L’Wren Scott
Ladylike skirts and heels have always been a staple for any woman’s wardrobe, and this Fall is as good a time as any to stock up on essentials. Tired of bigger named designers already well entrenched in the whole pencil skirt world, I was struck by the excellent ways in which the designer made every curve visible and more importantly, enticing. Even the Elvira inspired slinky black dresses caught my eye.

Wide Leg
If you’re tired of skinny jeans, fall 09 is the perfect season for a welcomed change. The Oscar de la Renta and Ossie Clark collections added hints of flare with satin wide leg pants and jumpsuits. Pair with fitted belted cropped jackets, and satin ruffled tops for sophisticated bliss.

Shorts – Hot Pants
Hot pants don’t exactly scream the “go anywhere” look, but this fall, Giles Deacon and Phillip Lim have managed to dispel those myths. Hot shorts and pants for fall are paired with colorful tights and leggings, offering a combination of naughty sassiness. If you’re really daring, rock your tiny shorts with thigh high boots.

I first spotted them at Karen Sabag courtesy of Aveda stylist Jon Raymen. With inspiration from Jessica Rabbit and Veronica Lake, Raymen curled the hair with ½ inch barrels and brushed them out to create a “controlled elegance”, he then smoothed out the look with Aveda Smooth Infusion Glossing Straightener, which unfortunately doesn’t launch until July. At Twinke by Wenlan John Ruidant for Redken created 50′s drive-in inspired waves using 1 ¼ inch barrels curling them vertically to create waves without too much volume.

Kiehl’s would love for you to witness how well their shave cream works. That’s why they’ve decided to team up with the lovely Svetlana Pankratova, the woman who currently holds the record for the world’s longest legs.

• Model Coco Rocha conducting backstage interviews for E! News
• Red velvet cupcakes backstage at Ports 1961 (among other shows, though this is when I finally gave in…what? It was one of the last
days of FW!)
• Franà§ois Nars, yes that Nars, making a return to Fashion Week after a 10 year absence to do the makeup for Marc Jacobs
• Jessica Biel front row at William Rast
• Drag queens and lollipops backstage at Richie Rich
• Hair Extensions, lots of them
• Models reading books rather than texting!
• My idol, veteran fashion writer and New York legend, Lynn Yaeger.

Speaking of those bold eyes, Fashion Week lent itself to some pretty bold peepers. At Tory Burch, Catherine Holstein and Badgley Mischka we saw an easy-to-recreate-for-a-night-out-smokey-eye. At Chris Benz, Makeup Artist Daniel Martin for Lancome went for a “morning after the disco” look, something that the girls created themselves, slept it and is now smudged and not so perfect (if only this idea really worked!) The eyes are layered with Indigo Charm Cream Liner, available in Fall 2009 as part of Lancome’s Declaring Indigo Collection, blended Color Design Eye shadow in The New Black and finished with the ever popular Piha Black Color Fever Gloss.

Cat Eyes
Channeling the French New Wave and classic 60′s beauties like Sophia Lauren, thick black eyeliner turned up at the ends was all over the catwalks this season. Lorick took it to the extreme with exaggerated, straight wings. While others, like Vivienne Tam, went for a very clean and simple cat eye, complimented by nude lips to bring out what was truly most important, the clothes.

McCafé
Many look forward to fashion week every year not only for the amazing clothes, but for the booths set up at Bryant Park. Despite the usual popularity of the Chambord open bar, fashionistas in five inch Gucci heels were lining up to try the new McCafé nonfat vanilla latte.

Taking a 40′s influence with some rawness and the idea of girls wearing leather jackets borrowed from their boyfriends at Charlotte Ronson, Luc Bouchard for MAC, applied a dark berry lip using his fingers to create a textured look unique to each models lips, allowing all of the focus to remain on the lips.

Backstage at Erin Fetherston, Sebastian Tardiff for Bobbi Brown applied matte, opaque shades of deep raspberry, blackberry and burgundy were deftly applied to the lips of runway models. To achieve this look, it is recommended to first exfoliate lips with a wet toothbrush or washcloth. This eliminates any dry flakes, which can be magnified when wearing dark, deep shades of lipstick. After exfoliation, apply a thin coat of lip balm to lips. Then, using a lipliner that closely matches the lipstick, line closely along the natural lines of the upper and lower lips. Following this step, you can use a dense lip brush to apply the lipstick to the lips, or apply it straight from the tube.

At Lela Rose stylist Ted Gibson drew inspiration from insects (beetles and grasshoppers to be specific) and brainstormed on how to make a beetle chic. His interruption of a sophisticated insect was messy hair, pulled into a ponytail to make the models look as if they “had been in the rainforest”. Using a healthy amount of Beautiful Hold Hairspray, Gibson secured the ponytails with elastics, and then wrapped hair around them to finish the look. My thoughts on Kafka’s Metamorphosis have completely changed, life as beetle wouldn’t be so awful if it meant hair like that.

At the Chris Benz show, Daniel Martin for Lancome created an opaque, matte effect on the models’ faces by using colors that were three shades lighter than their actual skintones. Matte skin can be easily achieved when done by experts. However, for most women, it can be difficult to mimic this look without looking over-powdered and washed-out. At Marchesa, Julio Sandino for Nars created a completely matte face without a stitch of blush or bronzer for a clean look.

When choosing a foundation with a matte formula, it is essential that you take your individual skin type into account. Dry-skinned women should choose liquid concoctions, while oily-skinned women should choose powder or cream-to-powder formulas. As make-up artist Makky for MAC demonstrated at the Tony Cohen show, matte formulas must be blended quickly, and appear most natural when applied with a sponge. This look is extremely versatile and perfect for day or night.