New Zealand Fashion Week 2018 (NZFW) was another busy season for our Creative Director Michael Beel as he helmed numerous shows during New Zealands most important fashion event.
We take a look at his top four favuorite shows from the week and what it took to get the models runway ready.
Wynn Hamlyn's show this year was inspired by the documentary 'Wormwood' which tells the story of how the CIA used its scientist to experiment on patients with LSD in the 1960s.
Hamlyn has been a favourite of the fashion crowd since the launch of his label, with his unqiue take on knitwear and playful reinterpreations of classic clothing for the modern women.
Hair for the show drew heavily from the decade, but with an undone dischellved beauty to it, as if she had ben out partying all night long. There were two hair looks for the show, some of the models had a 60's set with a centre parting and ponytail and others had a brushed out textured organic hair out with height through the crown
Fashion darling of the moment Rachel Mills did not dissappoint with her show this year at NZFW. Having established herself as the new designer to watch. Mill's collection of feminine, wearable sophisticated clothes were showcased in an installation setting.
Mill's collections are non seasonal, helping to reduce the inundation of new styles that crop up each season in the fashion markets. Instead she chooses to focus on classic pieces that are designed with the enivronment and sustaibabilty in mind and the ciruclar system of reduce, reuse and recycle.
The hair that Michael created for the show was all about 90's organic texture. Embracing the hair trend of the season for individuality and natural texture, some of the models were left undone, but groomed. While others had french rolls with a rockabilly edge to them to show off their faces and beauty.
Designer Lunch
One of the weeks highly anticipated shows is always the Designer Luncheon, usually held on the last day of the show calender. The Designer luncheon showcases current in season collections from some of the best creative minds in the industry. This years designers included Kate Sylvester, Adrian Hailwood, Maggie Marylin, World, Juliette Hogan and others.
Hair for this show had to work across all the different designers collections so there were two hair looks that were created. The first look a high plait top knot with the ends out and natural fly away around the hair line. The second was an organic textural wave with a soft undone plait at the base of the hair.
Both of these hair looks were all about enchancing shine and texture.
The Fashion Quartley and Miss FQ Fashion Weekend show, is one that is always a sell out with the general public and has become synomous with the magazine themselves as the holy grail of fashion when it comes to New Zealand trends. The show was styled with a mix of local designers showcasing the in seasons trends and how to wear them.
The brief for the shows makeup and hair look was sophisticated, french, luxury and elegant. The show was split into two with Miss FQ bringing a bit more of a downtown glamour of the cool french girl vibes. Michael designed his look based off the recent NYFW runway trend for sleek shiny hair – poker straight tresses with a defined centre part and a held in place with a visible bobby pin.
The FQ hair was a bit more grown up and polished with the high shine,tight ballet buns at the nape of the head and ends left out for a bit of nonchalance that the French do so well.
The trends that Michael could see from NZFW not only from his shows and others throughout the week was all about SHINE. Healthy looking hair with lots of shine, helped by products that also didn't weigh the hair down like L'Oreal Professional Mythic Oil for adding that touch of glamour.
Secondly this season saw a lot of models walking down the runway in indiviudal hair looks, with many hair dressers embracing the models individual hair idiosynciscities, but all the while maintianng healthy shiny hair.
To embrace these trends at home, you can't go wrong with L'Oreal Professional Infinium Pure Spray, for giving a bit of body to the hair, L'Oreal Professional Techni Art PLI for adding texture and movement , L'Oreal Professional Techni Art Crepage di Chingnon.
Also a GHD platinum plus and a DYSON hairdryer will be your friend come summer, as these will help you achieve shine, texture and healthy hair that is runway ready.
All photos by James Yang / @toomuchyang