My Fashion Week Backstage Diary

fashion week hair extensions

Day 4: Show overload, model tears, and “Twilight” hijack

My schedule is packed: Catherine Malandrino, Derek Lam, Imitation by Tara Subkoff, Tracy Reese, Zac Posen, and Tommy Hilfiger. After an early morning at Malandrino, I go backstage at Derek Lam to interview Tom Pecheux for Estee Lauder. He describes the look as “makeup to make a woman look ‘wow'” with a contoured eye and big lashes. However, he warns against overdoing it: “If you put too much mascara on your bottom lashes, it can bring your eyes down,” he says.

As I wait to talk with another stylist about the hair, I notice a few of the models grimacing and a crowd of hairstylists gathered around them. Apparently, they have extensions glued in from the previous show (Victoria Beckham), and getting them out is a torturous process. It’s probably one of the worst things I’ve ever seen, as the stylists douse the hair with different kinds of glue removers, and slowly start to pull/rip the extensions out. I can hardly watch — for me, ripping hair is the equivalent of a tooth getting pulled. But by the time everyone is ready for the runway, the finished look is stunning and you’d never know there were tears backstage.

I hop in a cab to meet up with celebrity makeup artist Mally backstage at Tracy Reese, and I couldn’t be more excited. (If you’ve ever seen her on QVC, you know why — she’s a firecracker.) Mid-way through our conversation about bright eyeliner, however, we are interrupted by … Nikki Reed. She needs a quick makeup refresh before doing an on-camera interview. No more makeup info for me … I guess vampires get more pull.