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It was “Whitney Houston meets Neneh Cherry meets Cindy Crawford” when it came to the 1980s aesthetic of Rodarte’s fashion show, said hairstylist Maranda Widlund.
Sister designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte debuted a five-piece capsule line of T-shirts and sweatshirts decorated by L.A. artist Mari Eastman at Milk Studios on Thursday. For the Los Angeles presentation, models and roller skaters donned ’80s apparel from striped tube socks to neon fanny packs while dancing it up at the disco party, which featured a live performance by Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles. (Rodarte is beloved by Brie Larson, Saoirse Ronan, Danai Gurira and more.)
Backstage ahead of the show, the makeup artist, manicurist and hairstylist broke down the retro beauty looks for The Hollywood Reporter.
Widlund turned the models into “throwback ’80s glamour girls” by adding scrunchies, tulle and bonbons. She relied on texturing sprays and hairsprays, setting the hair with curling irons and then teasing it, shaking it and fluffing it for a “big and bouncy” finale.
What does Widlund love about ’80s beauty styles? “Everything! It was kind of like I was a very young girl and that’s where all my dreams were made, when you’re driving your parents’ car and daydreaming and think about all the great things you wanted to be.”
The models received manicures in five shades of “perky pastels,” said Sigourney Nunez, OPI’s North America education manager. “But [for] the girls on roller skates, we really wanted to replicate the disco lights in the roller rink, so we added a little bit of sparkle.” The cosmetic glitter was packed at the cuticle area with a light feathering and iridescent sparkle finish toward the tips. The rainbow of OPI shades used included Lima Tell You About This Color, I Just Can’t Cope-acabana, Gelato on My Mind, Can’t Find My Czechbook, Do You Lilac It, Polly Want a Lacquer? and Two Timing the Zones.
“We really wanted to keep it fun, keep it light, keep it speedy and represent the shimmy on the rink,” Nunez added of the concept, created with Miss Pop, a New York-based nail artist who has worked with Regina King and Taylor Swift.
Backstage, NARS global artistry director Uzo was in the midst of applying a “beautiful bubble gum pink cheek” to a model to match her bubble gum pink lip. The makeup artist (who has worked with Shailene Woodley and Ava DuVernay) used NARS lipstick in shade Schiap to create the blush base for a stronger look.
“Of course, no ’80s makeup is complete without a strong contour cheek — but a contoured cheek with a pop of color,” Uzo told THR. “People weren’t afraid to wear color. I love that there is a little bit of an ’80s re-emergence in the way we’re wearing makeup today, but in the ’80s there were no rules. They literally had a strong eye, a strong cheek and a strong lip, and it all worked. So I love that Rodarte has given us free rein to have that same spirit of freedom creating these looks.”
The models’ makeup was a little more “sedate” with a muted finish, whereas the mannequins who took to roller skates had a lot of that shimmer reflected in the manicures.
The Rodarte capsule, celebrated in partnership with Mastercard and collaboration platform MADE, is available at the Fred Segal flagship on Sunset Blvd. until Aug. 14.
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