Goetz; Japonesque beauty tools; makeup by Stila, Too Faced, and Pop; nail polishes by KO and Urban’s own house brand (from which there will be more releases later this year); and extras like blotting papers and nail files from Paul & Joe. And lest you forget that this is Urban Outfitters, not Sephora, there’s also an array of Manic Panic hair dye available. Urban will hold a major event at its Broadway flagship in New York on July 15 to officially celebrate its foray into all things beauty with the help of one of our favorite local experts, Poppy King, so mark your calendars.
Beware The Streakers
I was never the hardcore teenage type. I veered more toward the preppy/jocky end of the middle school social continuum, so face piercings and severe black eyeliner never entered into the equation. I did, however, have a brief Manic Panic phase, in which I added an eggplant purple streak to my dark brown hair—the scandal! As colored hair accents come back into vogue (thanks, Lady Gaga), I may have to consider a round two—especially after seeing two very different interpretations of the look backstage yesterday. “Sometimes, you just have to see life in color,” Odile Gilbert said at Zac Posen, where she was twisting neon pink and green extensions into models’ hair, putting them into high ponytails, and then pinning them down into chignons. Over at Thakoon, it was a little less vibrant, but the idea of creating contrast with pops of color still resonated. Wella Professionals color spokesperson Eva Scrivo fashioned a series of extensions with pewter, platinum, and rose Champagne hues, and stylist Eugene Souleiman used them to create a looped half-up, half-down style that put a modern spin on a classic look. “It’s Seven Samurai meets beach warrior,” Scrivo suggested. “It still looks sophisticated, not dated and punk.” Not that there’s anything wrong with punk.