14 posts tagged "Ted Gibson"
Colored Hair Streaks Look To Be A Season-Spanner
“Equestrian, but super hip and cool, not stuffy,” is how hairstylist Ted Gibson for Beauty.com described his inspiration backstage at Vena Cava this morning, where he gathered models’ hair into low ponytails that looked primed for riding helmets. Floppy, wide-brimmed hats more Soho than Saratoga Springs were the headgear of choice on Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock’s runway, however, which explains the “urban” touches Gibson added to his coifs, namely Streekers temporary hair color in purple, pink, and green; and Velcro leather cuffs in place of plain old hair bands. Makeup artist Lloyd Simmonds abided by a similar theme, creating a sun-kissed flush on models’ faces as though they’d been out frolicking in the country. He dabbed MAC Pro Cream Colour Base in Orange Alarm onto the apples of their cheeks for a warm flush and topped two neutral shimmer shades in Antiqued Gold and Mid-tone Sepia with some targeted face gloss for added shine on eyelids and cheekbones. As for that red lip, it’s all about the MAC Pro Lipmix. An incredibly saturated tube formula, it allows for total color opacity and a surprising amount of control; Simmonds didn’t even need to use a liner to keep those crimson pouts perfectly precise.
Vena Cava Goes Deep For Spring
When we made our way to the second floor of Milk Studios for Vena Cava, our first backstage encounter at the revamped venue, we were greeted by an unexpected sight. Models were walking between the hair and makeup stations sporting deep violet pouts, a hue that tends to be included in the fall color palette more so than spring. “Makeup doesn’t have to be seasonal,” makeup artist Lloyd Simmonds explained of the custom color he created using four different shades of MAC Pro Lipmix in White, Burgundy, Red, and Blue. Unwilling to make the call that darker lip shades will persist into next year (“this is my first show!” he quipped), Simmonds did mention that his motivation to stray from the pastel lilacs more suitable to the season had little to do with a desire to break the mold and was actually a direct correlation with the collection itself. “It comes from the clothes,” he said of the color, which he kept matte for a touch of sophistication, a word hairstylist Ted Gibson also used to describe his coifs. Gibson called his messy chignons “sophisticated chic. Not too put-together, put still put-together,” a dichotomy he achieved by twisting the models’ ponytails before pinning them into buns and pulling pieces out in the back for texture. The nails were a similar mix of business casual, a turquoise/cobalt shade Butter London’s Nonie Creme whipped up especially for the occasion. “We’re calling it Corporate Blue,” she said of the bright lacquer, a reference to the background color of a Staples ad the designers sent her way for a point of reference. It’s all about finding inspiration in the everyday, no?
Ted Gibson Heads To Cable TV
For fans of What Not To Wear, TLC’s popular show where friends and family members out a loved one for style violations (the public shaming is subsequently smoothed over with a $5,000 wardrobe budget and a celeb-caliber makeover, naturally), a big change is coming to the beauty department. Ted Gibson will replace Nick Arrojo as the show’s celebrity stylist, which should make for some exciting hair heroics, not to mention a healthy dose of playful banter. Gibson, who tends to the tresses of Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, and Debra Messing, among other celebs, ranks among our favorite backstage fixtures during fashion week for his personality plus approach to styling, not to mention his love for a good accent scarf. Yet another thing to add to our growing why-we-should-break-down-and-get-cable list. (We’ve had problems with a Food Network addiction in the past, but maybe things will be different this time around?)
At Issa London, A Focus On Shimmer And Shine
The perpetual gray drizzle outside the Standard hotel in the Meatpacking District yesterday was hardly warm and tropical, but the restaurant at the new High Line destination, a.k.a. backstage headquarters for the Issa Resort presentation, was awash with aquamarine, fuchsia, and emerald green dresses that begged for a weekend in the Maldives. Amid this explosion of color, celebrity hairstylist Ted Gibson and his senior stylist Liam Carey were serving up loose, low-slung chignons, prepping hair with Gibson’s Hair Sheet Styling and some Tame It Lotion to calm flyaways before sweeping it up. The real key to the look that Gibson dubbed “elegant chic, but effortless” was an accessory that Carey fashioned on site. He attached one bobby pin to each end of a clear elastic and, gathering hair into a low pony, inserted one pin vertically up into the hair, wrapped the elastic around its width, and inserted the other pin downward at the top. “It makes a tighter, sleeker base for the chignon,” Carey said. “And this way you won’t be clawing it out when you want to release it.” The simple, classic style served as a good canvas for makeup artist Susan Houser’s bold eye, which was inspired by the bright fabrics in the collection. Using bronze and gold shadows from a Tarte metallic shadow palette and a new teal shade from the brand’s line of Lock and Roll Creaseless Eyeshadow Duos, Houser drew an elongated aqua cat-eye along the upper lash line, adding copper through the crease and going back in with a bright gold to highlight the inner corners and make the eyes pop. To further simulate summer, she coated models’ skin with Rodin Olio Lusso, a heavenly aromatic blend of 11 essential oils that gives cheekbones and décolletage the perfect after-sun sheen—a nice complement to the myriad low necklines on the runway.
Ted Gibson Talks Event Hair
Pouring over endless images of glammed-out celebrities from the Met ball and the Time 100 party these past few days has gotten us thinking. Actresses like Claire Danes, Liv Tyler, and Leslie Mann (a.k.a. Mrs. Judd Apatow) made back-to-back appearances sporting drastically different hairstyles. So whatever happened to the days of old, when a well-crafted updo was mandatory evening attire? “Red-carpet hair has no rules anymore,” celebrity stylist Ted Gibson explained when we asked his opinion on the matter. “You can wear a full-length gown and ponytail or a cocktail-length dress with an updo. It’s all about the total image; the clothes have to fit the hair and the hair has to fit the clothes.” Fair enough. And so Gibson took us on a quick rundown of the what and why of recent celebrity photo ops to further map out the new rules, er, guidelines for dressed-up tresses:
Pure Romance
With a strapless gown like the one Mann sported to the Met, Gibson supports a hair-down decision, arguing that it really helps give off a young, glamorous, and sexy appearance. “If her dress had straps, she would have more likely gone with an updo.” For those of you who want to attempt the look at home, Gibson suggests using a finishing product to smooth flyaways, like his Tame It Lotion.
One-Sleeved Wonders
Updos, like the one Claire Danes wore to the Met, can add mileage to one-sleeved numbers, showing off the neck and shoulders without complicating the asymmetry of the dress, Gibson explains.
Sleek and Sophisticated
When Danes switched into a chic, bat-winged black number for the Time 100, Gibson says hair down was the right call. “Hair down is sleek, smooth, and straight, which gives you more of an edge with a black dress,” he adds. To keep the straight look, Gibson recommends a light hair spray, such as his Beautiful Hold Hairspray.
Flirty and Fun
In a departure from the forties-cum-seventies soft waves Liv Tyler chose for the Met, the Givenchy spokeswoman used a high ponytail to complement her short black lace Stella McCartney dress at the Time 100. A good switch, according to Gibson, who believes “cocktail-length dresses often give a sense of playfulness,” making a ponytail the perfect choice. “A long soft wave just wouldn’t work for this kind of look.”