LAST month all eyes were on the world’s fashion capitals, New York, London, Milan and Paris, where the biggest names in fashion showcased their spring/summer 2018 collections during fashion weeks that ran back-to-back over four weeks.
Fashion Week isn’t just about the garments that the designers send down the runway. The overall theme, set design and styling of each show and model is a glimpse into trends from head to toe. Every detail from accessories to hair and make-up are intricately and carefully considered for each designer’s show.
HANDS-ON: Raine Tauber, global senior artist for MAC Cosmetics SA, shows how it is done. Picture: Ashley Rudder
Before a design hits the runway it takes an army of hairstylists and make-up artists to prep models for each look. One of those make-up artists is Raine Tauber, the global senior artist for MAC Cosmetics SA. She worked at London and Milan fashion weeks and had the privilege of working on shows for designers Moschino and Ralph & Russo, and with top international models. I chat to Tauber about her experience and trends on the runway.
What was your overall experience working with other international make-up artists?
Getting to spend time with the other global senior artists is always a treat. We’re like a big extended family and look out for each other. Ultimately when it comes to a show we all have the same goal, to make it great! The energy is always high backstage. It’s usually a bit of a rush as we are pressured for time and getting the models ready or making sure that once they are dressed all the final checks are done. I am also very honoured to get to work with Val Garland and Alex Box who I have looked up to as a new upcoming make-up artist. It’s very rewarding to meet the people that inspire me, let alone work alongside them.
Maria Borges for Ralph and Russo during London Fashion Week. (Pic by Simon Deiner / SDR Photo)
What are your fashion week highlights?
During London Fashion Week Ralph & Russo with Val Garland were a massive highlight because of the calibre of the show. I did make-up for Maria Borges for this show and the look was a beautiful ethereal silver liner with a sprinkling of glitter. The other highlight was working with top model Duckie on the Chalayan show. She’s so much fun and such high energy.
Kaia Gerber for Moschino during Milan Fashion week. (pic by AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
At Milan Fashion it would definitely be the Moschino show with Tom Pecheux. I did make-up on Kaia Gerber and Duckie for this show and did body make-up for Gigi and Bella Hadid too. There were many big names and it’s always cool to meet these people and see their kind and down-to-earth attitude is what helped them become successful. I love it when people achieve greatness and keep their humility especially in a stressful environment after little sleep. Gerber is not only a dream of a face to do but she’s sweet, polite and professional.
Duckie is one of the top models Raine did makeup for. (pic by AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
What are some of the make-up trends you spotted at the London and Milan fashion weeks?
The biggest things was skin. We used as little foundation and concealer as we could to perfect skin but still keeping it very natural and real. To juxtapose this natural skin we saw elements being embellished with glitter and the colour was most frequently silver so eyes, lips or cheeks got a sprinkling of glitter and it almost felt like fine jewellery for the face. The last big thing was the variety of red, blurry lips. We saw this in a multitude of textures but most frequently matte where the lipstick was applied and blurred around the edges to make it more real or imperfect. It felt like fashion and particularly make-up was staging a rebellion against the age of social media.